Object Particle · 을/를

2. How it works

2.1 What 을/를 does

A verb like 먹다 has two parts of meaning: who eats, and what is eaten. The thing that is eaten is the object, and it gets 을/를. The person who eats is the subject and usually gets 은/는 or 이/가, which you learn in other lessons.

Noun + 을/를 + Verb

빵 + 을 + 먹어요  →  빵을 먹어요

In this lesson the subject is often left out, just as in everyday Korean. 빵을 먹어요 can mean "I eat bread" when the context is clear.

2.2 Choosing 을 or 를

The choice depends only on the last sound of the noun. If the last letter is a consonant, use 을. If the last letter is a vowel, use 를.

consonant ending  →  noun + 을
vowel ending      →  noun + 를

The consonant is the last letter of the syllable block, called 받침. Look at the bottom of the last block. If something is there, use 을. If the block ends with a vowel, use 를.

2.3 Verbs that take an object

Many common action verbs take an object. These verbs are called transitive verbs. The table shows the ones you need most at TOPIK 1–2.

A quick test is to ask "what?" after the verb. What do you eat? Bread. Then bread is the object and takes 을/를.

2.4 하다 verbs

Many verbs are built from a noun plus 하다, such as 공부하다 and 운동하다. In this pattern you can treat the noun as an object and write it separately: 공부를 해요. You can also join them: 공부해요.

한국어를 공부해요.   I study Korean.
공부를 해요.         I do studying.

When the verb itself already contains a noun, the real object is another word. In 한국어를 공부해요, the thing studied is 한국어, so 한국어 takes 를.

2.5 좋아하다 versus 좋다

좋아하다 means "to like". It is a verb, so the thing you like is an object and takes 을/를. 좋다 means "to be good". It is an adjective, so the word before it is the subject and takes 이/가.

The two words look almost the same, so this is a common trap. Ask yourself: am I saying I like something, or am I saying something is good?

2.6 Dropping 을/를 in casual speech

In casual speech, Koreans often drop 을/를. People say 커피 마셔요 instead of 커피를 마셔요. This is natural and not wrong.

커피를 마셔요.   full form
커피 마셔요.     casual spoken form

While you are learning, keep the particle. It makes your sentences clear, and it trains your ear. You can drop it later when it feels natural.