Grammar: 이/가 있어요 · 없어요

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Use 있어요 / 없어요 to say what exists, what you have, and what you don’t: in statements, negatives, and questions
• Attach the subject particle 이/가 correctly by consonant/vowel ending, and tell it apart from the topic particle 은/는
• Ask and answer where things are with [place]에 있어요 (화장실이 어디에 있어요?)

TOPIK 1 skills: Existence & possession (있어요/없어요)

Two verbs that unlock existence and possession: “there is”, “there isn’t”, “I have”, “I don’t have.” Combined with yesterday’s 이에요/예요, you now have the two core sentence patterns of Korean.

시간이 있어요 · 돈이 없어요 · 고양이가 있어요 · 숙제가 없어요

RECALL: Connecting to Lesson 18: Yesterday you learned 이에요/예요, the copula that identifies what something is. Today’s 있어요/없어요 answers the different question of whether something exists or whether you have something. These two patterns together (“X is Y” and “X exists / I have X”) form the backbone of everyday Korean conversation. Between them, they handle an enormous proportion of what you’ll want to say.

Part 1 · 있다 / 없다: The Existence Verbs

있어요 and 없어요: an inseparable pair. 있다 means “to exist / to be (somewhere) / to have.” 없다 is its direct opposite: “to not exist / to not be somewhere / to not have.” They are used as a matched pair. Learn them together.

있어요 carries two meanings (location AND possession):

• 고양이가 방에 있어요: The cat is in the room. (location: where something is)
• 고양이가 있어요: I have a cat. / There is a cat. (possession / existence)

Context almost always makes the meaning clear. If a location word (방에, 학교에, 여기) is in the sentence, it’s location. Without one, it usually means possession. Korean speakers never find this ambiguous in practice.

Part 2 · 이/가: The Subject Particle

이/가 vs 은/는: same position, different job. 있어요/없어요 most commonly take the subject particle 이/가, not the topic particle 은/는. The rule is the same consonant/vowel split you learned yesterday, just a different particle.

Subject particle rule (same consonant/vowel logic as 은/는):

• noun ending in consonant + 이 + 있어요/없어요: e.g. 시간 (time, ㄴ ending) → 시간이 있어요 · 책 (book, ㄱ ending) → 책이 있어요
• noun ending in vowel + 가 + 있어요/없어요: e.g. 고양이 (cat, vowel ending) → 고양이가 있어요 · 커피 (coffee, vowel) → 커피가 없어요

TIP: 이/가 vs 은/는, the practical difference: Both mark the grammatical subject. The difference: 은/는 frames the topic of the conversation. It’s about that thing in general. 이/가 presents new information or emphasises that this specific thing (rather than something else) is what we’re talking about. With 있어요/없어요, 이/가 is the natural choice because you’re stating a new fact. You can use 은/는 for contrast: 시간은 있어요 means “I have time (though I may not have energy / money).”

Part 3 · Two Meanings in Practice

있어요 for location · 있어요 for possession. The same verb does two jobs. Here’s how both work, side by side, with the location particle 에 signalling when it’s about where something is.

🗺 Existence / Location

• 고양이가 방에 있어요. (go-yang-i-ga bang-e i-sseo-yo) The cat is in the room.
• 학교가 근처에 있어요. (hak-gyo-ga geun-cheo-e i-sseo-yo) The school is nearby.
• 화장실이 어디에 있어요? (hwa-jang-si-ri eo-di-e i-sseo-yo) Where is the bathroom?

🤲 Possession / Having

• 고양이가 있어요. (go-yang-i-ga i-sseo-yo) I have a cat. / There is a cat.
• 시간이 없어요. (si-ga-ni eop-sseo-yo) I don’t have time. / There’s no time.
• 돈이 있어요? (do-ni i-sseo-yo) Do you have money?

TIP: 에, the location particle: 방에 (in the room) · 학교에 (at school) · 여기에 (here) · 어디에 (where?). The particle 에 attaches to location words to say “at / in / to” a place. When you see 에 + 있어요, it’s always a location sentence. Without 에, it’s almost always a possession sentence. This small particle does enormous navigational work.

Part 4 · 예문: 10 Example Sentences

Read each sentence aloud, then study the breakdown. Each sentence uses vocabulary from your existing deck.

Part 5 · 긍정 · 부정 · 질문: Statement · Negative · Question

Three forms from one base. As with 이에요/예요, there are three core forms. The question is just rising intonation: no structural change.

• ✅ Positive: 시간이 있어요. (si-ga-ni i-sseo-yo) I have time.
• ❌ Negative: 시간이 없어요. (si-ga-ni eop-sseo-yo) I don’t have time.
• ❓ Question: 시간이 있어요? (si-ga-ni i-sseo-yo?) Do you have time?

The negative of 있어요 is 없어요, not 있지 않아요. Unlike regular verbs (which negate with 안 or –지 않아요), 있어요/없어요 are their own opposites. You cannot say 있지 않아요 for “don’t have”: that sounds unnatural. 없어요 is the only correct negation. This is a genuinely irregular pair, and it’s one of the first things Korean textbooks tell learners to memorise as a special case.

Part 6 · 위치: Location Sentences

있어요 in space: where things are. The location use of 있어요 is one of the first practical patterns you’ll use in Korea: asking where things are, describing where people are, giving directions. Here are three scenes.

Location sentences ([place]에 있어요):

• ☕ 카페: 카페가 근처에 있어요. (ka-pe-ga geun-cheo-e i-sseo-yo) There’s a café nearby.
• 🚻 화장실: 화장실이 어디에 있어요? (hwa-jang-si-ri eo-di-e i-sseo-yo) Where is the bathroom?
• 🏫 학교: 학교가 여기에 없어요. (hak-gyo-ga yeo-gi-e eop-sseo-yo) There’s no school here.

