# Dropping out 저 and 는



## AccioJo

Pretty confused .. I was told that :
진지해요.
저 진지해요.
저는 진지해요.
All mean the same thing.I know that its okay to drop out the 저는 altogether ,just like in Japanese ,but why dropping 는 and leaving only 저 ?Is that alowed only in short sentences?


----------



## casaubon

Korean language usually doesn't say a subject of a sentence. (Not like Spanish or Italian which usually omit only 1st and 2nd person subjects) So, when one said "저(는)", it means a stressed 1st person. ("저" means I in a humble position)

And, "with postposition(는)" and "without postposition", they have no difference in meaning it. Only some sort of nuance depending the teller's mind and situation. 

(usually, we say that sentence "with 저 or 저는" when we got angry or very serious.)

Therefore, it is allowed.


----------



## AccioJo

Okay ,thank you for the explanation.  But if I want to say "I love you" like this:
저는 당신을 사랑합니다
I can't drop "는" ,can I?Because even thought there is context I have to have that particle ,right?
And by the way ,are there any shorter words for "you"?


----------



## Warp3

I've seen few, if any, Korean materials recommending the use of 당신 for "you."  It is technically the formal "you" form, but its use is quite restricted.  너 is the informal form of "you."  Formal forms of "you" aren't really used much ("you" is either implied or you address them by name/title instead), but 선생님 can be used as an acceptable substitute for formal "you" / "sir" / "ma'am" if needed.

Often, "I love you" is simply expressed as 사랑해 with the subject and object (I and you) both implied.  The phrase you listed is in the high speech level and uses humble/formal forms for I and you which seems out of place for such a personal phrase as that.  If you wanted to be more specific (but still stay casual/informal), you could go with something like 나는 너를 사랑해 or a more contracted version like 난 널 사랑해.

As for dropping particles, this is quite common in speech (not so much in writing) as long as the context is clear enough to avoid confusion on the meaning.  In fact, as noted above, they often will just drop the subject and object entirely when speaking, if the context is clear.


----------



## AccioJo

Thank you for the detailed explanation!


----------



## wildsunflower

For me, "당신" is poetic as well as formal. Yes, it is not commonly used in speaking language. But, I like to use "당신" to my mother. It carries the feeling of respect and care. "나는 너를 사랑해" is okay for young people, but sounds quite light. I would want someone to tell me "저는 당신을 사랑합니다" with sincerity. I will not care much about "나는 너를 사랑해".


----------



## rienn

wildsunflower said:


> For me, "당신" is poetic as well as formal. Yes, it is not commonly used in speaking language. But, I like to use "당신" to my mother. It carries the feeling of respect and care. "나는 너를 사랑해" is okay for young people, but sounds quite light. I would want someone to tell me "저는 당신을 사랑합니다" with sincerity. I will not care much about "나는 너를 사랑해".


can the usage of 당신 be inappropriate or rude at times? if i'm not mistaken i've heard that word used in quarrels.. *confused*


----------



## wildsunflower

Haha.. Yes. You have to consider the context. You can use 당신 to call the other person during a quarrel, as in "당신이 뭐야. (What do you think you are?)" But, considering 뭐야, it is obvious that 당신 is not for any sign of respect. However, it is still more polite than "너가 뭐야." You can be rude at different degrees.


----------



## rienn

so if ur suddenly using a high formal speech to ur closest friend, that can be rude too? meaning ur distancing urself from that person...


----------



## wildsunflower

Not always. It depends on the context. If you give me an example, I can explain how it is used.


----------



## rienn

ok let's say u would normally ask this way to ur best friend:
잘 지냈어?

then suddenly one day u asked this way to the same person:
당신이 잘 지냈습니까?

what does that mean?


----------



## wildsunflower

I wouldn't consider "당신이 잘 지냈습니까?" to be rude. I would take it as a joke, because it does not make sense. Kind of a cute joke.  You may have heard "당신 잘 지냈어?" between lovers (not teenage lovers X). It is not a seriously polite expression, but you can use it instead of "잘 지냈어?". For this case, 당신 makes the expression sweet. But, if you are old, i.e. after 35?, then this expression is normal, especially for the man to the woman.


----------



## rienn

got it.. thanks!


----------

