Korean grammar - The Subject marker 이/가 and Absence 없다 |
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Pattern: Subject + 이/가 and 없다 The verb 없다 is used to express absence: 'to not have'. Or non-existence: 'to not exist' or 'there isn't'. It can be thought of as the opposite of 있다 (to exist, to have) • In the present tense 없다 becomes 없어요. The thing that 없다 designates as 'not possessed' or 'not existing' is marked with the Subject marker 이/가. In all these examples where there is only an object and the verb, it is unclear whether the examples mean 'the object doesn’t exist' or '<someone> doesn't have the object'. This must come from the context. Also the number is ambiguous - whether 'I don't have one chair' (singular), or 'I don't have a number of chairs' (plural) is ambiguous in these examples. -- Both of these issues will be solved in later topics. |
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의자가 없어요.
There are no chairs. / (I) don't have a chair.
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돈이 없어요.
(I) don’t have money. / There is no money. |
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물이 없어요.
There is no water. / (I) don’t have water.
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동생이 없어요?
Don't (you) have younger siblings?
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여자 친구가 없어요.
(I) don't have a girlfriend.
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과일이 없어요.
There is no fruit. / (I) don't have fruit.
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고기가 없어요.
There is no meat. / (I) don't have meat.
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지우개가 없어요.
There is no eraser. / (I) don't have an eraser.
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기운이 없어요?
Don't (you) have (any) energy?
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누나가 없어요.
(I) don't have a (male's) older sister.
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우산이 없어요.
(I) don't have an umbrella. / This is no umbrella. |
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책이 없어요.
There is no book. / (I) don't have a book. |
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애가 없어요.
(I) don't have kids. / There are no kids.
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시간이 없어요.
(I) don't have time. / There is no time.
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The subject could also be 'he doesn't have..' or 'she doesn't have..' etc. If the subject of the verb is absent,it should be clear from the context of the discussion.
