How to Say "The grandmother is waiting in the market" in Korean | -고 있어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The grandmother is waiting in the market" in Korean is "할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요." (halmeoniga sijangeseo gidarigo iteoyo.). It uses the -고 있어요 grammar pattern (Present Progressive (V-고 있어요)). Level: A1-A2.

Want to express "The grandmother is waiting in the market" in Korean? Say "할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요.". The grammar point -고 있어요 (A1-A2) is essential for everyday Korean conversation. Read on for a full breakdown.

Category: 가족

What does "The grandmother is waiting in the market" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요." translates to "The grandmother is waiting in the market." in English. The phrase "할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요." translates as "the grandmother is waiting in the market". What makes it stand out is how Korean packages the entire idea: the subject comes first, the context follows, and the action wraps it up at the end.

Pronunciation guide: halmeoniga sijangeseo gidarigo iteoyo.

Grammar Point: Present Progressive (V-고 있어요)

The pattern -고 있어요 describes an action happening right now, similar to English '-ing'. It combines a verb stem with -고 있다 in polite form. This sentence also uses 에서 and -아/어요.

Verb stem + 고 있어요. For example: 기다리다 → 기다리고 있어요 (is waiting).

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 할머니가 (halmeoniga) • 시장에서 (sijangeseo) • 기다리고 (gidarigo) • 있어요 (iteoyo)

Try rearranging the words before the verb — in Korean, as long as the verb stays last, the meaning usually stays the same. This flexibility is a superpower.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

This expression sounds like something from a beloved fairy tale — and that is exactly the register Korean uses for warm, everyday communication.

Cultural Insight

한국 이야기에서 할머니와 할아버지는 단순한 노인이 아니라, 지혜와 경험의 상징이에요. 이들의 조언이 이야기의 전환점이 되는 경우가 많습니다.

Examples

할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요. — halmeoniga sijangeseo gidarigo iteoyo. — The grandmother is waiting in the market.

할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있었어요. — halmeoniga sijangeseo gidarigo iteoteoyo. — The grandmother was waiting in the market.

할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요? — halmeoniga sijangeseo gidarigo iteoyo? — Does the grandmother is waiting in the market?

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 기다리있어요 → Correct: 기다리고 있어요. The connective particle -고 is required between the verb stem and 있어요. Skipping it makes the sentence ungrammatical.

Incorrect: 학교에 공부해요 → Correct: 학교에서 공부해요. For actions happening at a location, use 에서 not 에. The particle 에 is for static states (있다/없다) or destinations.

Quiz

How do you say "The grandmother is waiting in the market" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 있어요.". halmeoniga sijangeseo gidarigo iteoyo.

Fill in the blank: 할머니가 시장에서 기다리고 ___

The correct ending is "있어요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.