Question Words (의문사) & Indefinite Pronouns (부정대명사)

Question words 5W1H

In English, there are 6 question words, 5W1H. And Same with English. There are 6 question words in Korean and usage is almost same.

* Question words 5W1H

Question form of copula is attached after a question word to make a sentence with a question words, and there must be a subject with particles to make a sentence complete.

* Usage of question words 5W1H

Question word 몇

Korean has a question word 몇(how many). The word cannot be used on its own but must precede a counter noun. For example, a specific question expression such as “how many people” would be 몇 명, “how many months” would be 몇 달, and so on. One can form various question expressions using the aforementioned counter nouns.

* Usage of question word 몇

Indefinite pronouns

People use indefinite pronouns when they refer to something that does not have a specific referent. In Korean, some indefinite pronouns are made of question words. The examples of indefinite pronouns in English include something, someone, sometimes, somewhere, anything, anyone, and so forth. Korean interrogative words such as 어디(where), 언제(when), 누구(who), 무엇(what), and 어느(which) function as question words as well as indefinite pronouns. What determines the use of these words as question words or indefinite pronouns is intonation.
When the word is used as a question, the sentence that contains the question word has a rising intonation at the end. However, without a rising intonation, the question word functions as an indefinite pronoun.

+Marie Piling

+Gaedae Park

* Click to read related posts
Grammar for Beginners
Endings of Sentences
Copula(Be & Be Not, 이다 & 아니다)
Particles Part.1 (What are the particles in Korean)
Counter Nouns (Numeral Classifier, 분류사)

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