있어요 (there is) and 없어요 (there is not)
What You Will Learn in This Unit
In this unit, you learn how to say where people and things are, and who has what, using '있다' and '없다'. You also learn to describe exact locations with position words such as 위, 아래, 앞, 뒤, 옆, 안, 밖, and 사이, and how to use '계시다' for people you should honor. Finally, you learn to tell apart '있다' and '이다', which are different words.
Existence and Possession with 있다 and 없다
'있다' is a verb meaning that a person or thing exists in a certain place. To express existence, attach '에' to the place and attach '이/가' to the thing that exists, using the pattern '장소에 대상이/가 있어요' (there is a thing in a place). The thing that exists is information newly introduced in that place, so '이/가' is used. To say that something does not exist, use '없어요' instead of '있어요'.
'있다' is also used to express possession. In this case, attach '은/는' to the person who has something and attach '이/가' to the thing owned, using the pattern '사람은 물건이/가 있어요' (a person has a thing). Existence and possession have different patterns, so learn them separately using the table below.
| 구분 (Category) | 짜임 (Pattern) | 예 (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| 존재 (Existence) | 장소에 + 대상이/가 + 있어요 | 교실에 학생이 있어요. (There is a student in the classroom.) |
| 부재 (Absence) | 장소에 + 대상이/가 + 없어요 | 교실에 학생이 없어요. (There is no student in the classroom.) |
| 소유 (Possession) | 사람은 + 물건이/가 + 있어요 | 저는 우산이 있어요. (I have an umbrella.) |
'있어요' is pronounced [이써요], and '없어요' is pronounced [업써요]. Because the spelling and the sound differ, practice them by sound.
Words That Show Position
To point to a place more precisely, use position words. Position words function like nouns, and you attach '에' after them to show the place. Each word refers to a different location, so the table below summarizes them.
| 위치 낱말 (Position word) | 뜻 (Meaning) | 예 (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| 위 (on top, above) | 높은 쪽 (the higher side) | 책상 위에 책이 있어요. (There is a book on the desk.) |
| 아래 (under, below) | 낮은 쪽 (the lower side) | 의자 아래에 고양이가 있어요. (There is a cat under the chair.) |
| 앞 (in front) | 향하고 있는 쪽 (the side one faces) | 학교 앞에 공원이 있어요. (There is a park in front of the school.) |
| 뒤 (behind) | 앞의 반대쪽 (the opposite of the front) | 건물 뒤에 주차장이 있어요. (There is a parking lot behind the building.) |
| 옆 (beside) | 바로 곁 (right next to) | 나무 옆에 강아지가 있어요. (There is a puppy beside the tree.) |
| 안 (inside) | 둘러싸인 속 (the enclosed inside) | 가방 안에 연필이 있어요. (There is a pencil inside the bag.) |
| 밖 (outside) | 둘러싸인 바깥 (the outside of an enclosure) | 교실 밖에 선생님이 계세요. (The teacher is outside the classroom.) |
| 사이 (between) | 둘의 가운데 (the middle of two things) | 나무 사이에 고양이가 있어요. (There is a cat between the trees.) |
'앞', '옆', '밖' are pronounced [압], [엽], [박] on their own, but when '에' follows them, they are pronounced [아페], [여페], [바께]. This is because the final consonant sound moves to the first sound of the next syllable.
What comes next
- Distinguishing 있다 from 이다
- 계시다: The Honorific Form of 있다
- Example Sentences
- Common Mistakes
- Check Questions
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