Let's learn about "전화가 먹통이에요"

전화가 먹통이에요 : The line’s dead; The line keeps going dead: The line just went dead

[other expressions]

<반말(talking down to)>

- 전화가 먹통이다. (to younger people or friends)

- 전화가 먹통이네. (to younger people or friends)

- 전화가 먹통이야. (to younger people or friends)

- 전화가 먹통인데. (to younger people or friends)

<존칭/존댓말/높임말/경어(honorific)>

- 전화가 먹통이네요. (honourific by '요')

- 전화가 먹통인데요. (honourific by '요')

- 전화가 먹통이에요 (honourific by '요')

- 전화가 먹통입니다. (honourific by '요')

* [Memo]

We don't use extreme honorifics(극존칭) for older people or people we don't know. Because you have to speak less than the other person(나이가 많거나 잘 모르는 사람에게는 극존칭을 사용하지 않는다. 왜냐하면 자기 자신을 상대방보다 낮춰서 말을 해야 하기 때문에)

[explanations]

* 전화 : [電話] a telephone; a phone; a phone call;  a ring; a cell phone; a mobile phone

* -가 : a particle makes 전화 subjective after a word ends in a vowel

* 먹통 : (1) (목수의) an[a carpenter's] inkpad; [=먹물 그릇] an inkwell; an inkpot (2) [=바보•멍청이] idiot (3) [=전화 따위가 고장이 나서 사용하지 못하게 된 것] broken state; failure state

* 이다 : be

* 먹통이에요 : 먹통 + 이(the stem of 이다) + -에(a declarative verb ending suffix; -어 changed inot 에 for easy pronunciation) + -요(an honourific ending suffix)

* 먹통입니다 : 사람 + 이(the stem of 이다; 이 + -ㅂ contracted into 입) + -ㅂ니다(an honourific descriptive verb ending suffix)

* a noun + -(이)다 / -(이)네 / -(이)야 / -인데 : a non-honourific descriptive form of 이다

* a noun + -(이)네 / -인데 + -요 : an honourific verb ending suffix

* a noun + -이에요 / -예요 / -입니다 : an honourific descriptive form of 이다 by ‘-요’ / ‘-ㅂ'

* -이에요 : this is used after a word ends in a consonant

ex) 생각뿐이에요 : I think of you only

* -예요 : : this is used after a word ends in a vowel

ex) 바다예요 : this is the sea