English is does two jobs; Korean gives each its own verb. 이에요 / 예요 says what something is (A = B): 저는 학생이에요 — I'm a student. 있어요 says something exists, is somewhere, or is had: 화장실이 저기 있어요 — the toilet is over there; 시간 있어요 — I have time. Their negatives are different words too: 아니에요 and 없어요. And adjectives need neither: 커요 = it's big.
Here is a sentence learners produce in their first week: 화장실이에요 어디? — meant as where is the toilet? Every word in it exists. Korean speakers will probably understand. But it is built on the English assumption that is is one word, and in Korean it is not.
Two different questions behind one English word
A = B · identity
What something is: a name, a job, a nationality, a category.
there is · is at · have
That something exists, where it is, or that someone has it.
A is B
Choose by the last sound of the noun: consonant (batchim) → 이에요, vowel → 예요. It attaches directly to the noun, with no space.
Formal register: 입니다 for both (학생입니다, 의사입니다). Casual: 이야 / 야 (학생이야, 친구야). The levels are explained in formal vs casual Korean.
There is · is (somewhere) · have
One verb, three English translations. The thing that exists takes 이/가; the place takes 에.
The negatives are two different words
Not 이에요 → 아니에요
저는 학생이 아니에요.jeoneun haksaengi anieyoI'm not a student.
The noun takes 이/가 before 아니에요.
Not 있어요 → 없어요
죄송해요, 시간이 없어요.joesonghaeyo, sigani eopseoyoSorry, I don't have time.
A separate verb: 없다, not exist.
안 negates ordinary verbs (안 가요) but never these two. Their negatives are built in. The other negation words are compared in the past tense guide.
Adjectives need no “is” at all
This is the other half of the trap. In English, big needs is: it is big. In Korean, adjectives are descriptive verbs — 크다 already means to be big. So you conjugate it like any verb, and add nothing:
Wrong
이 가방은 커이에요.A “to be” stacked on a word that already means “to be big”.Right
이 가방은 커요.i gabangeun keoyoThis bag is big.
| Adjective | Polite present | English |
|---|---|---|
| 크다 | 커요 | it's big |
| 예쁘다 | 예뻐요 | it's pretty |
| 비싸다 | 비싸요 | it's expensive |
| 덥다 | 더워요 | it's hot (weather) |
How those endings are formed (아요/어요, and the ㅂ-irregular in 더워요) is in the present tense guide. The rule of thumb: 이에요 only ever follows a noun.
있다 hiding inside everyday words
Once you know 있다 = exist and 없다 = not exist, a whole family of common adjectives decodes itself:
So when a Korean friend says 이 드라마 진짜 재미있어요, they are literally saying this drama really has fun in it.
The polite 있다: 계세요 — and where goodbye comes from
When the one who “is somewhere” is a person you respect, 있다 becomes 계시다: 선생님 계세요? seonsaengnim gyeseyo? — Is the teacher in? This is the verb inside the goodbye every beginner learns:
You're leaving, they stay
안녕히 계세요.annyeonghi gyeseyoLiterally: “stay (계세요) in peace.”
They're leaving
안녕히 가세요.annyeonghi gaseyoLiterally: “go (가세요) in peace.”
The two goodbyes stop being confusing the moment you see the verbs: the person who stays gets 계세요, the honorific of 있다. More in how to say hello (and goodbye) in Korean.
Check yourself
Pick the natural Korean.
Identity after a consonant → 이에요.
Location → 있어요.
Negative of 있다 is 없어요, with 이/가.
Adjectives already mean “to be ___” — no 이에요.
Negative of 이다 = 아니에요.
They stay → 계세요 (honorific of 있다).
Small verbs, solid foundations
Hanguljo starts with Foundation lessons that fix Hangul and pronunciation with stroke order and native audio, then carries you through the TOPIK 1 to 6 lessons — vocabulary, grammar and particles, level by level — with Hanja roots and memory hooks for Sino-Korean words. A 7-stage SRS engine times every review, the conversation track adds real dialogues with play-along and shadowing, dictation trains your ear, you can learn from any Korean video you paste in, the on-device OCR scanner reads real signs and menus, and home, lock screen and quiz widgets keep you practising — all in a calm design.
Learn Korean with Hanguljo - FreeQuick reference
- 이에요 / 예요 (이다)
- A is B. 이에요 after a consonant, 예요 after a vowel. Formal 입니다. Negative 이/가 아니에요.
- 있어요 (있다)
- There is / is located / have / stay. Thing takes 이/가, place takes 에. Negative 없어요.
- The = test
- “A = B” makes sense → 이에요. “There is / is at / have” → 있어요.
- Adjectives
- Never add 이에요: 커요, 예뻐요, 비싸요.
- 있다 compounds
- 맛있어요 / 맛없어요, 재미있어요 / 재미없어요, 멋있어요, 인기 있어요.
- Honorific
- 계세요 = honorific 있다. 안녕히 계세요 (to the one staying) vs 안녕히 가세요 (to the one leaving).
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 이에요 and 있어요?
이에요 says what something is (A = B). 있어요 says it exists, is somewhere, or is had.
When do you use 이에요 and when 예요?
이에요 after a consonant (학생이에요), 예요 after a vowel (의사예요).
What are the negatives?
이/가 아니에요 for 이에요; 없어요 for 있어요. Never 안 이에요 or 안 있어요.
How do you say “it is big”?
커요. Adjectives are verbs in Korean, so no 이에요.
What does 맛있어요 literally mean?
“Taste exists” — delicious. Opposite: 맛없어요.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Language Dictionary (표준국어대사전) — entries for 이다, 있다, 없다 and 계시다.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Revised Romanization of Korean — the system used for every romanised line on this page.
- National Institute for International Education, TOPIK official site — the test these beginner patterns prepare you for.