Korean study tip

을 / 를 object marker

Mark the thing that receives the action.

Pattern

object + 을 / 를

밥을 먹어요.

I eat rice.

The object marker shows which noun receives the action of the verb. In 밥을 먹어요, 밥 is the thing being eaten.

Use 을 when the noun ends in a consonant sound. Use 를 when the noun ends in a vowel sound.

In casual speech, people sometimes drop object markers, but learning them helps you understand Korean sentence structure clearly.

밥을 먹어요.

I eat rice.

커피를 마셔요.

I drink coffee.

책을 읽어요.

I read a book.