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Lesson 5 : Interrogative Sentences
(part 2)
Table of Contents

1. WH Question – What
2. WH Question – When

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WH Question – What
Let’s learn how to make a question with the interrogative pronoun ‘what’.

무엇 or 뭐
Be verb Do verb
English Pattern #3 English Pattern #2
(subject + verb + complement) (subject + verb + object)

what is this ? what do you like ?

this is a car 이것이 차 예요 I like coffee 저는 커피를 좋아해요
this is what? this what is? you like what? you what like?
이것이 무엇 이에요?
Ⅹ
당신은 무엇을 좋아해요?
이것이 뭐 예요? Ⅹ
당신은 뭐를 좋아해요?
뭐 좋아해요?
이게 뭐 예요?
higher
이건 뭐 예요? respect 뭐 좋아하세요?
예요 : when there is no final consonant in the former
or 뭐 좋아하셔요?
block.
이에요 : when there is a final consonant in the former it sounds a bit natural without the object particle ‘을’ or
block. ‘를’ in a interrogative sentence.

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WH Question – What
Let’s make some simple questions using ‘what’.

what is your name ?

English 1. 이름 [noun]= name.
your name is what ? 2. 전화번호 [noun] =
Korean telephone number.
Structure your name what is ?

Korean 이름이 뭐 예요?

what is your phone number ?

English
your phone number is what ?
Korean
Structure your phone number what is ?

Korean 전화번호는 뭐 예요?

1. the first question used the particle ‘이’. if you want to ask another question consecutively right after the first
question, it is ok to use ‘은’ or ‘는’ because it provides a nuance of comparing to the first question.
2. A: what is your name?
B: Emma.
A: ok. then, what is your phone number?
the particle ‘은’ or ‘는’ gives a nuance of ‘then’ here in this conversation. now do you understand what we
meant by the nuance of comparing or contrasting?

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WH Question – What
Let’s learn the higher respect form of ‘what is your name’.

what is your father’s name ?

1. 아버지 [noun] = father.
English 2. 아빠 [noun] = dad.
your father’s name is what ? 3. 성함 [noun]= the higher
Korean respect form of the noun
Structure your father’s name what is ?
‘name’.
Korean 아버지의 이름이 뭐 예요?

아버지의 성함이 뭐 예요?

it would be great if it was this simple

higher
respect 아버지의 성함이 어떻게 되세요? to become basic form → 되다
되셔요? basic form → 되시다
your father’s name how become (higher respect)

1. Important : 어떻게 되셔요?(or 되세요?) ‘how become’ is the higher respect way to say ‘what is’ in Korean.
2. you understand the mechanism how ‘되시어요’ becomes ‘되셔요’, right?
3. , and Koreans use ‘되세요’ more commonly than ‘되셔요’.

Let’s see more examples about this later again.

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WH Question – What
what are you eating now ? to eat basic form → 먹다
English
you are eating what now ?
basic form → 드시다
(higher respect)
Korean
Structure you now what are eating ?

Korean
Ⅹ
당신은 지금 무엇을 먹고 있어요?
뭐를 먹고 있어요?
뭐 먹고 있어요?
basic form → 있다 to exist

있어요 basic form →

(higher respect)
계시다
to be at a location
to stay still 계시어요 → 계셔요
to remain going on (X) (O)

higher
respect 지금 뭐 드시고 계셔요?
드시고 계세요?
Korean
you now what are doing ? to do basic form → 하다
Structure
basic form → 하시다
지금 뭐 하고 있어요? (higher respect)

지금 뭐 하시고 계셔요? or 계세요?

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WH Question – What

1. 어제 [noun]= yesterday. to buy basic form → 사다

2. 쇼핑몰 [noun] = shopping mall. it’s a loanword basic form → 사시다
(higher respect)
which borrows its sound directly from English.

what did you buy at a shopping mall yesterday ?

English
you bought what at a shopping mall yesterday ?
Korean
Structure you yesterday at a shopping mall what bought ?

Korean
Ⅹ
당신은 어제
어제
쇼핑몰에서
쇼핑몰에서
무엇을 샀어요 ?
뭐를 샀어요 ?
어제 쇼핑몰에서 뭐 샀어요?

higher
respect 어제 쇼핑몰에서 뭐 사셨어요 ?

사시다 → 사시었어요 → 사셨어요

(X) (O)
, but
Ⅹ
사셌어요

when the stem doesn’t have a final consonant, the sound of the last letter of the stem tends to combine with the
sound of ‘아요’, ‘어요’,‘았어요’, ‘었어요’ .

