Korean indirect object markers: 에게, 한테

Korean indirect object markers: 에게, 한테 

 

If you add에게or 한테after a subject pronoun (regardless of the consonant or vowel ending), the phrase becomes an indirect object, meaning “to someone or something”.

 

• 한테 is used in more colloquial expressions than 에게.

 

Exercise 1) Add the indirect object maker 에게 after the subject pronouns, regardless of the consonant or vowel ending in the table below.

Indirect Objects	Polite form	Casual form
To Me	저	나
To You (Singular)	당신	너
To Him	그	그
To Her	그녀	그녀
To It	그것	그것
To Us	저희	우리
To You (Plural)	당신들	너희
To Them	그들	그들

 

 

• Indirect object examples: speak to someone, give to someone: “to” is replaced with에게 in order to make indirect objects.   

 

• 나에게 can be shortened to내게. (meaning “to me”)

 

• 저에게 can be shortened to제게. (meaning “to me”)

 

• 한테 and 에게 are interchangeable but 한테 is more colloquial than 에게. Therefore, we will use 에게 for the indirect object marker in this book.

 

• 께is a honorific indirect object marker.

      Ex) 아버지께 to father, 어머니께 to mother, 사장님께 to a boss, 선생님께 to a teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 에게 to someone ↔ (으)로부터(synonyms: 에게서, 한테서) from someone

 

- if the noun ends with a vowel, it is 로부터

 

Ex)     그녀로부터       = 그녀에게서    = 그녀한테서                from her

그로부터           = 그에게서        = 그한테서                    from him

친구로부터       = 친구에게서    = 친구한테서                from a friend

 

 

 

- if the noun ends with a consonant, it is 으로부터

 

Ex)     당신으로부터    = 당신에게서    = 당신한테서                from you

가족으로부터    = 가족에게서    = 가족한테서                from family

 

 

 

 

- if a noun ends with a bottom consonant “ㄹ”, it is 로부터

 

Ex)     당신들로부터    = 당신에게서    = 당신한테서               from you (plural)

그들로부터       = 그들에게서    = 그들한테서               from them

 

 

 

• 께로부터 from someone (Honorific)

부모님께로부터                         from one’s parents

할머니께로부터                        from grandmother

할아버지께로부터                     from grandfather

선생님께로부터                         from one’s teacher

 

 

Making Sentences)

 

1. I give a book to her. (book: 책, give: 주다 → 줘요)

저는           그녀에게                 책을                             줘요.   

 I                 to her                  a book                 give

 

 저는            책을                    그녀에게             줘요.                                                

I                a book                  to her                give

• The verb always goes at the end of the sentence.
• Usually the subject comes first in the sentence.
• The order of an indirect object and a direct object is interchangeable.

 

 

2. He speaks to me. (speak: 말하다 → 말해요)

 

그는            저에게           말해요.

 He             to me            speak

 

 

3.  She gives a flower to them. (give: 주다 → 줘요, flower:꽃)

 

그녀는          꽃을                 그들에게                  줘요.

She            a flower               to them                 give

 

 

그녀는         그들에게               꽃을                      줘요.

She              to them               a flower                give

 

Exercise 2) Translate them into Korean

 

1. We ask the teacher a question.                                                                                                                  (ask a question 질문하다 → 질문해요, a teacher: 선생님)

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

2. I give a book to him. (give 주다 → 줘요, book 책)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

3. They give a smile to us. (give a smile 웃어주다 → 웃어줘요)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

4. I speak to a friend. (friend 친구)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

5. He gives a flower to her. (flower 꽃, give 주다 → 줘요)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

6. You speak to me. (speak 말하다 → 말해요)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

7. She sends flowers to them. (send 보내다 → 보내요)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

8. We make a phone call to him. (make a phone call 전화하다 → 전화해요)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

9. Who do you want to give a gift to?                                                      (선물 gift, 누구에게 to who)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

10. He receives a card from his family.                  (card 카드, his family 그의 가족, to receive 받다)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .

 

 

 

 

11. I receive a Christmas gift from my grandmother.                       (Christmas gift 크리스마스 선물, my grandmother 제 할머니)

 

 

→                                                                                                                           .