TOPIK I · LEVEL 1
-에서
에서 marks the place where an action happens, or the place something starts from.
조사ParticlesHan: 있다 shows existence, not an action, so the place takes 에. 에서 needs an action verb, e.g. 방에서 쉬어요.
Examples
어제 친구하고 식당에서 점심을 먹었어요.Yesterday I had lunch with a friend at a restaurant.
저는 도서관에서 공부해요.I study at the library.
저는 우즈베키스탄에서 왔어요.I came from Uzbekistan.
집에서 회사까지 30분 걸려요.It takes 30 minutes from home to the office.
Don’t mix up
-에서vsN + 에에 marks where something exists or a destination; 에서 marks where an action happens: 교실에 있어요 vs 교실에서 공부해요.
-에서vsN + 부터부터 marks a starting time; 에서 marks a starting place: 9시부터 일해요 vs 서울에서 출발해요.
-에서vsN(person) + 한테서/에게서For 'from a person', use 한테서/에게서, not 에서: 친구한테서 선물을 받았어요.
How to build it
N (place)+에서
학교 → 학교에서, 집 → 집에서
- For 'at', use 에서 with action verbs (공부하다, 먹다, 일하다). With 있다/없다, use 에, not 에서.
- With 가다/오다, the destination takes 에; 에서 marks only the starting point ('from').
- 에서 does not mark a starting time or a person. Use 부터 for time and 한테서/에게서 for a person.
- The form does not change after a consonant or vowel. In speech, 여기에서/거기에서/저기에서 often shorten to 여기서/거기서/저기서.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 저는 지금 방에서 있어요.
Right: 저는 지금 방에 있어요.
있다 shows existence, not an action, so the place takes 에. 에서 needs an action verb, e.g. 방에서 쉬어요.
Practise -에서 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)로-(으)로 marks the direction you head toward, the means or tool you use, or what something is made of.
- -(이)나(이)나 links two nouns as alternatives ("A or B"), and after a number it shows an approximate amount in questions or a surprisingly large amount in statements.
- -도-도 attaches to a noun to say that this thing is 'also' included, adding it to something already mentioned.
- -만Attach 만 to a noun to say 'only this one and nothing else'.
- -에에 marks the place where something is, the place you go to, or the time when something happens.
- -의-의 links two nouns to show possession or belonging: A의 B = A's B.
- -은/는-은/는 marks what the sentence is about (the topic), often something already known, or something you are contrasting with another thing.
- -을/를을/를 sits right after a noun to show it is the thing the action is done to, the direct object.
- -이/가이/가 attaches to a noun to show it is the subject, the one who does something or is described, and often presents it as new or focused information.