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WH Question – What

to do basic form → 하다
1. 오늘 밤 [noun]= tonight.
basic form → 하시다
오늘 = today, 밤 = night. (higher respect)

what are you going to do tonight ?

English
you are going to do what tonight ?
Korean
Structure you tonight what are going to do ?

Korean
Ⅹ
당신은 오늘 밤 무엇을 할 예정 이에요?
뭐를
하 + -ㄹ/을 예정 이에요
하시 + -ㄹ/을 예정 이에요
할 예정 이에요?
뭐 할 예정 이에요?
higher
respect 뭐 하실 예정 이에요?

Korean
Structure you tonight what will do ?

오늘 밤 뭐 할 거예요? 하 + -ㄹ/을 거예요

higher
respect 오늘 밤 뭐 하실 거예요? 하시 + -ㄹ/을 거예요

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WH Question – When
Let’s learn how to make a question using ‘when’.

언제
Be verb Do verb
예요, 이에요
when do you go ?
when is your birthday ?
I go now 저는 지금 가요
my birthday is on Aug. 11th
제 생일은 8월 11일 이에요 you go when? you when go?
your birthday is when? 언제 가요?
your birthday when is? higher
언제 가셔요? or 가세요?
Ⅹ
respect
당신의 생일이 언제 예요?
higher
respect 생신이 언제 셔요? or 세요? 1. 월 [noun] = month.
2. 일 [noun] = day.
이셔요, 이세요 : when there is a final consonant in 3. 생일 [noun] = birthday.
the former block.
셔요, 세요 : when there is no final consonant in the 4. 생신 [noun] = the higher respect form of
the noun ‘birthday’.
former block.

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WH Question – When
1. 선생님 [noun]= teacher. to be basic form → 이다
2. 생신 [noun] = the higher respect form of ‘birthday’. basic form → 이시다
3. 께서 [noun] = the higher respect form of the (higher respect)
subject particle ‘이’, ‘가’.

Teacher Kim, when is your birthday ?

English
Teacher Kim, your birthday is when ?
Korean
Structure Teacher Kim, your birthday when is ?

Korean 김 선생님 생일이 언제 예요? remember THIS!

김 선생님 생일은 언제 예요?

김 선생님은 생일이 언제 예요?
김 선생님의 생일은 언제 예요?
higher
respect 김 선생님 생신이 언제 세요? or 셔요? remember THIS!
higher
respect 김 선생님께서는 생신이 언제 세요? or 셔요?
■ grammar
1. 은 and 는 are not subject particles actually in Korean grammar, but auxiliary particles that can give a word a
few different roles in a sentence.

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WH Question – When

to go basic form → 가다
1. 어제 [noun]= yesterday.
2. 학교 [noun] = school.
basic form → 가시다
(higher respect)

English Gi-yong, when did you go to school yesterday ?

Korean
Structure Gi-yong, you yesterday when to school went ?

Korean 지용이 형 어제 언제 학교에 갔어요?

지용이 형은 어제 언제 학교에 갔어요?
higher
respect 지용이 형( ) 어제 언제 학교에 가셨어요?

께서 : yes, you can use ‘께서’ here 가시다→가시었어요→가셨어요

together with another particle ‘는’, well, you can still use the higher respect form of
but if you call someone ‘형’, he must the verb to anyone whom you call ‘형’. it will
not be much older than you. it can be make you look like a polite person.
too much to use ‘께서’ here. it’s your
choice though.
■ grammar
1. we normally put a time-related noun right after the subject in a Korean sentence. the same thing applies to
when you use ‘when’.

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WH Question – When

1. 수업 [noun]= a class, a lesson. a course of teaching to start basic form → 시작하다

in a particular subject.

English when does the class start today ? needless to say, you can’t use
a higher respect form in this
Korean
Structure the class today when starts ? sentence, because ‘the class’
is not a human.
Korean 수업이 오늘 언제 시작해요?

1. 그 여자 = that woman.
to come basic form → 오다
2. 그 여자분 = the higher respect form of ‘that
basic form → 오시다
(higher respect)
woman’.

English when is that woman going to come here ?

Korean
Structure that woman when here is going to come ?

Korean 그 여자가 언제 여기로 올 예정이에요?

그 여자분이 언제 여기로 오실 예정이에요? or 오실 예정이셔요?
Korean or 이세요?
Structure that woman when here will come ?

그 여자분이 언제 여기로 오실 거예요? or 오실 거세요?

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