There Is / There Isn’t: 있어요, 없어요 and Locations
Say what there is and what you have with 있어요 and 없어요, and describe where things are with 위, 아래, 앞, 뒤, 옆, 안 and 사이.
Mr. Gaon · Grammar, vocabulary & TOPIKWhat you will learn in this lesson
- Use N이/가 있어요/없어요 for “there is” and “I have”
- Ask where something is: N이/가 어디에 있어요?
- Use position words like 위, 아래, 앞, 뒤, 옆, 안
- Know the useful set phrases 맛있어요, 재미있어요 and their opposites
Today’s two words are some of the most useful in Korean: 있어요 and 없어요. One small verb covers “there is”, “to be located” and “to have”. That is efficient, isn’t it? Let’s see how it works.
있다 and 없다
있다 means that something exists. Its polite present form is 있어요 [이써요]. Its opposite is 없다, polite form 없어요 [업써요].
In English, we translate it in two main ways:
“There is / there are”: 교실에 학생이 있어요. “There are students in the classroom.”
“To have”: 저는 동생이 있어요. “I have a younger sibling.” (Literally: As for me, a younger sibling exists.)
The thing that exists takes the subject particle 이/가. This is a common mistake: learners want to use 을/를 because of the English word “have”, but in Korean it is 이/가.
there is / there isn’t; I have / I don’t have
- The thing that exists takes 이 (after a consonant) or 가 (after a vowel).
- 있어요 = there is / have. 없어요 = there isn’t / don’t have.
- Questions use the same form: 시간 있어요? “Do you have time?”
- In speech, 이/가 is often dropped in short questions: 우산 있어요?
- 시간 있어요? [시간 이써요] sigan isseoyo?Do you have time?
- 오늘은 수업이 없어요. [오느른 수어비 업써요] oneureun sueobi eopseoyo.I don’t have class today.
- 저는 형이 있어요. [저는 형이 이써요] jeoneun hyeongi isseoyo.I have an older brother. (said by a male)
- 냉장고에 우유가 없어요. [냉장고에 우유가 업써요] naengjanggoe uyuga eopseoyo.There is no milk in the fridge.
- 이 근처에 편의점 있어요? [이 근처에 펴니점 이써요] i geuncheoe pyeonuijeom isseoyo?Is there a convenience store near here?
N is at / in (place)
- Put the place before 있어요 and add 에 (at, in).
- Ask where: N이/가 어디에 있어요? In speech: N 어디 있어요?
- The order 장소에 N이/가 있어요 (“In the place, there is N”) is also natural.
- 화장실이 어디에 있어요? [화장시리 어디에 이써요] hwajangsiri eodie isseoyo?Where is the restroom?
- 제 가방은 방에 있어요. [제 가방은 방에 이써요] je gabangeun bange isseoyo.My bag is in my room.
- 선생님이 교실에 있어요. [선생니미 교시레 이써요] seonsaengnimi gyosire isseoyo.The teacher is in the classroom.
- 지갑이 집에 있어요. [지가비 지베 이써요] jigabi jibe isseoyo.My wallet is at home.
Position words
| Word | Meaning | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 위 | on, above | 책상 위에 | on the desk |
| 아래 / 밑 | under, below | 의자 아래에 | under the chair |
| 앞 | in front of | 은행 앞에 | in front of the bank |
| 뒤 | behind | 학교 뒤에 | behind the school |
| 옆 | next to | 카페 옆에 | next to the café |
| 안 | inside | 가방 안에 | inside the bag |
| 밖 | outside | 건물 밖에 | outside the building |
| 사이 | between | 은행과 약국 사이에 | between the bank and the pharmacy |
| 근처 | near, nearby | 역 근처에 | near the station |
The order is the opposite of English: thing + position word + 에. 책상 위에 = “desk top at” = on the desk.
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Notice the order: in English, “on the desk”, but in Korean, “desk on”. The reference thing comes first, then the position word, then 에. Think of it like a map: first find the big thing, then look around it.
Where is it?
- 휴대폰이 책상 위에 있어요. [휴대포니 책쌍 위에 이써요] hyudaeponi chaeksang wie isseoyo. The phone is on the desk.
- 고양이가 침대 밑에 있어요. [고양이가 침대 미테 이써요] goyangiga chimdae mite isseoyo. The cat is under the bed.
- 약국은 병원 옆에 있어요. [약꾸근 병원 여페 이써요] yakgugeun byeongwon yeope isseoyo. The pharmacy is next to the hospital.
- 버스 정류장은 우체국 앞에 있어요. [버스 정뉴장은 우체국 아페 이써요] beoseu jeongnyujangeun ucheguk ape isseoyo. The bus stop is in front of the post office.
- 가방 안에 아무것도 없어요. [가방 아네 아무걷또 업써요] gabang ane amugeotdo eopseoyo. There is nothing in the bag.
- 학교와 공원 사이에 식당이 있어요. [학꾜와 공원 사이에 식땅이 이써요] hakgyowa gongwon saie sikdangi isseoyo. There is a restaurant between the school and the park.
Set phrases with 있다 and 없다
Many common adjectives are made from a noun + 있다 or 없다. You will hear them every day.
맛있어요 [마시써요] “delicious” ↔ 맛없어요 [마덥써요] “not tasty”
재미있어요 “fun, interesting” ↔ 재미없어요 “boring”
멋있어요 [머시써요] “cool, stylish” ↔ 멋없어요 “not stylish”
관심 있어요 “I’m interested” ↔ 관심 없어요 “I’m not interested”
With people you should respect, the honorific form of 있다 is 계세요 when it means a person is somewhere: 선생님은 교실에 계세요. You will learn this in the honorifics lesson.
Easy to mix up
- 저는 차가 있어요. jeoneun chaga isseoyo. I have a car. Correct: the thing you have takes 이/가.
- 저는 차를 있어요. jeoneun chareul isseoyo. (wrong) 있다 is not an action verb, so it does not take 을/를.
- 물이 없어요. [무리 업써요] muri eopseoyo. There is no water. Korean uses 없어요 instead of “not + have”.
Words for this lesson
- 있다 [읻따] itda to exist, to have, to be (somewhere)
- 없다 [업따] eopda to not exist, to not have
- 방 bang room
- 교실 gyosil classroom
- 침대 chimdae bed
- 냉장고 naengjanggo refrigerator
- 지갑 jigap wallet
- 약국 [약꾹] yakguk pharmacy
- 편의점 [펴니점] pyeonuijeom convenience store
- 역 yeok station
Looking for a pharmacy
Check quiz
Q1. “I have a younger sibling.”
Q2. What does 시간 없어요 mean?
Q3. “Under the chair” in Korean:
Q4. How is 없어요 pronounced?
Q5. The opposite of 재미있어요 is…
Well done! Look around your room and describe it: 책상 위에 컵이 있어요. 가방 안에 책이 있어요. Next lesson, we go out and learn how to say where you go and what you do there.
Key points
- 있어요 = there is / have; 없어요 = there isn’t / don’t have.
- The thing that exists or that you have takes 이/가, not 을/를.
- Location: N이/가 (place)에 있어요.
- Position: thing + 위/아래/앞/뒤/옆/안/밖/사이 + 에.
- Set phrases: 맛있어요, 재미있어요, 멋있어요 and their 없어요 opposites.
Recommended official free resources
- Korean Basic Dictionary (11 languages) — National Institute of Korean Language
- Nuri-Sejong Hakdang (free e-textbooks) — King Sejong Institute Foundation
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