[Korean Sentence Pattern #05] N을/를 V-아요/어요 (Korean Object Particles)

Learn to use 을/를 to say what you eat, drink, read, buy, and enjoy. Practice with everyday examples, then build sentences about your own life.

You drink water after a walk. You read a book before bed. You buy an apple at the store.

Each sentence has an action and something that the action is directed toward. In Korean, 을/를 helps show that connection.

물을 마셔요.
I drink water.

책을 읽어요.
I read a book.

사과를 사요.
I buy an apple.

The pattern is:

N을/를 + V-아요/어요.

N means a noun. V means a verb that takes an object, such as 먹다 (to eat), 읽다 (to read), or 사다 (to buy).

Need help making forms like 먹어요, 마셔요, and 사요? Read V/A -아요/어요: Everyday Polite Korean for the ending rules. Here, we’ll focus on 을/를 and the noun that comes before it.

1. What does 을/를 do?

Imagine someone asks what you eat for breakfast. You say:

저는 빵을 먹어요.
I eat bread.

Here are the pieces:

• 저는 = as for me / I
• 빵 = bread
• 을 = an object marker
• 먹어요 = eat

The action is 먹어요. What do you eat? 빵. That makes 빵 the object of the action.

을/를 attaches to the noun to mark that role. It doesn’t have a separate English translation.

Try the same question with another sentence:

영화를 봐요.
I watch a movie.

What do you watch? 영화. That is why 영화 takes 를.

An object can also be a person:

친구를 만나요.
I meet a friend.

Who do you meet? 친구. Here, 친구 is the object of 만나요.

2. Choose 을 or 를

을 and 를 do the same job. Your choice depends on the last syllable of the noun.

If the noun ends in a consonant (받침), use 을.

If the noun ends in a vowel, use 를.

Look at the Korean spelling, not the English meaning. 커피 ends in the vowel ㅣ, so it takes 를.

물을 마셔요.
I drink water.

커피를 마셔요.
I drink coffee.

The verb stays the same. The noun determines which object marker you use.

3. Put the object before the verb

English usually puts the object after the verb: “I read a book.”

For this Korean pattern, put the object before the verb:

저는 + 책을 + 읽어요.

Think of the order as “I + a book + read.”

저는 사과를 먹어요.
I eat an apple.

저는 한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean.

저는 친구를 만나요.
I meet a friend.

When the conversation already makes it clear who you mean, you can leave out 저는:

한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean.

Attach 을/를 directly to the noun, then leave a space before the verb:

책을 읽어요. ✓
책 을 읽어요. ✗
책을읽어요. ✗

4. Talk about food and drinks

Start with something you eat or drink often.

Notice how 먹어요 works with both 빵을 and 바나나를. The marker changes because the noun changes, not because the action changes.

Try changing just the food:

빵을 먹어요. → 사과를 먹어요. → 김밥을 먹어요.
I eat bread. → I eat an apple. → I eat gimbap.

What do you usually have for breakfast? Make one sentence that is true for you.

5. Talk about studying, hobbies, and errands

을/를 works with many everyday actions.

English uses “to” in “listen to music” and “for” in “wait for the bus.” Korean uses an object marker with these verbs:

음악을 들어요.
I listen to music.

버스를 기다려요.
I wait for the bus.

Learn the noun and verb together as a useful phrase. You don’t need to translate each English word into a separate Korean word.

6. Keep the noun, change its role

The same noun can take a different marker when its job in the sentence changes.

Imagine a book on your desk:

책이 있어요.
There is a book. / I have a book.

Now imagine reading it:

책을 읽어요.
I read a book.

In the first sentence, 책 is what exists. In the second, 책 is what you read.

Compare a few more:

Don’t choose 을/를 just because you see a noun. Ask what that noun is doing in the sentence.

7. Why does this pattern say V, not V/A?

-아요/어요 can be used with both verbs and adjectives. But this object pattern needs a verb that takes an object.

An adjective such as 예뻐요 (is pretty) describes something. In a basic sentence like this, use 이/가 for the thing you’re describing:

꽃이 예뻐요. ✓
The flowers are pretty.

꽃을 예뻐요. ✗

A particularly useful pair is 좋다 and 좋아하다.

커피가 좋아요.
I like coffee. / Coffee is good.

커피를 좋아해요.
I like coffee.

Both can express a preference, but their grammar is different. 좋다 is an adjective; 좋아하다 is a verb that takes an object.

For now, practice these combinations together:

N이/가 좋아요.

N을/를 좋아해요.

Also, not every action verb needs an object. For the simple meaning “I go to school,” use 학교에 가요. 학교 is your destination, so this sentence uses 에.

8. Use 을/를 in a conversation

To ask what someone eats, reads, or buys, use 뭐를 or its common shortened form, 뭘.

At lunchtime

A: 점심에 뭘 먹어요?
What do you eat for lunch?

B: 김밥을 먹어요.
I eat gimbap.

Talking about a quiet evening

A: 집에서 뭘 해요?
What do you do at home?

B: 책을 읽어요. 음악을 들어요.
I read books. I listen to music.

At a store

A: 뭘 사요?
What are you buying?

B: 친구 선물을 사요.
I’m buying a gift for a friend.

Making plans

A: 오늘 누구를 만나요?
Who are you meeting today?

B: 친구를 만나요.
I’m meeting a friend.

누구 means “who.” Because it ends in a vowel, it takes 를: 누구를.

You may also hear 커피 마셔요 or 뭐 먹어요? in everyday speech. Speakers often leave out 을/를 when the meaning is clear. Keep it in your practice sentences while you learn how the pattern works.

9. Try a quick 을/를 check

Fill in each blank with 을 or 를. Look at the last syllable of the noun.

1. 물___ 마셔요. — I drink water.
2. 사과___ 먹어요. — I eat an apple.
3. 한국어___ 공부해요. — I study Korean.
4. 음악___ 들어요. — I listen to music.
5. 사진___ 찍어요. — I take photos.
6. 친구___ 만나요. — I meet a friend.

Then choose the sentence that means “I like coffee.”

• 커피를 좋아해요.
• 커피를 좋아요.

Check your answers

1. 물을 마셔요.
2. 사과를 먹어요.
3. 한국어를 공부해요.
4. 음악을 들어요.
5. 사진을 찍어요.
6. 친구를 만나요.

The correct choice is 커피를 좋아해요. If you use 좋아요 instead, say 커피가 좋아요.

Read each complete sentence aloud. Notice the noun and its marker together: 물을, 사과를, 한국어를.

10. Make three sentences about your life

Choose words that fit your day.

1. Something you eat or drink: 저는 __________을/를 __________.
2. Something you read, watch, or listen to: 저는 __________을/를 __________.
3. Someone you meet or something you buy: 저는 __________을/를 __________.

Here’s one possible set:

아침에 커피를 마셔요.
I drink coffee in the morning.

저녁에 드라마를 봐요.
I watch dramas in the evening.

주말에 친구를 만나요.
I meet friends on weekends.

Say your sentences aloud. Then look away and try saying them again.

To make a new sentence, change just the noun:

커피를 마셔요. → 물을 마셔요.
I drink coffee. → I drink water.

Check the last syllable each time. A new noun might need a different marker.

What do you eat, read, or enjoy today? Choose a noun, add 을 or 를, and finish with your action.

Keep Building Your Korean

Need another look at the verb endings? Review V/A -아요/어요: Everyday Polite Korean, then come back and try three new object sentences.