TIP: 여기에 = here · 거기에 = there · 어디에 = where · 근처에 = nearby. These four location words pair with 있어요/없어요 constantly in real life.

Part 7 · 이에요 vs 있어요: Two Patterns, Clear Distinction

Knowing which verb to reach for. Learners sometimes confuse these two after studying both. Here’s the clear line between them.

Part 8 · 대화: Dialogue

Making plans: both patterns in action. Arranging to meet (약속 잡기).

A: 이번 주말에 시간이 있어요? i-beon ju-ma-re si-ga-ni i-sseo-yo? Do you have time this weekend?

B: 토요일에는 시간이 없어요. 일요일에는 있어요. to-yo-i-re-neun si-ga-ni eop-sseo-yo. i-ryo-i-re-neun i-sseo-yo. On Saturday I don’t have time. On Sunday I do.

A: 좋아요! 근처에 좋은 카페가 있어요. 거기서 만날까요? jo-a-yo! geun-cheo-e jo-eun ka-pe-ga i-sseo-yo. geo-gi-seo man-nal-kka-yo? Great! There’s a nice café nearby. Shall we meet there?

B: 좋아요! 카페 이름이 뭐예요? jo-a-yo! ka-pe i-reu-mi mwo-ye-yo? Great! What’s the name of the café?

A: ‘카미 카페’예요! 역 근처에 있어요. ‘ka-mi ka-pe’-ye-yo! yeok geun-cheo-e i-sseo-yo. It’s ‘Cami Café’! It’s near the station.

Part 9 · 연습: Build the Sentence

English cue → Korean sentence. Build the full sentence with the correct particle and verb form, then check your answers in the Answer Key at the end of the lesson.

1. I have a friend. (친구 + 있어요)
2. I don’t have money. (돈 + 없어요)
3. Where is the café? (카페 + 어디에 + 있어요?)
4. Do you have time tomorrow? (내일 + 시간 + 있어요?)
5. There’s no homework today. (오늘 + 숙제 + 없어요)
6. I have a Korean book. (한국어 책 + 있어요)
7. I don’t have siblings (as for me). (저 + 형제 + 없어요)
8. Is there a station nearby? (역 + 근처 + 있어요?)

MILESTONE: 110 active items in your deck. 110 items and two complete grammar patterns. 이에요/예요 + 있어요/없어요 together mean you can produce hundreds of natural Korean sentences about identity, existence, location, and possession. Month 1 review is next.

CULTURE: 괜찮아요? 있어요/없어요 in Daily Life: 있어요 and 없어요 come up constantly in Korean social life in ways that go beyond simple possession. 시간 있어요? (Do you have time?) is the standard way to open a conversation when you want to ask someone something. It’s more polite than launching straight in. 돈이 없어요 said with a certain tone is used humorously by Koreans of all ages to decline invitations or complain about life. And 여기에 자리가 있어요? (Is there a seat here?) is one of the first things you’ll say in a crowded Korean restaurant or subway car.

The location use is also essential for navigating Korea’s cities. 편의점이 어디에 있어요? (Where is the convenience store?) 편의점 (convenience store) is another word worth learning early. Korea has the densest convenience store network of any country: GS25, CU, 7-Eleven on every block. Knowing where they are matters.

Homework

Before Lesson 20 (Month 1 Review)…

1. Write 10 sentences using 있어요/없어요: at least 3 possession, 3 location, 2 questions, and 2 negatives. Use vocabulary from your existing deck. Every sentence should have the correct particle (이 or 가).
2. Practice the two-particle sentence: 저는 [thing]이/가 있어요/없어요. Write 5 true sentences about yourself. 저는 고양이가 있어요. 저는 차가 없어요. Etc. This pattern is one of the most natural ways to describe yourself in Korean.
3. Write the distinction between 이에요/예요 vs 있어요/없어요 in your own words from memory: when to use each, what question each answers. If you can explain the difference clearly, you truly understand it.
4. Memorise the four location words: 여기에 (here) · 거기에 (there) · 저기에 (over there) · 어디에 (where). These pair with 있어요 in almost every location sentence you’ll ever use. Say each one aloud with 있어요 attached.
5. Lesson 20: Month 1 Full Review. This is the biggest review so far: all 20 lessons, all grammar patterns, all vocabulary from Month 1. Come prepared: pull your flashcard deck, review all 7 days, all 12 months, both number systems, 은/는, 이에요/예요, and 이/가 있어요/없어요. The review will test everything. 화이팅!

Answer Key

Part 9 · Build the Sentence:

1. 친구가 있어요. (chin-gu-ga i-sseo-yo) 친구 (vowel ending) → 친구가
2. 돈이 없어요. (do-ni eop-sseo-yo) 돈 (ㄴ consonant) → 돈이
3. 카페가 어디에 있어요? (ka-pe-ga eo-di-e i-sseo-yo) 카페 (vowel ending) → 카페가 · 어디에 = where
4. 내일 시간이 있어요? (nae-il si-ga-ni i-sseo-yo) 시간 (ㄴ consonant) → 시간이
5. 오늘 숙제가 없어요. (o-neul suk-je-ga eop-sseo-yo) 숙제 (vowel ending ㅔ) → 숙제가
6. 한국어 책이 있어요. (han-gu-geo chae-gi i-sseo-yo) 책 (ㄱ consonant) → 책이
7. 저는 형제가 없어요. (jeo-neun hyeong-je-ga eop-sseo-yo) 저는 (topic) + 형제가 (subject, vowel ending), two particles in one sentence
8. 근처에 역이 있어요? (geun-cheo-e yeo-gi i-sseo-yo) 역 (ㄱ consonant) → 역이 · 근처에 = nearby (location particle 에)