Question 1

How do you use 은/ㄴ 지 (eun, ㄴji) in Korean?

Accepted Answer

Attach -(으)ㄴ 지 to the past form of verbs or adjectives to express elapsed time. It is commonly used with expressions like ‘되다’ (to become), ‘지나다’ (to pass), or ‘되었다’ (became) to indicate how much time has passed since an event. For example, ‘만난 지 3년 됐어요’ means ‘We met 3 years ago.’ For present tense verbs, use ‘-는 지’; for past tense, use ‘-(으)ㄴ 지’. Typical situations: expressing elapsed time, describing experience, explaining situation. Pronunciation: -(eu)ㄴji, (eu)ㄴji.

Question 2

은/ㄴ 지 (eun, ㄴji)는 어떻게 써요?

Accepted Answer

동사 또는 형용사의 과거형에 -(으)ㄴ 지를 붙여 사용합니다. 보통 ‘~되다’, ‘~지나다’, ‘~되었다’ 같은 표현과 함께 쓰여 경과 시간을 나타냅니다. 예를 들어, ‘만난 지 3년 됐어요’는 ‘We met 3 years ago’의 의미입니다. 현재 시제 동사에는 ‘-는 지’가 쓰이며, 과거 시제에는 ‘-(으)ㄴ 지’를 씁니다. 대표 상황: 시간 경과 표현, 경험 설명, 상황 설명. 발음: -(eu)ㄴji, (eu)ㄴji.

Question 3

Is this sentence Correct? 한국에 온 지 5년 됐어요. (han-guk-e on ji 5nyeon dwaess-eo-yo., han guk e on ji 5nyeon dwaess eo yo.)

Accepted Answer

‘온’ is the past form of ‘오다’, and ‘-ㄴ 지’ attaches to show elapsed time.

Question 4

Is this sentence Correct? 운동한 지 얼마나 됐어요? (un-dong-han ji eol-ma-na dwaess-eo-yo?, un dong han ji eol ma na dwaess eo yo?)

Accepted Answer

‘운동한’ is past form of ‘운동하다’, and ‘-ㄴ 지’ correctly expresses elapsed time.

Question 5

Is this sentence Correct? 만난 지 3년 됐어요. (man-nan ji 3nyeon dwaess-eo-yo., man nan ji 3nyeon dwaess eo yo.)

Accepted Answer

‘만난’ is past form of ‘만나다’, and ‘-ㄴ 지’ indicates elapsed time.

Question 6

Is this sentence Correct? 본 지 오래됐어요. (bon ji o-rae-dwaess-eo-yo., bon ji o rae dwaess eo yo.)

Accepted Answer

‘본’ is past form of ‘보다’, and ‘-ㄴ 지’ is suitable for elapsed time.

Question 7

Is this sentence Correct? 먹은 지 10분 됐어요. (meok-eun ji 10bun dwaess-eo-yo., meok eun ji 10bun dwaess eo yo.)

Accepted Answer

‘먹은’ is past form of ‘먹다’, and ‘-ㄴ 지’ expresses elapsed time.

Question 8

Is this sentence Incorrect? 가는 지 2시간 됐어요. (ga-neun ji 2si-gan dwaess-eo-yo., ga neun ji 2si gan dwaess eo yo.)

Accepted Answer

‘가는’ is present form, so ‘-는 지’ should be used; ‘-ㄴ 지’ is for past tense only.

Question 9

Is this sentence Incorrect? 먹는 지 5분 됐어요. (meok-neun ji 5bun dwaess-eo-yo., meok neun ji 5bun dwaess eo yo.)

Accepted Answer

‘먹는’ is present tense, so ‘-는 지’ should be used instead of ‘-ㄴ 지’.

Question 10

What is the role of -(으)ㄴ 지 in ‘만난 지 3년 됐어요’?

Accepted Answer

시간 경과를 나타냄. -(으)ㄴ 지 indicates the elapsed time since an event started.

Question 11

Which sentence is correct?

Accepted Answer

운동한 지 2시간 됐어요.. ‘운동한’ is past form, so ‘-ㄴ 지’ correctly expresses elapsed time.

Question 12

Why is ‘가는 지 10분 됐어요’ incorrect?

Accepted Answer

현재형에 ‘-ㄴ 지’가 붙었기 때문. ‘가는’ is present tense, so ‘-는 지’ should be used; ‘-ㄴ 지’ is for past tense only.

How to use 은/ㄴ 지 in Korean

Usage guide

Real-world examples

Quick quiz

More usage guides