Examples  

Notes

1. The particle -이/가 indicates that the nominal attached to it is the subject of the sentence, that is, what is predicated of.

After a consonant: 이	이름이	스티브 윌슨이에요.
	음식이	싸요.
	학교 식당이	유니온 빌딩에 있어요.
After a vowel: 가	커피가	맛있어요.
	한국어가	재미있어요.

 

2. Key things to remember:

-이/가 usually but not always marks the subject. In the following example the noun used with particle -이/가 (한국 사람) is not the subject.

샌디 왕은 한국 사람이 아니에요.

Note that when a nominal functions as a topic (G1.1) or is used for comparison (G1.3), the particle -은/는 or -도 is used instead of -이/가.

(a)	영미:	유니온 빌딩은 어디 있어요?
	린다:	우체국 앞에 있어요.
(b)	린다:	스티브 씨, 요즘 어떻게 지내세요?
	스티브:	잘 지내요. 린다 씨는 어때요?
	린다:	저도 잘 지내요.

 

In (a), the subject of the sentence, 유니온 빌딩 is marked with the topic particle -은, not with the subject particle -이, because it is selected as the topic. In (b), 저 (린다) is marked with -도, because it is compared with -스티브; 린다's health is parallel with 스티브's.

[NOTE] The Topic Particle -은/는 is used when the predication is made for a unique attribute/characteristics of the referent, as in generic statements or when a comparison/contrast is made with another referent. That is, The Topic Particle -은/는 overrides the Subject Particle -이/가 for a special purpose of communication on the part of the speaker.

[연습] Fill in with a proper particle, e.g., -이/가, -은/는, and -도.