to be

Noun + 이다(to be), 아니다(to be not) The words '이다(to be)' and '아니다(to be not)' describe existence, similar to 'am', 'are', and 'is' in English expressions like 'I am [Noun]', 'You/They are [Noun]', and 'It/She/He is [Noun]'.

(’이다’ and ‘아니다’ are dictionary(base) forms. In conversations, their endings change slightly. In this page, we’ll focus on their most common -요 forms, which are used for polite declarative sentences.)

저는 축구 선수예요.

I’m a soccer player.

수지 씨는 한국 사람이에요?

Are you(Suzy) a Korean?

저는 학생이 아니에요.

I’m not a student.

• When using 아니에요, you can also use the subject marker 이/가.