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2급 문법TOPIK 2 Korean Grammar — 45 Points

Everyday Korean: past and future, 해요체 in full, and the connectives that join two clauses.

All 45 grammar points the dictionary grades at 2급, grouped by kind. Each links to its own page with the 받침 rule, every sense and real examples.

Particles 조사 10Sentence Endings 종결 어미 6Connectives 연결 어미 6Modifier Endings 전성 어미 6Expressions 표현 17

조사Particles

The bound markers that say what a noun is doing in its sentence — subject, topic, object, place, direction. Korean has no word order to lean on, so these carry the load English does with position.

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께 kke (honorific) '에게'; a postpositional particle referring to the ownership or location of an object. 마다 mada A postpositional particle that means "everything without exception." 밖에 bakke A postpositional particle that means "except for that" or "other than that." 에게로 egero A postpositional particle used to indicate that the entity it is attached to is affected by a certain act. 에게서 egeseo A postpositional particle referring to the entity from which a certain act originates. 에다가 edaga 에다 A postpositional particle referring to a certain location. 에서부터 eseobuteo A postpositional particle that indicates something is the starting point of an action or event or it is the subject that causes it. 이나 ina 나 A postpositional particle used to indicate something is being chosen though it is not satisfactory. 처럼 cheoreom A postpositional particle used when something is similar or identical to something else in shape or level. 한테서 hanteseo A postpositional particle referring to the entity from which a certain act originates.

종결 어미Sentence Endings

What a Korean sentence ends in, and therefore what it is: a statement, a question, an order, a suggestion — and at which speech level you are saying it.

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-네 -ne -네요 (formal, highly addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used when talking about something that one just learned. -는군 -neun-gun -군 · -는군요 · -군요 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used to indicate that the speaker notices or is impressed by a newly learned fact. -는데 -neunde -ㄴ데 · -은데 · -는데요 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used to admire something while anticipating the listener's response. -을게 -eulge -ㄹ게 · 을게요 · -ㄹ게요 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used when the speaker promises or notifies the listener that he/she will do something. -을래 -eullae -을래요 · -ㄹ래요 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used to indicate the speaker's intention to do something in the future, or to ask for the… -지 -ji -지요 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used when the speaker confirms and says something that the listener thought he/she already knew.

연결 어미Connectives

The endings that join two clauses — and, but, so, if, while. Korean puts the join on the first verb rather than between the clauses.

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-거나 -geona A connective ending used when one of either the preceding statement or the following statement can be chosen. -게 -ge A connective ending used when the preceding statement is the purpose, result, method, amount, etc., of something mentioned in the following statement. -는데 -neunde -은데 · -ㄴ데 A connective ending used to talk in advance about a situation to follow. -다가 -daga -다 · 다가도 A connective ending used when an action or state, etc., is stopped and changed to another action or state. -으면 -eumyeon -면 A connective ending used to assume an uncertain fact. -으면서 -eumyeonseo -면서 A connective ending used when more than two actions or states happen at the same time.

전성 어미Modifier Endings

The endings that turn a whole clause into something that modifies a noun. Korean's answer to the relative clause, and it goes in front of the noun, not after it.

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-기 -gi An ending of a word used to make the preceding word function as a noun. -는 -neun -은 · -ㄴ An ending of a word that makes the preceding statement function as an adnominal phrase and implies that an event or action is happening in the… -은 -eun -ㄴ An ending of a word that makes the preceding word function as an adnominal phrase and indicates an event or action having occurred in the past. -은 -eun An ending of word that makes the preceding word function as an adnominal phrase and implies that an action has been completed and its state continues. -을 eul -ㄹ An ending of a word that makes the preceding statement function as an adnominal phrase. -음 -eum -ㅁ An ending of a word that makes the preceding statement function as a noun.

표현Expressions

Multi-part patterns that behave as one piece of grammar — -을 수 있다, -어야 하다, -은 적이 있다. Most of what a learner calls "grammar" past 2급 is here.

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-게 되다 -ge doeda An expression used to indicate that something will become the state or situation mentioned in the preceding statement. -기 때문에 -gi ttaemun -기 때문이다 An expression used to indicate that the preceding statement is the reason or cause for the following incident. -기로 하다 -giro hada An expression used to decide or promise the performance of the act mentioned in the preceding statement. -는 것 -neun geot -은 것 · -ㄴ 것 · -을 것 An expression used to enable a non-noun word to be used as a noun in a sentence or to be used in front of '이다' (be). -는 것 같다 -neun geot gatda -ㄴ 것 같다 · -은 것 같다 · -ㄹ 것 같다 An expression used to indicate that the statement is a guess. -는 동안에 -neun dong-an -는 동안 An expression used to indicate the time, for which the act or state mentioned in the preceding statement lasts. -어 보다 -eo boda -아 보다 · -여 보다 An expression used to indicate that one does the act mentioned in the preceding statement, as a test. -어 있다 -eo itda -아 있다 · -여 있다 An expression used to indicate that the state mentioned in the preceding statement is continued. -어 주다 -eo juda -아 주다 · -여 주다 An expression used to indicate that one does the act mentioned in the preceding statement for someone. -어도 되다 -eodo doeda -아도 되다 · -여도 되다 An expression used to indicate that a certain act is allowed or accepted. -은 적이 있다 -eun jeogi itda -ㄴ 적이 있다 · -는 적이 있다 An expression used to indicate that the act or state mentioned in the preceding statement existed in the past. -은 지 -eun ji -ㄴ 지 An expression used to indicate that a certain time has passed since a certain act mentioned in the preceding statement is done. -을 것 -eul geot -ㄹ 것 An expression used to close a sentence by giving an order or instruction. -을 때 -eul ttae -ㄹ 때 An expression used to indicate the duration, period, or occasion of a certain act or situation. -을 수밖에 없다 -eul subakke eopda -ㄹ 수밖에 없다 An expression used to indicate that there is no other method or possibility other than that. -을까 보다 -eulkka boda -ㄹ까 보다 An expression used to indicate that the speaker has an intention to do the act mentioned in the preceding statement. -지 말다 -ji malda An expression used to prohibit the act mentioned in the preceding statement.
Other levels:1급3급4급5급6급

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How many grammar points are there at TOPIK 2?

45 at 2급 itself — 10 particles, 6 sentence endings, 6 connectives, 6 modifier endings, 17 expressions — and 90 counting every level below it.

What grammar is on the TOPIK I exam?

TOPIK I covers levels 1 and 2, so the particles and sentence endings on this page and the one below it. Grammar is never tested on its own — it appears inside reading and listening passages.

Which 2급 grammar point should I learn first?

Work down this page in order. It is grouped by kind, and within a kind by the dictionary's own order, so the points that everything else depends on come first: -거나, -게, -게 되다.

Grammar definitions, usage notes and examples from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.