Korean marks a word's role with a particle attached to it. 이/가 marks the subject, 을/를 marks the object, and 은/는 marks the topic or a contrast. Each pair picks its form by whether the word ends in a consonant or a vowel.
Examples
- 저는 아침에 커피를 마셔요.
- I drink coffee in the morning.
- 동생이 지금 점심을 먹어요.
- My younger sibling is eating lunch now.
- 저녁은 집에서 먹어요.
- As for dinner, I eat at home.
The mistake to avoid
은/는 is not a subject marker - it sets the topic, and often implies a contrast.
Where this fits in
하루 일과, Korean A2: Talk about your daily routine, habits, and how often you do things.