있어요 vs 없어요: How to Say "There Is" and "There Isn't" in Korean

Two of the most useful words in Korean are also two of the simplest:

있어요 and 없어요.

Once you know these, you can describe your surroundings, talk about what you have (or don't have), and handle dozens of everyday situations - all with just two words.

In this post, you'll learn exactly what they mean, how they work, and how to use them naturally in real Korean sentences.

What Do 있어요 and 없어요 Mean?

They're opposites - and they cover two different but related ideas:

1. Existence → Is something/someone there?
2. Possession → Do you have something?

In English, these are expressed differently ("There is a cat" vs "I have a cat"). In Korean, 있어요 handles both. Same goes for 없어요.

있어요 for Existence: "There Is / There Are"

When describing whether something or someone exists in a place, use 있어요.

The structure is:

[Place] 에 + [subject] 이/가 있어요

없어요 for Non-Existence: "There Isn't / There Aren't"

The opposite - when something is not in a place.

있어요 for Possession: "I Have"

있어요 also means "to have" - expressing that something belongs to or is with you.

[Subject] 이/가 있어요 (without a place particle)

없어요 for Not Having: "I Don't Have"

Real Conversations Using 있어요 / 없어요

📍 Conversation 1: Looking for something in the kitchen

A: 냉장고에 뭐 있어요? (What's in the fridge?)

B: 계란이랑 우유가 있어요. (There are eggs and milk.)

A: 치즈는요? (What about cheese?)

B: 치즈는 없어요. (There's no cheese.)

A: 그럼 오늘 장 봐야겠어요. (Then I need to go grocery shopping today.)

📍 Conversation 2: Making plans

A: 이번 주말에 시간 있어요? (Do you have time this weekend?)

B: 토요일에는 약속이 있어요. 일요일은 괜찮아요. (I have plans on Saturday. Sunday is fine.)

A: 일요일에 같이 점심 먹을까요? (Shall we have lunch together on Sunday?)

B: 좋아요! (Sounds good!)

📍 Conversation 3: At a restaurant / café

A: 혹시 자리 있어요? (Excuse me, are there any seats available?)

B: 네, 있어요. 이쪽으로 오세요. (Yes, there are. Please come this way.)

A: 감사합니다. 화장실은 어디 있어요? (Thank you. Where is the bathroom?)

B: 저쪽에 있어요. (It's over there.)

있다 / 없다 for Describing People and Things

있어요 and 없어요 are also used as descriptive verbs (adjectives) in Korean, to describe qualities that someone or something has or lacks.

💡 These combinations are fixed expressions — learn them as vocabulary chunks. 맛있어요 (delicious) is so commonly used that it's often written as one word!

어디 있어요? — Asking "Where Is...?"

One of the most practical uses of 있어요 is asking where something is located.

[Thing/person] 이/가 어디 있어요?

This is an essential phrase for navigating Korea as a traveler or beginner speaker!

있어요 vs 이에요/예요: Don't Mix These Up

This is one of the most common mistakes beginners make.

The difference:

• 이에요/예요 = what something IS (noun = noun)
• 있어요 = where something IS or whether something EXISTS

❌ 저는 선생님 있어요. (wrong) ✅ 저는 선생님이에요. (I am a teacher.)

❌ 방에 침대예요. (wrong) ✅ 방에 침대가 있어요. (There is a bed in the room.)

Quick Practice

Fill in the blank with 있어요 or 없어요:

1. 지금 돈이 ___. (I don't have money right now.)
2. 서울에 좋은 카페가 ___. (There are good cafés in Seoul.)
3. 오늘 수업이 ___. (I don't have class today.)
4. 가방 안에 지갑이 ___? (Is there a wallet in the bag?)
5. 저는 한국 친구가 ___. (I have a Korean friend.)

Answers:

1. 없어요
2. 있어요
3. 없어요
4. 있어요?
5. 있어요

Summary

있어요 and 없어요 are two of the highest-frequency words in the Korean language. Master these and you'll be able to describe your room, talk about your family, navigate a new city, and hold real conversations - all at the beginner level.

Build Your Korean Foundation the Right Way

있어요 and 없어요 are just two pieces of a much bigger picture. In the Today Korean A1 Masterclass, every grammar point is taught in context - connected to real vocabulary, real sentences, and real conversations - so you're not just memorizing rules, you're actually learning to use Korean.

👉 Join the waitlist for the A1 Masterclass