American Learns Korean Day31: Basic Sentence Structure (SOV vs English SVO)

Day31 Goal: Make “the verb goes last” automatic

American Learns Korean Day31 is the start of grammar, but today should stay simple. Your only mission is this:

Korean basic word order is SOV (Subject–Object–Verb).
English is usually SVO (Subject–Verb–Object), like “I eat pizza.”
Korean flips that into “I pizza eat” in structure:
저는 피자를 먹어요. (Subject + Object + Verb)

If you truly internalize “verb at the end,” the next lessons (particles like 은/는, 이/가, 을/를) become much easier.

SVO vs SOV in 4 examples

English (SVO): I eat pizza. → Korean (SOV): 저는 피자를 먹어요.
English (SVO): I drink coffee. → Korean (SOV): 저는 커피를 마셔요.
English (SVO): I study Korean. → Korean (SOV): 저는 한국어를 공부해요.
English (SVO): I go to school. → Korean (SOV): 저는 학교에 가요.

The point is not memorizing “word order lists.” The point is training your brain to finish every sentence with the verb.

The Korean base formula you must memorize

Use this all day:

(Subject) + (Information) + (Verb)
“Information” can be an object, place, time, etc.

Examples you should be able to say immediately:

저는 김밥을 먹어요.
저는 카페에 가요.
저는 집에서 공부해요.
저는 오늘 운동해요.

If you try to speak Korean using the English habit “say the verb first,” you will freeze mid-sentence. Day31 fixes that by teaching you to stack info first and close with the verb.

Why Korean can change order more than English: particles

Here is the direct truth:

Korean is more flexible because particles mark roles.
For example, -을/를 marks the object.

저는 피자를 먹어요.
피자를 저는 먹어요. (Meaning stays, emphasis shifts)

Because 피자+를 already tells you “this is the object,” the sentence can move around more than in English. This is the logic that leads directly into Day32–Day34 (은/는, 이/가, 을/를).

The fastest speaking method: build sentences “backwards”

This is the most practical workflow for beginners:

Choose the verb (the ending) first: 먹어요 / 가요 / 해요 / 좋아해요
Add the object/place before it: 피자를 / 학교에 / 집에서
Add the subject at the front if needed: 저는 / 저도 / 저희는

Examples:

먹어요 → 피자를 먹어요 → 저는 피자를 먹어요
가요 → 학교에 가요 → 저는 학교에 가요
공부해요 → 한국어를 공부해요 → 저는 한국어를 공부해요

Day31 success means: short sentences, but always completed.

Where do time and place go? Use the safe beginner order

For beginners, this order is stable and natural:

Time → Place → Object → Verb

Examples:

오늘 집에서 한국어를 공부해요.
지금 카페에서 커피를 마셔요.
내일 학교에 가요.

Yes, Korean allows variation, but at the beginner stage, you should master one reliable pattern first.

Korean often drops the subject

English usually requires “I/you/he,” but Korean often omits it when context is clear:

(저는) 커피 마셔요.
(저는) 한국어 공부해요.
(저는) 지금 가요.

As a beginner, it’s okay to keep 저는 for clarity. As you grow, practice the “dropped subject” version too for naturalness.

Speaking Drill 1: Convert English into Korean SOV (5 minutes)

Say these out loud. If you freeze, reduce the sentence and still finish with a verb.

I eat bibimbap. → 저는 비빔밥을 먹어요.
I drink water. → 저는 물을 마셔요.
I study Korean today. → 저는 오늘 한국어를 공부해요.
I go to the cafe now. → 저는 지금 카페에 가요.
I like Korea. → 저는 한국을 좋아해요.

Key rule: verb last. If the rule breaks, shorten and try again.

Speaking Drill 2: Plug-and-play sentence frames (5 minutes)

These frames are the highest ROI for Day31.

저는 ____을/를 ____어요/해요.
저는 ____에/에서 ____어요/해요.
오늘 ____에서 ____을/를 ____어요/해요.

Example outputs:

저는 김밥을 먹어요.
저는 집에서 공부해요.
오늘 카페에서 커피를 마셔요.

Treat this like building with blocks, not “writing grammar.”

Mini Dialogue (real-life): Café scenario in one sentence answers

A: 뭐 마셔요?
B: 저는 아메리카노를 마셔요.
A: 어디에서 마셔요?
B: 저는 카페에서 마셔요.
A: 지금 가요?
B: 네, 지금 카페에 가요.

Notice: every answer is (info) + verb at the end.

The 5 most common mistakes (and how to fix them)

Trying to say the verb early → Korean closes with the verb.
Adding too much info and freezing → Use 2–3 blocks only.
Fear of particles → You don’t need perfection to speak. Finish the sentence.
Copying English SVO directly → You must flip it into SOV thinking.
Not “closing” the sentence → In Korean, finishing with the verb is the skill.

10-minute lesson script (teacher-style)

You can use this for self-study.

Opening (1 min)
“Today is American Learns Korean Day31. One goal: the verb goes last.”
Structure check (2 min)
“English is SVO. Korean is SOV. 저는 피자를 먹어요. Verb last.”
Build backwards (4 min)
“먹어요 → 피자를 먹어요 → 저는 피자를 먹어요.”
“가요 → 학교에 가요 → 저는 학교에 가요.”
Add time/place (2 min)
“오늘 집에서 한국어를 공부해요.”
“지금 카페에서 커피를 마셔요.”
Closing (1 min)
“Short is fine. But always finish with the verb.”

Quiz + Answer Key

1) Convert into Korean SOV

a) I eat ramen.
b) I study Korean at home.
c) I go to school tomorrow.

2) Identify the verb

a) 저는 물을 마셔요.
b) 저는 학교에 가요.
c) 저는 한국어를 공부해요.

Sample answers
1-a) 저는 라면을 먹어요.
1-b) 저는 집에서 한국어를 공부해요.
1-c) 저는 내일 학교에 가요.
2-a) 마셔요 / 2-b) 가요 / 2-c) 공부해요

Homework (10 minutes, focused)

Make 10 spoken sentences using: 저는 + (object) + (verb) (5 min)
Add time or place to 5 of them (3 min): 오늘/지금/내일 + 집에서/카페에서/학교에
Final 2 minutes: say these naturally 5 times each:

저는 오늘 한국어를 공부해요.
저는 지금 카페에서 커피를 마셔요.

3 In-Post Cartoon Image Ideas (prompt-ready)

SVO vs SOV split infographic
Prompt: “Split screen cartoon infographic. Left: English SVO ‘I eat pizza’ arrow S→V→O. Right: Korean SOV ‘저는 피자를 먹어요’ arrow S→O→V. Clean blue background, big readable text, friendly teacher character pointing at arrows.”
Sentence building blocks (3 blocks)
Prompt: “Cute 2D cartoon. Three stackable blocks labeled ‘저는’, ‘피자를’, ‘먹어요’ stacked left-to-right. Highlight ‘Verb at the end’ by emphasizing the last block.”
Café mini dialogue scene
Prompt: “2D anime-style café scene. Speech bubbles: ‘뭐 마셔요?’ ‘저는 아메리카노를 마셔요.’ Clean layout, high readability, minimal background clutter.”

Americans learns korean – Day30 (Review Day30 again)

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