을/를 marks the direct object—the thing that receives the action of a transitive verb.
Direct objects — What you eat, see, buy, make, etc.
Movement verbs — Where you go through or along (길을 걷다)
Duration — How long something lasts (3년을 살다)
Use 을 after a consonant (밥을), 를 after a vowel (영화를). Often omitted in casual speech.
See examples below for varied real-world usage.
Frequently dropped — In casual speech, 을/를 is often omitted: "밥 먹었어?" instead of "밥을 먹었어?"
Some verbs need specific particles — 좋아하다 takes 을/를 (object), but 좋다 takes 이/가 (subject)
- ✅ 커피**를** 좋아해요 (I like coffee)
- ✅ 커피**가** 좋아요 (Coffee is good/I like coffee)
Movement through space — 길을 걷다 (walk the street), 하늘을 날다 (fly the sky)
I read a book.
I drink coffee.
I study Korean.
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