Adjectives in -아요/어요

Adjectives are verbs too

A Korean adjective is listed in the dictionary with 다, like a verb, and it conjugates the same way: 좋다 → 좋아요 is good, 많다 → 많아요 is many, 작다 → 작아요 is small, 비싸다 → 비싸요 is expensive, 맛있다 → 맛있어요 is delicious. There is no separate is: the adjective is the whole predicate. The thing described takes 이/가: 날씨가 좋아요, 사람이 많아요, 김치가 맛있어요. Two adjectives in this lesson, 크다 and 예쁘다, drop their ㅡ before the ending – 커요, 예뻐요 – and the bonus lesson explains that family.

More, very, too much

Adjectives are strengthened by an adverb placed just before them. 아주 is the plain very; 정말 is really; 너무 was once too much but in speech has become the everyday so: 너무 비싸요 it is so expensive, 너무 맛있어요 it is so good. The question 어때요? how is it? asks for an adjective, and 뭐가 제일 좋아요? what do you like best? – literally what is best – is how Koreans ask about favourites.

이 식당은 정말 맛있어요This restaurant is really good.

한국어 수업이 어때요?How is the Korean class?