조사A1

Subject Marker 이/가

Subject marker particles 이/가 — identifying the subject or presenting new information

Learning Goal

Can use 이/가 to mark the subject and present new information in a sentence

Exam Skills:쓰기읽기

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

비가 와요.

It's raining.

누가 했어요?

Who did it?

고양이가 있어요.

There is a cat.

제가 할게요.

I will do it.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

주격 조사 이/가 — Subject Marker

The subject markers 이 and 가 identify the grammatical subject of a sentence. They highlight new information or answer the question "who/what?"

Form:

ConditionMarkerExample
After consonant (받침)이선생님이 왔어요. (The teacher came.)
After vowel (no 받침)가비가 와요. (Rain is coming.)

When to use 이/가:

  • New information / identification: 누가 왔어요? — 민수가 왔어요. (Who came? — Minsu came.)
  • Existence: 고양이가 있어요. (There IS a cat.)
  • Description with adjectives: 날씨가 좋아요. (The weather is nice — stating a fact now.)
  • After question words: 누구가, 뭐가, 어디가

은/는 vs 이/가 side by side:

은/는 (Topic)이/가 (Subject)
저는 학생이에요.
As for me, I'm a student.		제가 학생이에요.
I (am the one who) am a student.
날씨는 좋아요.
The weather (in general) is nice.		날씨가 좋아요.
The weather (right now) is nice!
Learners mix up 이/가 with 은/는 constantly. The topic/subject distinction takes months to internalize. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses 'the' for known info and 'a' for new info — this is the closest analogy: 은/는 ≈ 'the' (known), 이/가 ≈ 'a' (new, surprising). But it's not exact. 🇩🇪 German speakers: German definite/indefinite articles (der vs ein) partially parallel topic/subject: known topics get 은/는, new subjects get 이/가. German topicalization also helps.

Common Error Patterns

Used 이/가 where 은/는 is needed (or vice versa)

이/가 = new info, answering 'who/what?'. 은/는 = known topic, contrast. After question words → always 이/가

Used 이 after vowel or 가 after consonant

이 after 받침: 선생님이. 가 after vowel: 비가

비가 와요.

It's raining.

비 (rain) + 가 (subject): The rain IS coming — 가 presents this as new information or a current observation.

누가 했어요?

Who did it?

누구 (who) + 가 → 누가 (contracted form). Question words always take 이/가, never 은/는.

고양이가 있어요.

There is a cat.

With 있다/없다 (existence), use 이/가: 고양이 (cat) + 가 (subject) + 있어요 (exists).

제가 할게요.

I will do it.

제 (I, humble) + 가 (subject): 'I am the one who will do it.' 이/가 emphasizes the doer. Compare: 저는 할게요 (I'll do it — topic) vs 제가 할게요 (I'LL do it — I'm volunteering).

Practice in course

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