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In Korean, 있어요 (i-sseo-yo) and 없어요 (eop-sseo-yo) are essential expressions that convey possession and existence.
있어요 (to have / exists)
The verb 있다 (it-da) means “to exist” or “to have,” and 있어요 (isseoyo) is its polite present tense form. This form is commonly used in conversations to indicate possession or existence.
없어요 (to not have / does not exist)
The verb 없다 (eop-da) means “to not exist” or “to not have,” and 없어요 (eopseoyo) is its polite present tense form. This form is used to indicate the absence of something or to express that someone does not possess something.
Contexts of Use
Talking about Possession
“책이 있어요.” (I have a book.)
“책이 없어요.” (I don’t have a book.)
Talking about Existence
“책이 있어요.” (There is a book.)
“책이 없어요.” (There isn’t any book.)
The reason the sentences are the same when talking about possession and existence is because the verb 있다 (to have/to exist) and its opposite 없다 (to not have/to not exist) can convey both possession and existence depending on the context.
Korean relies on contextual clues to differentiate whether you’re talking about what you possess or what exists somewhere. The difference lies in the context of the sentence rather than the words themselves.
