Day 16: Where things are
Two things today.
① Position words come after the noun, which is the reverse of English: 책상 위에 — literally desk-top-at — "on the desk". ② -(으)세요, the polite request ending. You have been using it since Day 1 without knowing it: 안녕하세요 · 주세요 · 드세요 · 오세요 are all the same ending.
1. 있어요 / 없어요 — where something is
| 어디에 있어요? | Where is it? |
|---|---|
| 화장실이 어디예요? | Where's the toilet? (★ the most useful of all) |
| 근처에 은행이 있어요? | Is there a bank nearby? |
| 여기 있어요. | Here it is |
| 없어요. | There isn't one |
⚠️ The thing takes 이/가, not 을/를 — 은행이 있어요 (Day 11 §6). ⚠️ 있다 always takes 에, never 에서 (Day 15) — 학교에 있어요.
★ ~이/가 어디예요? is shorter than 어디에 있어요? and just as correct. 화장실이 어디예요? — learn it as one word.
2. ★★ Position words come after
### [noun] + [position] + 에
| 위 | on, above | 책상 위에 — on the desk |
|---|---|---|
| 아래 / 밑 | under | 의자 밑에 — under the chair |
| 앞 | in front of | 은행 앞에 |
| 뒤 | behind | 학교 뒤에 |
| 옆 | next to | 편의점 옆에 |
| 안 | inside | 가방 안에 |
| 밖 | outside | 집 밖에 |
| 사이 | between | 은행하고 카페 사이에 |
| 건너편 | opposite | 역 건너편에 |
| 근처 | near, nearby | 여기 근처에 |
책이 책상 위에 있어요. — The book is on the desk.은행은 학교 앞에 있어요. — The bank is in front of the school.편의점이 은행하고 카페 사이에 있어요. — The shop is between the bank and the café.
★ English puts the relation first — on the desk. Korean puts the thing first — desk-on. This is the same big-to-small instinct as Day 9's dates: the container comes before the detail.
⚠️ They are nouns, not prepositions — which is why they take 에 like any other place. And they take 에서 when something happens there: 책상 위에서 먹어요 (I eat on the desk).
이 / 그 / 저 — this, that, that over there
| 이 | this — near me | 이 사람, 이거 |
|---|---|---|
| 그 | that — near you, or already mentioned | 그 사람, 그거 |
| 저 | that over there — near neither | 저 사람, 저거 |
| 이쪽 / 그쪽 / 저쪽 | this way / that way / over there | |
| 여기 / 거기 / 저기 | here / there / over there |
★ Korean has a three-way split where English has two. 그 is the "you already know which one" word — it is also how you refer back to something just mentioned.
3. ★ -(으)세요 — the polite request
### Vowel stem → 세요 · Batchim stem → 으세요
| Verb | ||
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가세요 | go / please go |
| 오다 | 오세요 | come |
| 하다 | 하세요 | do |
| 앉다 | 앉으세요 | sit down |
| 읽다 | 읽으세요 | read |
| 받다 | 받으세요 | take this |
★ You already know six of these. 안녕하세요 (be at peace), 주세요 (give me), 드세요 (eat — honorific), 오세요, 가세요, 하세요. The ending has been in front of you since Day 1.
| 어서 오세요! | Welcome! (every shop, every time) |
|---|---|
| 앉으세요. | Please sit down |
| 여기 앉으세요. | Sit here |
| 잠깐만 기다리세요. | Wait a moment |
| 조심하세요. | Be careful |
⚠️ -(으)세요 is not bossy. It is the standard polite way to tell someone to do something, and it is also the honorific present tense — 어디 가세요? means "where are you going?" said respectfully, not a command.
★ This is why 하세요 keeps appearing in questions — 무슨 일 하세요? (Day 4), 어디 가세요? Same ending, raising the listener.
4. Asking directions
| 저기요, 화장실이 어디예요? | Excuse me, where's the toilet? |
|---|---|
| 여기 근처에 은행이 있어요? | Is there a bank near here? |
| 지하철역이 어디에 있어요? | Where's the subway station? |
| 어떻게 가요? | How do I get there? |
| 여기가 어디예요? | ★ Where am I? |
The answer
| 똑바로 가세요. / 쭉 가세요. | Go straight |
|---|---|
| 오른쪽으로 가세요. | Go right |
| 왼쪽으로 가세요. | Go left |
| 저기에 있어요. | It's over there |
| 바로 앞에 있어요. | It's right in front |
| 건너편에 있어요. | It's opposite |
| 모르겠어요. | ★ I don't know (what you may well get) |
Distance
| 얼마나 걸려요? | How long does it take? |
|---|---|
| 십 분 걸려요. | Ten minutes |
| 가까워요. | It's close |
| 멀어요. | It's far |
| 걸어서 갈 수 있어요? | Can I walk there? |
★ Landmarks matter more than street names in Korea. Addresses are given by district and building, and people navigate by 편의점, 지하철역, 은행 — so 은행 옆에 is a more useful answer than a street name, and it is what you will be given.
