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I know Korean grammar usually requires sentences to end in a 'verby' word like an action verb (동사), descriptive verb (형용사), or 되다 (to become) or 이다(to be something). But can correct, full Korean sentences ever end in something else?

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    "네!" (Interjection)
    – choco_addicted
    Jun 25, 2016 at 9:08
  • Watch any gangster movie and you'll find out, any sentence can end with ᄊ (?)
    – Dima Tisnek
    Jun 26, 2016 at 14:44
  • Doesn't Korean have sentence-final particles?
    – hippietrail
    Jun 30, 2016 at 1:38
  • @hippietrail do you mean something like -네요?
    – Нет войне
    Jun 30, 2016 at 4:14
  • @topomorto: Maybe. It could be that what are regarded as sentence final particles in other Asian languages are regarded as part of verb conjugations/endings in Korean. (I'm no Korean expert, just an enthusiast with the barest tourist level in the language.)
    – hippietrail
    Jun 30, 2016 at 8:21

3 Answers 3

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It is reasonable to say that since full, grammatically correct English sentences (besides the usual one word "Yes.", "No.", and "Hello." expressions) always come with some form of verb, the same can be said for Korean.

However, comparisons to English might not be so sound since Korean and English are quite different. So, let's jump into something more universal: linguistics!

The notion that a sentence needs to have a verb or adjective is slightly incorrect only because several types of sentences exist. Thus, it's only fair to say that in any language, grammatically correct sentences can come in verb-less forms (See "Major and minor sentences" section of the wiki page).

But, in terms of simple sentences (sentences that do contain at least one subject and one predicate), it would be against that very definition of a grammatically correct sentence to come in a predicate-less form.

TL;DR Yes and no

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  • What if the word order is switched? Is Korean necessarily SOV or is it just a strong tendency (like Latin used to be)?
    – busukxuan
    Jun 25, 2016 at 14:40
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    The word order shouldn't affect the composition of a sentence, although you do pose an interesting question. This might require some more analysis on Korean word ordering roots, although I'm leaning towards Korean necessarily being SOV. The only reason I say this is because their choice of a word order reflects the Korean view on how expressions should be constructed, namely macro-to-micro. Other than that, my guess is as good as yours.
    – blimpy
    Jun 25, 2016 at 14:49
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Korean sentences can end with a verb 한나는 집에 왔어요.

verb copula 저는 학생입니다.

or an adjective 유나는 정말 예쁘다.

Further information can be found here http://www.linguajunkie.com/korean-2/make-korean-sentences

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    Do you mean Korean sentences end with nothing other than parts of speech shown in your examples?
    – user7
    Jun 25, 2016 at 13:54
  • How about 여기 요 in addition to that list?
    – Dima Tisnek
    Jun 26, 2016 at 14:46
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I think the order is not really SVO but it is accordingly to the correct placement of the particles on each noun use but always ends in verbs because of their omission rules that they have and since the most important part of the korean sentences are the predicatee you might’ve noticed this in their dingle worded sentences like 사랑합니다 where in the subdct and object are ommoted but sty we inderst thst it means i love you oryou may arrange the sentence 내가 사과를 먹어요 /사과를 내가 먹어요 which still both translate to i eat apple whether the subject or the object was written first or not but the particles that were attached to the nouns were in correct places and slways end in verbs becay of the omission rules that they have, theycould ommit any noun which are less important

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