Noun sentences: 입니다 / 이에요 / 예요

A basic Korean noun sentence can follow the pattern Topic 은/는 Noun 입니다. The particles 은/는 mark the topic of the sentence. 입니다 is a formal polite ending meaning “is / am / are”.

For example, 저는 학생입니다 means “I am a student.” 저 means “I”, 는 marks the topic, 학생 means “student”, and 입니다 completes the sentence politely.

Unlike English, Korean does not change 입니다 depending on I, you, he, she, or they. The ending stays the same. The important habit is: topic first, noun after it, and the polite ending at the end.

To say “A is not B” in formal Korean, use A은/는 B가 아닙니다. The word 아닙니다 is the formal polite negative form of “to not be”.

For example, 저는 의사가 아닙니다 means “I am not a doctor.” The noun before 아닙니다 usually takes the particle 이/가. If the noun ends in a consonant, use 이; if it ends in a vowel, use 가.

This form is useful in formal introductions, interviews, workplace situations, and public speech.

입니다 is formal and polite. In everyday conversation, Korean often uses 이에요 or 예요 instead. Both mean “is / am / are”, but they sound softer and more natural in daily speech.

Use 이에요 after a noun ending in a consonant. Use 예요 after a noun ending in a vowel. For example, 학생이에요 means “I am / you are / he is a student”, because 학생 ends in a consonant. 의사예요 means “I am / you are / she is a doctor”, because 의사 ends in a vowel.

This distinction is very important because Korean endings often depend on whether the previous word ends in a consonant or a vowel.

To make a formal question with 입니다, change it to 입니까?. For example, 학생입니다 means “I am a student”, while 학생입니까? means “Are you a student?”

With 이에요 and 예요, the sentence form usually stays the same, and intonation makes it a question. In writing, you add a question mark: 학생이에요?, 의사예요?.

In real conversation, 이에요? / 예요? are more common and softer than 입니까?, while 입니까? sounds more formal.