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Grammar / Level 2 / Lesson 45

~지요 and ~죠: confirming

By Daniel Buckley · 9 minute read · TOPIK 2

Vocabulary

  1. 맞다 - to be right
  2. 물론 - of course
  3. 당연하다 - to be natural, to go without saying
  4. 그럼요 - of course, sure
  5. 회의 - meeting
  6. 화장실 - toilet
  7. 이쪽 - this way
  8. 먼저 - first
  9. 드시다 - to eat (honorific)
  10. 토요일 - Saturday

Now turn the last lesson round. You've brought a friend to your favourite restaurant, and they're the one tasting. You know it's good, and you want them to say so. That's 맛있죠?

~지요, usually said ~죠, treats what you're saying as common ground: something the two of you already agree on, or ought to. Its uses look unrelated in English, from "right?" to "of course" to a polite "this way, please". They all come from that.

Building the form

This one goes on the stem, so there's nothing to change, and even ㄹ stays: 살다 becomes 살죠. In speech you'll mostly hear 죠, the short form of 지요, and it's just as polite. 지요 in full sounds more careful.

Making ~지요 and ~죠

  • Verbs and adjectives: drop 다, add 지요 or 죠.먹다 → 먹지요, 먹죠좋다 → 좋지요, 좋죠
  • Past, and 겠: add it after 았/었 or 겠.먹었죠좋겠죠
  • ㄹ/을 거예요: swap 예요 for 죠.갈 거예요 → 갈 거죠
  • Nouns: add 이지요 or 이죠, or 지요 or 죠 after a vowel.학생 → 학생이죠친구 → 친구죠

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹죠

With a rise: right?

Say it with your voice going up and it asks the other person to confirm what you already think. Compare 추워요?, which asks about the temperature, with 춥죠?, which already has an answer and wants agreement.

  1. 오늘 춥죠?

    Today is cold, right?

  2. 이 영화 재미있죠?

    This movie is fun, right?

  3. 어제 많이 바빴죠?

    Yesterday (you) were very busy, right?

  4. 내일 올 거죠?

    Tomorrow (you) will come, right?

  5. 내일이 토요일이죠?

    Tomorrow is Saturday, right?

  6. 제 말이 맞죠?

    My words are correct, right?

  7. 제가 말했죠?

    I said (so), right?

The last one is "I told you so", and how much it stings depends on your tone. Now choose between 죠, a plain question and the 네요 from the last lesson.

  1. 형제가 ___?

    (To someone you've just met.) Do you have brothers or sisters?

  2. 많이 ___?

    (Your friend is yawning.) You're really tired, aren't you?

  3. 여기 음식 ___?

    (You chose this restaurant.) The food here is good, isn't it?

With a fall: of course

Drop your voice at the end and 죠 stops asking. It now says this is obvious, or that you agree. It's a warm way to answer yes, and 좋죠 is a common reply to an offer.

  1. 네, 그렇죠.

    Yes, of course (it) is so.

  2. 물론이죠.

    (It) is of course (so).

  3. 당연하죠.

    (It) of course goes without saying.

  4. 그럼요, 좋죠.

    Sure, of course (that) is good.

  5. 저도 알죠.

    I also know, of course.

  6. 쉽지 않죠.

    (It) is not easy, as we both know.

Softer questions and polite nudges

Put 죠 on a question word and you get a gentler question. It can sound as if you're thinking aloud, or as if you feel you should already know. With the past, it often works like English "again": 이름이 뭐였죠?, what was your name again?

  1. 화장실이 어디죠?

    Toilet is where?

  2. 회의가 언제죠?

    Meeting is when?

  3. 이거 얼마죠?

    This is how much?

  4. 이름이 뭐였죠?

    Name was what, again?

  5. 회의가 몇 시였죠?

    Meeting was what time, again?

With 시, it becomes a courteous nudge. The speaker talks as if the action were already agreed, so it feels less like an order. You'll hear this from hosts, staff and whoever is running a meeting, more often than you'll say it. Without 시, as in the last example, it's usually a plain "let's".

  1. 여기 앉으시죠.

    Here please sit.

  2. 이쪽으로 오시죠.

    This way please come.

  3. 먼저 드시죠.

    First please eat.

  4. 그럼 시작하죠.

    Then let's start.

That's the whole range. Decide what each sentence is doing.

  1. 오늘 덥죠?

  2. 물론이죠.

  3. 화장실이 어디죠?

  4. 이쪽으로 오시죠.

  5. 내일 올 거죠?

  6. 이름이 뭐였죠?

  7. 그럼요, 좋죠.

  8. 먼저 드시죠.

A

오늘 회의가 세 시죠?

Today meeting is three o'clock, right?

B

네, 맞아요. 왜요?

Yes, is right. Why?

A

회의 전에 커피 마실래요?

Before meeting, want to drink coffee?

B

좋죠. 제가 살게요.

Of course good. I will buy.

※ In 반말, drop 요 and you're left with 지: 맛있지?, right? 그렇지, that's it. You'll hear this constantly among friends.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 오늘 추워죠?

    오늘 춥죠?

    지요 and 죠 go on the stem, not the 아/어 form.

  2. 내일이 시험죠?

    내일이 시험이죠?

    After a consonant, a noun needs the 이.

  3. 제 말이 맞조?

    제 말이 맞죠?

    죠 is 지 and 요 run together, so it's spelled with ㅈ and ㅛ. 조 is a misspelling.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

오늘 날씨가 ___? (좋다, with 죠) The weather's nice today, isn't it?

죠 goes straight on the stem.

Summary

~죠 forms
DictionaryStem~죠
먹다먹먹죠
가다가가죠
살다살살죠
듣다듣듣죠
춥다춥춥죠
바쁘다바쁘바쁘죠
하다하하죠

One idea, four uses

  • Common ground: ~죠 treats what you're saying as shared.
  • Rising: right?오늘 춥죠?
  • Falling: of course.물론이죠.
  • Question word: a softer question.이름이 뭐였죠?
  • With 시: a polite nudge.이쪽으로 오시죠.

Now you can say

  1. 오늘 춥죠?

    Today is cold, right?

  2. 물론이죠.

    (It) is of course (so).

  3. 이름이 뭐였죠?

    Name was what, again?

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