안녕하세요! 🚀
Ready to blast off into another exciting Korean grammar lesson? I’m sure you’ve been eagerly waiting for this one!
Today, we’ll explore the fascinating world of “냐고”. 냐고 is a very useful grammatical structure in Korean that helps you to quote questions directly, just like how reporters do in their news articles!
Think about it: wouldn’t it be fun to quote your friends just like you’re writing a novel or a news article? Not to mention, this structure is essential for passing those Korean proficiency tests. So buckle up, because we’re ready to dive deep into the exciting world of “냐고”. Let’s SKape into Korean grammar! 🚀
Conjugation
ACTION VERB + 냐고
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add 냐고 i.e. 가냐고
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 냐고 –> 먹냐고
- 사다 –> 사 + 냐고 –> 사냐고
- 주다 –> 주 + 냐고 –> 주냐고
- 보다 –> 보 + 냐고 –> 보냐고
DESCRIPTIVE VERB + (으)냐고
- Take a descriptive verb i.e. 예쁘다
- Drop “다” i.e. 예쁘
- Add the appropriate ending based on the below rules (in this case it becomes 예쁘냐고)
- If the descriptive verb ends with a vowel, add 냐고
- If the descriptive verb ends with a consonant, add 으냐고
- If the descriptive verb ends with a consonant “ㄹ”, add 냐고
- If the descriptive verb ends with a consonant “ㅂ”, drop “ㅂ” and add 우냐고
- 빠르다 –> 빠르 + 냐고 –> 빠르냐고
- 재미있다 –> 재미있 + 으냐고 –> 재미있으냐고
- 멀다 –> 멀 + 냐고 –> 멀냐고
- 무섭다 –> 무섭 + 냐고 –> 무섭냐고
NOUN + (이)냐고
- Take a noun i.e. 학생
- Add the appropriate ending based on the below rules (in this case it becomes 학생이냐고)
- If the noun ends with a vowel, add 냐고
- If the noun ends with a consonant, add 이냐고
- 가수 + 냐고 –> 가수냐고
- 사과 + 냐고 –> 사과냐고
- 집 + 이냐고 –> 집이냐고
This type of structure is usually followed by the following verbs:
- 물어보다
- 말하다
- 질분하다
Breakdown of 냐고
The Korean grammar pattern “냐고” consists of two parts:
- “냐“: This is the informal interrogative ending attached to the plain base form of verbs or adjectives in Korean. It turns a statement into a question, and it’s usually used in casual or intimate contexts. For example, the verb 먹다 (to eat) would become 먹냐? (Are you eating?).
- “고”: This particle is often used in Korean to quote direct speech or thoughts. When attached to “냐”, it allows a question to be quoted directly in another sentence. For example, if you want to say “Ji-a asked if you are eating,” you would say “지아는 먹냐고 물어봤어요” in Korean.
Together, “냐고” allows you to directly quote questions in your sentences, whether you’re asking them yourself or reporting that someone else asked them. It’s an essential pattern for understanding and using Korean correctly, particularly in written or formal language.
It’s important to remember that while “냐” is generally used in casual language, the form “냐고” can be used in both casual and formal contexts, as it often appears in reported speech.
The usage of 냐고
Quoting Direct Questions
When you’re directly quoting a question that someone else asked, you use “냐고”. The person you’re speaking to will understand that you’re repeating a question that was previously asked.
For example, if you wanted to say “Jin-woo asked if I was going,” you would say 진우는 내가 가냐고 물어봤어.
Quoting Your Own Questions
You can also use “냐고” to make a quoted question out of a question you’re asking yourself. It is often used when you have asked a question but you didn’t get a response so you have to ask again.
학생이냐고 물어봤어요 – I asked you if you are a student.
Past tense
VERB STEM + 았/었/였냐고
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add the appropriate past tense ending based on the rules below i.e. 갔냐고
- If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 았냐고.
- If the last vowel is not one of the above, add 었냐고.
- Only 하 is followed by 였냐고 and becomes 했냐고 (always the case).
- 오다 –> 오 + 았냐고 –> 왔냐고
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 었냐고 –> 먹었냐고
- 보다 –> 보 + 았냐고 –> 봤냐고
- 하다 –> 하 + 였냐고 –> 했냐고
Future tense
VERB STEM + ㄹ/을 거냐고
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add the appropriate past tense ending based on the rules below i.e. 갈 거냐고
- If the verb ends in a vowel, add ㄹ 거냐고
- If the verb ends in a consonant, add 을 거냐고
- 오다 –> 오 + 거냐고 –> 올 거냐고
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 을 거냐고 –> 먹을 거냐고
- 보다 –> 보 + 거냐고 –> 볼 거냐고
- 하다 –> 하 + 거냐고 –> 할 거냐고
Examples
- 지금 몇 시냐고 물어봤어요. – I asked what time is it now.
- 몇 살이냐고 물어봤어요. – I asked how old they are.
- 왜 벌써 일어났냐고 저한테 물어봤어요. – (They) asked me why I woke up already.
- 내일 어디 갈 거냐고 물어봤어요. – (They) asked me where I will go tomorrow.
- 친구한테 왜 그렇게 늦었냐고 물었어요. – I asked my friend why they were so late.
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks.
- 어떻게 ____________ 물었어요. – I asked how he could to that.
- 유라는 왜 일찍 ____________ 말했어요. – I said why Yu-Ra left early.
- 어디서 책을 ____________ 물어봤어요. – I asked where I can buy a book.
- 오늘 저녁에 뭐 ____________ 물어봤어요. – I asked what he will do tonight.
- 이번주에 김치를 ____________ 물어봤어요. – I asked if he made Kimchi this week.
Activity 1 Answers
- 어떻게 그럴 수 있냐고 물었어요. – I asked how he could to that.
- 유라는 왜 일찍 떠났냐고 말했어요. – I said why Yu-Ra left early.
- 어디서 책을 살 수 있냐고 물어봤어요. – I asked where I can buy a book.
- 오늘 저녁에 뭐 할 거냐고 물어봤어요. – I asked what he will do tonight.
- 이번주에 김치를 만들었냐고 물어봤어요. – I asked if he made Kimchi this week.
Wrap up
Alright, that’s a wrap on our trip through the intriguing landscape of the Korean language element “-냐고”. I hope you enjoyed this linguistic adventure and picked up some useful insights along the way.
Remember, “-냐고” is used to quote or relay questions directly and indirectly. So, it’s time to say “안녕” to simply nodding and replying with “아, 그래요?” (Oh, is that so?) when someone throws you a sentence with “-냐고” in it. Instead, embrace your newfound knowledge, flex those language muscles, and engage confidently in your next Korean conversation.
Keep practicing the sentences we learned today, try to use them in your daily life, and pretty soon you’ll be naturally spouting sentences with “-냐고”. Remember, consistency is the key to mastery.
That’s all for today’s lesson. Don’t forget to leave a comment, tell us about your favorite part of the lesson, or share a sentence you created with “-냐고”. Your feedback is the kimchi to our bibimbap! 😉
다음에 또 만나요!