haru Korean › Grammar › Level 1A › N입니다/입니까
N입니다/입니까 — the formal style of 이에요/예요 — interviews, speeches, the news
The formal style of 이에요/예요 — interviews, speeches, the news. Korean grammar for beginner learners — Level 1A, lesson 3: 저는 학생이에요 (I am a student — who you are, where you are from).
What it means
입니다 is the formal style of 이에요/예요 — the same meaning, 'am / is / are', but it sounds official. You hear it in the news, in interviews and speeches, at work, and when someone introduces themselves in front of a group. There is no 받침 choice: 학생입니다 and 의사입니다 both take 입니다. The question is 입니까? with a rising voice, and the answer is 네, … 입니다. In class we keep talking with 이에요/예요 — learn to recognise 입니다 when you hear or read it, and use it for a formal self-introduction.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| N입니다 | statement — 받침 O or X, always 입니다 | 학생 + 입니다 → 학생입니다 |
| N입니까? | question — 받침 O or X, always 입니까? | 회사원 + 입니까? → 회사원입니까? |
Key points
- N입니다 — the formal 이에요/예요, the same after 받침 O and 받침 X: 학생입니다 · 의사입니다
- N입니까? — the formal question, with a rising voice: 회사원입니까? — 네, 회사원입니다.
Examples
- 학생이에요. = 학생입니다.
- 의사예요. = 의사입니다.
- 회사원이에요? = 회사원입니까?
- 유나 씨는 대학생입니까? — 네, 대학생입니다.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 1A, lesson 1; Yonsei University Korean 1-1, lesson 1; Ewha Womans University Korean 1-1, lesson 2; Hanyang University Korean 1-1, lesson 1; Sogang University Korean 2B, lesson 8; Hongik University Korean 1B, lesson 12.