5. Dialogue
Alex: 저기요! 여기 근처에 지하철역이 있어요?아주머니: 네, 있어요. 저기 편의점 보여요?Alex: 네, 보여요.아주머니: 편의점 앞에서 오른쪽으로 가세요. 그리고 쭉 가세요.Alex: 네… 다시 말해 주세요. 천천히요.아주머니: 편의점… 앞에서… 오른쪽. 그다음에 쭉.Alex: 아, 알겠어요. 편의점 앞에서 오른쪽, 그다음에 쭉. 맞아요?아주머니: 네, 맞아요! 은행 건너편에 있어요.Alex: 얼마나 걸려요?아주머니: 오 분쯤 걸려요. 가까워요.Alex: 감사합니다!아주머니: 네, 조심히 가세요.
★ Alex does three things right, and none of them is vocabulary: asks for it slowly, repeats it back, and confirms with 맞아요? ★ That is the whole technique — you are asking them to confirm a short summary, which needs far less Korean from you than understanding the whole thing again.And note 편의점 앞에서 — the action (turning) happens there, so 에서, exactly as Day 15 said.
6. Exercises
A. Put the position word in.
- on the desk 2. under the chair 3. in front of the bank 4. next to the shop
- inside the bag 6. between the bank and the café
B. ★ Translate — mind the order.
- The book is on the desk.
- The bank is in front of the school.
- Is there a convenience store nearby?
- Where's the toilet?
C. -(으)세요 — build it.
- 가다 2. 오다 3. 앉다 4. 읽다 5. 하다 6. 기다리다
D. 이 / 그 / 저?
- this one, in my hand 2. that one, in your hand 3. that one, across the room
E. What do you say?
- Where am I? 2. How long does it take? 3. Is it far?
- Please say it again slowly. 5. So: right, then straight. Right?
F. ⚠️ Fix the mistake.
- 위에 책상 책이 있어요.
- 은행을 있어요.
- 학교에서 있어요.
- 앉세요.
- 편의점 앞에 오른쪽으로 가세요. (the turning happens there)
Answers
A. 1. 책상 위에 2. 의자 밑에 3. 은행 앞에 4. 편의점 옆에 5. 가방 안에 6. 은행하고 카페 사이에 B. 1. 책이 책상 위에 있어요. 2. 은행은 학교 앞에 있어요. 3. 근처에 편의점이 있어요? 4. 화장실이 어디예요? C. 1. 가세요 2. 오세요 3. 앉으세요 4. 읽으세요 5. 하세요 6. 기다리세요 D. 1. 이거 2. 그거 3. 저거 E. 1. 여기가 어디예요? 2. 얼마나 걸려요? 3. 멀어요? 4. 천천히 다시 말해 주세요. 5. 오른쪽, 그다음에 쭉. 맞아요? F. 1. 책이 책상 위에 있어요 — noun first 2. 은행이 있어요 3. 학교에 있어요 4. 앉으세요 (batchim) 5. 앞에서 — an action happens there
7. Today's 10 sentences (flashcards)
- 화장실이 어디예요? — Where's the toilet?
- 근처에 은행이 있어요? — Is there a bank nearby?
- 책상 위에 있어요. — It's on the desk
- 은행 앞에 있어요. — It's in front of the bank
- 편의점 옆에 있어요. — It's next to the convenience store
- 똑바로 가세요. — Go straight
- 오른쪽으로 가세요. — Go right
- 얼마나 걸려요? — How long does it take?
- 십 분 걸려요. — It takes ten minutes
- 여기가 어디예요? — Where am I?
8. 📲 Upload to LangNote
Upload section 2 (position words), section 3 (-(으)세요) and section 7 → study language Korean.
| Mission | What to do with it today |
|---|---|
| 🎧 Podcast | The dialogue — directions come fast and you must catch only the key words |
| ✍️ Dictation | 오른쪽 / 왼쪽 are what you will actually mishear |
| 🗣 Shadowing | Describe the room you're in — five sentences, all position words |
| 🎭 Role-play | Today's key mission. Ask directions, deliberately fail, and recover with 다시 말해 주세요 + 맞아요? |
| 📖 Vocab | Position words as whole phrases — 책상 위에, 은행 앞에 |
★ Practise failing. Everyone drills the question; nobody drills what happens next — which is why real conversations collapse at turn two.
Tomorrow: transport — and 타다, which takes 을/를 where English says "get on".
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