Object Marker 을/를
Object marker particles 을/를 — marking the direct object of a verb
Can use 을/를 to mark the direct object of action verbs
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
밥을 먹어요.
I eat rice.
영화를 봐요.
I watch a movie.
음악을 좋아해요.
I like music.
친구를 만나요.
I meet a friend.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
목적격 조사 을/를 — Object Marker
The object markers 을 and 를 mark the direct object — the thing being acted upon by the verb.
Form:
| Condition | Marker | Example |
|---|---|---|
| After consonant (받침) | 을 | 밥을 먹어요 (eat rice) |
| After vowel (no 받침) | 를 | 커피를 마셔요 (drink coffee) |
SOV structure with 을/를:
| Subject | Object | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 저는 | 물을 | 마셔요. | I drink water. |
| 저는 | 한국어를 | 배워요. | I learn Korean. |
| 민수는 | 책을 | 읽어요. | Minsu reads a book. |
Dropping 을/를: In casual spoken Korean, the object marker is often dropped: 밥 먹어요 = 밥을 먹어요. This is very common and natural.
Common verbs with 을/를:
- 먹다 (eat): 밥을 먹어요
- 마시다 (drink): 물을 마셔요
- 보다 (see/watch): 영화를 봐요
- 읽다 (read): 책을 읽어요
- 좋아하다 (like): 음악을 좋아해요
- 만나다 (meet): 친구를 만나요
Common Error Patterns
Used 이/가 instead of 을/를 for the object (or vice versa)
을/를 = what is being acted on (object). 이/가 = who is doing the action (subject)
Used 을 after vowel or 를 after consonant
을 after 받침: 밥을. 를 after vowel: 커피를
밥을 먹어요.
I eat rice.
밥 (rice) + 을 (object, after consonant ㅂ) + 먹어요 (eat). The object comes before the verb in Korean (SOV).
영화를 봐요.
I watch a movie.
영화 (movie) + 를 (object, after vowel ㅏ) + 봐요 (watch). 를 is used because 화 has no 받침.
음악을 좋아해요.
I like music.
좋아하다 (to like) takes 을/를: 음악 (music) + 을 (object) + 좋아해요 (like). Note: 좋아요 (is good) uses 이/가, but 좋아해요 (like) uses 을/를.
친구를 만나요.
I meet a friend.
친구 (friend) + 를 (object, after vowel) + 만나요 (meet). In casual speech, 친구 만나요 (dropping 를) is also natural.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises