“Where is...?” (~어디예요?)
Happy Thursday! Did you find yourself saying “Aigoo” while sitting down this week?
As a reminder: 📅 Tuesday: Culture & Vocab 📅 Thursday: Grammar
Today, we are learning a sentence that will save you many times when you are exploring Korea. Whether you’re looking for a famous cafe, the subway station, or (most importantly) the restroom, this is all you need to know!
Thursday Grammar: “Where is...?” (~어디예요?)
In English, you say “Where is the [Place]?” In Korean, the structure is very simple. You just name the Place and add eo-di-ye-yo? (어디예요?).
1. The Magic Formula
Place + eo-di-ye-yo? (어디예요?)
2. Let’s Practice! Imagine you are in the middle of Seoul:
Restroom (Hwa-jang-sil) ➜ Hwa-jang-sil eo-di-ye-yo?
Where is the restroom?
Subway Station (Ji-ha-cheol-yeok) ➜ Ji-ha-cheol-yeok eo-di-ye-yo?
Where is the subway station?
Starbucks ➜ Starbucks eo-di-ye-yo?
Where is Starbucks?
3. “Where am I?” If you are lost and looking at a map, you can simply ask:
Yeo-gi eo-di-ye-yo? (여기 어디예요?)
Where is “here”? (Where am I?)
4. Making it even more natural Sometimes you might hear “eo-di-e-yo?” (e-yo instead of ye-yo). Don’t worry too much about the spelling for now—as long as you say “eo-di-ye-yo” with a rising tone at the end, every Korean will understand you perfectly!
💡 Quick Pronunciation Tip Eo-di-ye-yo sounds like “Uh-dee-yeh-yo.” Remember to keep your voice going up at the end ⤴️ because it’s a question!
Today’s Challenge: What is the first place you want to visit when you arrive in Korea? Use the formula and ask in the comments!
Example: “Gangnam eo-di-ye-yo?”
Example: “Han-gang eo-di-ye-yo?”
See you next Tuesday for another fun Culture & Vocab session!