Korean Grammar Notes TTMIK

Book 1: lesson 10

있어요 comes from the verb 있다, which expresses that something “exists“.

If you are talking about someone or something that exists in a specific place, 있다 means “to be“:

Ex) I am here. / It's over there. / I am at home now.

If you are talking about something( or someone in some cases) in your possession, it means “to have“:

Ex) I have a sister. / I have eleven dogs. / Do you have a private airplane?

업서요 is the opposite, and it comes from the verb 없다. Even though there IS a way to say the same thing by using 있어요 in a negative sentence, there is an independent verb in Korean(없어요) for expressing non-existence. It's more convenient to use 없어요 rather than saying 있지 않아요 or 안 있어요 (which will be covered in a future lesson).