What does 있다 mean in Korean?

있다 has two basic meanings. First, it expresses the existence or location of something and means ‘there is/exists something’, ‘something be located in/on’ in English. The opposite of 있다 is 없다 which means ‘there isn’t /doesn’t exist something’. A typical sentence structure appears in this way:

Noun 이/가 + Place 에 있다/없다, or

Place 에 + Noun 이/가 있다/없다

The change of the order of the sentence structure doesn’t change its meaning.

Example 1:

우리 집이 신촌에 있어요. (=우리 집이 신촌에 있습니다.)

Our house is in Sinchon.

Example 2:

책상 앞에 의자가 있어요.

The chair is in front of the desk.

Second, 있다 is also used in the form ‘Noun 이/가 있다’ to express possession, meaning ‘to have’ in English. The opposite of 있다 is 없다.

Example 3:

남자친구가 있어요. (=남자 친구가 있습니다.)

I have a boyfriend.

Example 4:

자전거가 있어요. 차가 없어요.

I have a bicycle. I don’t have a car.