Object Marker (을/를)

을 and 를 are object-marking particles. Use 을 after a noun ending in a consonant and 를 after a noun ending in a vowel. They indicate what receives the action of the verb.

In '밥을 먹어요' (I eat rice), 을 marks 밥 (rice) as the thing being eaten. In '커피를 마셔요' (I drink coffee), 를 marks 커피 as the thing being drunk. These particles are essential for any sentence with a transitive verb.

In casual spoken Korean, 을/를 is often dropped when the meaning is clear from context. For example, people might say '밥 먹었어?' instead of '밥을 먹었어?' However, in writing and formal speech, including the particle makes your Korean more precise and natural.