Korean Grammar Basic #3 – How to Use “있다 / 없다” (To Have & Not To Have)

Learn how to use 있다 (it-da) and 없다 (eop-da) — to express what you have or don’t have in Korean.This grammar is used in everyday conversations when talking about possessions, existence, or availability.

1️⃣ Introduction

In Korean,

• 있다 (it-da) means to have or to exist.

• 없다 (eop-da) means to not have or to not exist.

They are used to talk about what someone has, what exists, or what’s not there.

Let’s start with simple, real-life examples!

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2️⃣ Grammar Explanation

🔹 있다 (it-da) — to have / to exist

• Used to express possession (to have) or existence (there is / there are)

• It’s often used with the subject marker 이/가 to show what exists or what someone has.

• “있다” is the dictionary form. In real conversation, you change it to “있어요” to sound polite and natural. You’ll understand this more easily when we learn the present tense in a future lesson.

Form	Example	Meaning
있다 (it-da)	친구가 있다 (chin-gu-ga it-da)	(I) have a friend / A friend exists.
있어요 (i-sseo-yo)	시간이 있어요 (si-gan-i i-sseo-yo)	I have time. / There is time.

 Usage:

• When you have something

• When something exists somewhere

Example Sentences:

1️⃣ 저는 고양이가 있어요. (jeo-neun go-yang-i-ga i-sseo-yo) → I have a cat.

2️⃣ 시간이 있어요. (si-ga-ni i-sseo-yo) → I have time.

3️⃣ 집에 사람이 있어요. (ji-be sa-ra-mi i-sseo-yo) → There’s someone at home.

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🔹 없다 (eop-da) — to not have / not exist

• Used to express absence (to not have) or non-existence (there isn’t / there aren’t).

  Like 있다, it also uses 이/가 to mark what doesn’t exist.

• “없다” is the dictionary form. In real conversation, you change it to “없어요” to sound polite and natural. You’ll understand this more easily when we learn the present tense in a future lesson.

Form	Example	Meaning
없다 (eop-da)	돈이 없다 (do-ni eop-dda)	I don’t have money.
없어요 (eop-sseo-yo)	친구가 없어요 (chin-gu-ga eop-sseo-yo)	I don’t have friends.

Usage:

• When something doesn’t exist

• When you don’t have something

Example Sentences:

1️⃣ 저는 차가 없어요. (jeo-neun cha-ga eop-sseo-yo) → I don’t have a car.

2️⃣ 시간이 없어요. (si-ga-ni eop-sseo-yo) → I don’t have time.

3️⃣ 집에 아무도 없어요. (jib-e a-mu-do eop-sseo-yo) → There’s no one at home.

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3️⃣ How to Tell “Existence” and “Possession” Apart

Tip for learners

The verbs 있다 (it-da) and 없다 (eop-da) can mean both existence (“there is/are”) and possession (“to have”).

Don’t worry — Koreans don’t separate them with different words.

The meaning becomes clear from context.

Example

• 집에 사람이 있어요. (ji-be sa-ra-mi i-sseo-yo) → There is a person at home. (existence)

• 저는 친구가 있어요. (jeo-neun chin-gu-ga i-sseo-yo) → I have a friend. (possession)

Remember

• Don’t try to memorize “existence vs possession” separately — just focus on what the sentence is talking about.

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4️⃣ Mini Practice

Fill in the blanks 👇

(Choose between 있어요 / 없어요 depending on the sentence.)

1️⃣ 저는 친구가 _____ .(I have a friend.)

2️⃣ 지금 시간 _____ .(There is time now.)

3️⃣ 집에 고양이 _____ .(There’s a cat at home.)

4️⃣ 오늘 약속 _____ .(I don’t have an appointment today.)

5️⃣ 돈 _____ .(I don’t have money.)

Answers: 

1️⃣ 있어요 → “I have a friend.”

2️⃣ 있어요 → “There is time now.”

3️⃣ 있어요 → “There’s a cat at home.”

4️⃣ 없어요 → “I don’t have an appointment today.”

5️⃣ 없어요 → “I don’t have money.”

Explanation:

• Use 있어요 when something exists or you have it.

• Use 없어요 when something doesn’t exist or you don’t have it.

• Remember to use 이/가 before 있다 or 없다!

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Vocabulary Check

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
친구	(chin-gu)	friend
고양이	(go-yang-i)	cat
시간	(si-gan)	time
사람	(sa-ram)	person
집	(jip)	house
차	(cha)	car
돈	(don)	money
아무도	(a-mu-do)	no one

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Summary

Verb	Meaning	Polite Form	Example	Translation
있다	to have / to exist	있어요	친구가 있어요	I have a friend.
없다	to not have / not exist	없어요	친구가 없어요	I don’t have a friend.

• You’ll know whether it means “to have” or “to exist” from context:

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📂 Download Practice File

Want to practice more?

📥Download your free worksheet to review “있다 / 없다” with real-life examples and exercises.