-는지Korean connective · TOPIK 4

-neunji

TOPIK 4 4급 Connectives 연결 어미question 의문

A connective ending used to indicate an ambiguous reason or judgment about the following statement.

형태Forms

-는지-ㄴ지-은지-을지

Which one you use is decided by what comes in front of it — see the usage rule under each meaning below.

A connective ending used to indicate an ambiguous reason or judgment about the following statement.

뒤에 오는 말의 내용에 대한 막연한 이유나 판단을 나타내는 연결 어미.

쓰임Usage

Attaches after 있다, 없다, 계시다, adjectives and verbs ending in 있다 or 없다, the honorific -으시-, the past -었- or the future -겠-.

‘있다’, ‘없다’, ‘계시다’나 ‘있다’, ‘없다’로 끝나는 형용사, 동사 또는 ‘-으시-’, ‘-었-’, ‘-겠-’ 뒤에 붙여 쓴다.

예문Examples

동생이 내 신발을 신고 나갔는지 신발이 안 보였다.

My shoes were nowhere to be seen—maybe my younger sibling took them out.

다들 나가셨는지 집에 아무도 없었다.

No one was home, so I figured everyone had gone out.

외할머니께서 안 계시는지 초인종을 눌러도 대답이 없었다.

There was no answer when I rang the doorbell, so I guessed Grandmother wasn't there.

대화In conversation

승규 씨는 출근하셨어요?

Has Seunggyu gone to work?

제가 자리에 있는지 확인해 볼게요.

Let me check whether he's in his seat.

관련 문법Related grammar

Other connectives you will meet alongside this one.

-거니와 -geoniwa (old-fashioned) A connective ending used to recognize the truth of the preceding statement, while indicating there is another relevant fact. TOPIK 4 -고도 -godo A connective ending used to express a fact or feeling, and add that there is an opposite or another characteristic in the following statement. TOPIK 4 -고서 -goseo -고서는 · -고서야 A connective ending used to emphasize that the preceding statement comes before the following statement, or the preceding statement caused the… TOPIK 4 -고자 -goja A connective ending used when the speaker has a certain purpose, intention, hope, etc. TOPIK 4 -기에 -gie A connective ending referring to the cause or reason of the following statement. TOPIK 4 -는다면 -neundamyeon -ㄴ다면 · -다면 · -라면 A connective ending used when assuming a certain fact or situation. TOPIK 4

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

What does -는지 mean in Korean?

-는지 is a connective introduced at 4급 (TOPIK 4). A connective ending used to indicate an ambiguous reason or judgment about the following statement.

When do you use -는지?

Attaches after 있다, 없다, 계시다, adjectives and verbs ending in 있다 or 없다, the honorific -으시-, the past -었- or the future -겠-. The other shape is -ㄴ지, -은지, -을지 — same point, different environment.

What is the difference between -는지 and -ㄴ지?

None in meaning — they are two shapes of the same connective, and which one appears is decided by the sound in front of it, not by what you want to say.

What TOPIK level is -는지?

4급 — TOPIK 4, upper intermediate. It is one of 67 grammar points at that level.

Definition, usage note, examples and dialogue from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.