Nouns Ending in -t
In Lesson 3, we learned that only the consonants p, t, k, m, n, ng, and l occur before a pause or another consonant. But some words have basic forms that end in other sounds, and these have to change before a pause or a consonant. When you hear a noun ending in t you are not sure whether the basic form of the noun ends in d, s, j, ch, or t.
As it happens, nearly all these nouns have basic forms that end in s, so we can consider the others as individual exceptions and make a rule: a noun which you hear with a final t, has a final s when it is linked with a particle beginning with a vowel, or when it is linked with the verb ieyo “is.” Here are some examples:
| MEANING | NOUN | PARTICLE | IEYO |
| thing | geot | geos-i | geos ieyo |
| 것 | 것이 | 것이에요 | |
| place | got | gos-i | gos ieyo |
| 곳 | 곳이 | 곳이에요 | |
| what? | mueot? | mueos-i? | mueos ieyo? |
| 무엇? | 무엇이? | 무엇이에요? | |
| clothes | ot | os-eun | os ieyo |
| 옷 | 옷은 | 옷이에요 | |
| three | set | ses-i | ses ieyo |
| 셋 | 셋이 | 셋이에요 | |
| four | net | nes-eul | nes ieyo |
| 넷 | 넷을 | 넷이에요 | |
| five | daseot | daseos-eul | daseos ieyo |
| 다섯 | 다섯을 | 다섯이에요 | |
| six | yeoseot | yeoseos-i | yeoseos ieyo |
| 여섯 | 여섯이 | 여섯이에요 |
The individual exceptions are regularized by many Koreans so that you may hear both forms:
| flower | kkot 꽃 | kkoch-i 꽃이 | kkoch ieyo |
| kkos-i | 꽃이에요 | ||
| kkos ieyo | |||
| how many? | myeot? 몇? | myeoch ina? | myeoch ieyo? |
| 몇이나? | 몇이에요? | ||
| myeos ina? | myeos ieyo? | ||
| daytime | nat 낮 | naj-e 낮에 | nach ieyo |
| 낮이에요 | |||
| naj ieyo | |||
| dry field | bat 밭 | bat-e 밭에 | bat ieyo |
| bas-e | 밭이에요 | ||
| bas ieyo |