Korean basic words,Hangul+Trans

object maker,subject maker,topic maker & this,that/that

을/를 (an / the)

In general, 을 or 를 marks preceding noun(s) as an object of the sentence. 을 is used when the preceding noun ends with a consonant and 를 is used when the preceding noun ends with a vowel. For example if the noun is 사과 which ends with a vowel (와) then we use 를, so it becomes 사과를. Similarly when the preceding noun ends with a consonant as in 수박, we use 을, and thus it becomes 수박을.

Some examples:
버스를 놓쳤어요.
beoseuleul nohchyeoss-eoyo.
I missed the bus.

아이팟을 샀어요.
aipas-eul sass-eoyo.
I bought an I-pad.

이/가

The subjective marker 이/가 is used to indicate that the preceding noun phrase is the subject of the sentence. -가 is used after a word which ends with a vowel, while -이 is used after a consonant. For example if the noun is 사과 which ends with vowel (와) then we use 가, so it becomes 사과가. Similarly when the preceding noun ends with consonant as in 수박, we use 이, and thus it becomes 수박이.

사과가 너무 비싸요.
sagwaga neomu bissayo.
Apple is too expensive.

수박이 너무 싸요.
subag-i neomu ssayo.
Water melon is so cheap.

Few other examples:

고양이가 집 뒤에 있다.
goyang-iga jib dwie issda.
The cat is behind the house.

날씨가 좋네요.
nalssiga johneyo.
The weather is good.

이름이 뭐예요 ?
ileum-i mwoyeyo ?
What is your name ?

은/는

Korean particle 은 or 는 marks preceding word(s) as a topic of the sentence. The use of 은/는 is somewhat similar to a subject marking particle 이/가 but there is subtle difference between 은/는 and 이/가. In a very rough sense, a word followed by 은/는 has more attention than that followed by 이/가.

은 is used when the preceding word ends with a consonant and 는 is used when the preceding word ends with a vowel. For example if the word is 사과 which ends with a vowel (와) then we use 는, so it becomes 사과는. Similarly when the preceding word ends with a consonant as in 수박, we use 은, and thus it becomes 수박은.

The followings are the examples of 은/는 used in various situation as a topic marking particle.

이 김치는 너무 매워요.
i gimchineun neomu maewoyo.
This Kimchi is too spicy.

참기름은 안 샀어?
chamgileum-eun an sass-eo?
Did you buy sesame oil ?

한국말은 재미있어요.
hangugmal-eun jaemiiss-eoyo.
Korean is interesting.

이/그/저 (this, that/that)

이 (this), 저 (that), 그 (that) are used to indicate a person or an object.

이 is used to refer to a person or an object that is close to the speaker.

저 is used to refer to a person or an object that is not close to either the speaker or the listener.

그 is used to refer to a person or an object that is not close to the speaker but is close to the listener. Note that 그 can also be used to indicate a person or an object previously mentioned that is not in the presence of either the speaker or the listener at the time of speaking. For example:

A: 투안 씨가 한국에 있어요?
tuan ssiga hangug-e iss-eoyo?
B: 아니요, 그분은 지금 베트남에 있어요.
aniyo, geubun-eun jigeum beteunam-e iss-eoyo.
A: Is Tuan in Korea?
B: No. That person is currently in Vietnam

이, 저, 그 are usually combined with 것 (which means 'thing') to form the pronouns 이것, 저것, and 그것.
저것이 뭐예요 ?
What is that (thing)?

When 이것 (this), 저것 (that), and 그것 (that) are used with the subject marker 이, they are often shortened to 이게, 저게, and 그게.

When 이것, 저것, and 그것 are used with the object marker 을 (of), they are often shortened to 이걸, 저걸, and 그걸.

Similarly, when 이것, 저것, and 그것 are used with the topic marker 은, they are often shortened to 이건, 저건, and 그건.

More examples:

이 사과 (i sagwa) = This apple

그 사과 (geu sagwa) = That apple

저 사과 (jeo sagwa) = That apple over there

이것은 무엇이에요 ?
igeos-eun mueos-ieyo ?
= 이건 무엇이에요 ?
igeon mueos-ieyo ?
= What is this ?