Asking questions

A question is the same sentence

학교에 가요 and 학교에 가요? are the same words in the same order. Said with a falling voice it is a statement; with a rising voice it is a question. In writing, only the question mark differs.

There is no “do” or “are” to add and nothing to move. The subject is left out as usual, so context decides who is meant: a statement is normally about “I”, a question about “you”.

Answer with 네 or 아니요, then a verb

Read the four lines as two short exchanges. To 커피 마셔요? the yes-answer is 네, 마셔요: 네 and the verb again. English answers “yes, I do”; Korean repeats the real verb.

The no-answer here gives the true fact instead: 아니요, 우유 마셔요 — “no, I drink milk”. How to say “I don’t” comes in the next lesson.

커피 마셔요? leaves out 를, as speech often does. 커피를 마셔요? is just as correct.

The question word sits where the answer will sit

뭐 먹어요? — 빵 먹어요. The answer puts 빵 in exactly the spot where the question had 뭐: right before the verb.

English moves “what” to the front and adds “are you”. Korean moves nothing. Take the answer sentence, put 뭐 in the place of the unknown part, and raise your voice. 뭐 해요? (what are you doing?) is answered the same way: 책을 읽어요.

어디 and 누구 work the same way

어디 가요? — 회사에 가요. 어디 takes the place of the destination. After 어디 the particle 에 is usually dropped in speech; 어디에 가요? is also correct.

누구를 만나요? — 친구를 만나요. 누구 (who) stands where the person will stand and keeps the same particle, 를, because the person you meet is the object.

언제 and 왜

언제 is “when”: 언제 와요? The words that answer it — today, tomorrow, clock times — come two lessons from now, so for the moment learn to ask it and to recognise it.

왜 is “why”: 왜 한국어를 공부해요? A plain sentence is a perfectly good answer: 저는 한국어를 좋아해요, “I like Korean”. No word for “because” is needed.