LEARN + KOREAN / 119 of 125 TOPIK II

I Wonder Why, You Said -다면서요?

You are unsure how to behave at an unfamiliar event. A friend mentions that another classmate has been before, and you ask to confirm what you heard. Embedded questions organise what you know; -다면서요? checks a reported claim.

Put a Question Inside a Sentence

Action verbs take -는지, present adjectives -(으)ㄴ지, and nouns -인지 before 알다 or 모르다. Past events use -았/었는지 and future or uncertain choices often use -(으)ㄹ지. Keep a question word when needed: 어디에 있는지, 무엇을 먹을지.

eonje insahaeya haneunji jal moreugesseoyo.

I’m not sure when I should greet people.

i pyohyeoni jayeonseureounji algo sipeoyo.

I want to know whether this expression is natural.

Check What You Heard

Use -ㄴ다면서요? after a vowel action stem, -는다면서요? after a consonant action stem, -다면서요? after adjectives, and -(이)라면서요? after nouns. Past statements use -았/었다면서요? It often means “I hear that…, is that right?”

hangugeseo gongbuhaetdamyeonseoyo?

I hear you studied in Korea. Is that right?

naeil haengsae gandamyeonseoyo?

I hear you’re going to the event tomorrow. Is that right?

Hint · 힌트

The same ending can challenge a claim when the facts seem inconsistent: 간다면서요? can sound like “But you said you were going!” Use a friendly tone when you are simply confirming news.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
인사하다 insahada	to greet
표현 pyohyeon	expression
자연스럽다 jayeonseureopda	to be natural
행사 haengsa	event
확인하다 hwaginhada	to confirm
문화 munhwa	culture
예절 yejeol	etiquette
웃어른 useoreun	respected elder
존경하다 jongyeonghada	to respect
지혜 jihye	wisdom
높임말 nopimmal	honorific language
반말 banmal	casual speech
호칭 hoching	form of address
가족 gajok	family
사투리 saturi	dialect
의성어 uiseongeo	sound-imitating word
의태어 uitaeeo	word imitating a state or movement
수저 sujeo	spoon and chopsticks
젓가락 jeotgarak	chopsticks
정이 많다 jeongi manta	to be warmhearted

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