-아/어/여지다: To become

Welcome to today’s lesson on the Korean grammatical construct “-아/어여지다”. This is a very important concept in Korean grammar, commonly used in both spoken and written language, to express a passive voice or to describe a certain state or condition that changed over time.

The suffix “-아/어여지다” has a variety of applications, but can be confusing for beginners due to its unique placement and usage in sentence structure. However, with proper understanding and consistent practice, mastering this concept will not only enhance your fluency, but will also broaden your ability to express more complex ideas and situations.

In this lesson, we will delve into the fundamentals of “-아/어여지다”, covering its various uses, formation rules, and how it changes depending on the verb it’s attached to. Through illustrative examples and engaging exercises, you will gain a solid foundation in this grammatical concept, bringing you one step closer to mastering the beautiful and intricate Korean language. Let’s get started!

Conjugation

Descriptive verb + 아/어/여지다

1. Take an adjective i.e. 좋다
2. Drop 다 i.e. 좋
3. Pick the appropriate ending based on the below rules.

• If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아지다
• If the last vowel is not one of the above, add 어지다
• If it ends with a consonant “ㅂ”, drop “ㅂ” and add 워지다

• 예쁘다 –> 예뻐지다 (to become prettier)
• 무섭다 –> 무서워지다 (to become scared)
• 크다 –> 커지다 (to become bigger)
• 작다 –> 작아지다 (to become smaller)
• 춥다 –> 추워지다 (to become colder)

All of these represent some sort of change over time and this is what “아/어/여지다” means.

The “지다” also gets conjugated depending on what you want to say.

Present tense

지다 –> 지 + 어요 –> 져요

• 멀어져요 – It’s becoming further.
• 요즘에는 바빠져요 – I am becoming busier.
• 핸드폰 비싸져요. – The phone is becoming pricier.

Past tense

지다 –> 지 + 었어요 –> 졌어요

• 날씨가 추워졌어요. – The weather got colder.
• 한국어가 쉬어졌어요. – Korean became easier.
• 갑작이 조용해졌어요. – It suddenly became quieter.

Future tense

지다 –> 지 + ㄹ 거예요 –> 질 거예요

• 앞으로 바빠질 거예요. – I will become busier from now on.
• 공부하면 똑똑해질 거예요. – If I study, I will become smarter.
• 이거 입으면 귀여워질 거예요. – If you wear this you will become cuter.

List of common adjectives

Korean	Conjugation	English
좋다	좋아지다	Become better
나쁘다	나빠지다	Become worse
크다	커지다	Become bigger
작다	작아지다	Become smaller
많다	많아지다	Become a lot
적다	적어지다	Lessen
멀다	멀어지다	Become further
가깝다	가까워지다	Become closer
싸다	싸지다	Become cheaper
비싸다	비싸지다	Become expensive
길다	길어지다	Become longer
짧다	짧아지다	Become shorter
높다	높아지다	Become higher
낮다	낮아지다	Become lower
빠르다	빨라지다	Become faster
느리다	느려지다	Become slower
가볍다	가벼워지다	Become lighter
무겁다	무거워지다	Become heavier
쉽다	쉬워지다	Become easier
어렵다	어려워지다	Become more difficult
덥다	더워지다	Become hotter (weather)
춥다	추워지다	Become colder (weather)
뜨겁다	뜨거워지다	Become hotter (To touch or eat)
차갑다	차가워지다	Become colder (To touch or eat)
따뜻하다	따뜻해지다	Become warmer
시원하다	시원해지다	Become cooler
강하다	강해지다	Become stronger
약하다	약해지다	Become weaker
두껍다	두꺼워지다	Become thicker
얇다	얇아지다	Become thiner
맑다	맑아지다	Become clearer (weather)
흐리다	흐려지다	Become cloudier
깨끗하다	깨긋해지다	Become cleaner
더럽다	더러워지다	Become dirtier
넓다	넓어지다	Become more spacious
좁다	좁아지다	Become narrower
밝다	밝아지다	Become brighter
어둡다	어두워지다	Become darker
바쁘다	바빠지다	Become busier
시끄럽다	시끄러워지다	Become louder
조용하다	조용해지다	Become quieter
맛있다	맛있어지다	Become more delicious
맛없다	맛없어지다	Become not delicoius
귀엽다	귀여워지다	Become cuter
예쁘다	예뻐지다	Become prettier
아름답다	아릅다워지다	Become more beautiful
똑똑하다	똑똑해지다	Become smarter
착하다	착해지다	Become kinder
행복하다	행복해지다	Become happier

Activity 1

Fill in the blanks

1. 커피가 __________. The coffee became cold.
2. 줄이 ________. – The line became long.
3. 방이 __________. – The room became clean.
4. 이제 질찍 _________. – It’s getting dark sooner.
5. 사람들이 ________. – There will become more people/There will be more people.

Activity 1 Answers

1. 커피가 차가워졌어요_. The coffee became cold.
2. 줄이 길어줬어요. – The line became long.
3. 방이 깨긋해졌어요. – The room became clean.
4. 이제 질찍 어두워져요. – It’s getting dark sooner.
5. 사람들이 많아질 거예요. – There will become more people/There will be more people.