~거든요 and ~잖아요: reasons the listener should get

By Daniel Buckley · 11 minute read · TOPIK 2

Vocabulary

시험 - exam
피곤하다 - to be tired
일찍 - early
늦다 - to be late
말하다 - to say, to tell
결혼하다 - to get married
식당 - restaurant
요리 - cooking
꽃 - flower

Your colleagues are going out to dinner and you can't join them: you've got an exam tomorrow. 시험이 있거든요 and 시험이 있잖아요 both give that as the reason, and they're not interchangeable.

The difference is what you assume the listener knows. 있거든요 says "you weren't to know this, but I have an exam". 있잖아요 says "I have an exam, as you know". Korean often builds that assumption into the ending, where English leaves it to "you see" and "you know" and a tone of voice.

~거든요: here's what you didn't know

~거든요 goes on the stem. It's a spoken ending, and you'll hear it all day in conversation and rarely see it in formal writing.

Making the ~거든요 form

Verbs and adjectives: drop 다, add 거든요.먹다 → 먹거든요바쁘다 → 바쁘거든요
Past: add 거든요 to the 았/었 stem.먹었거든요바빴거든요
Nouns: add 이거든요, or 거든요 after a vowel.시험 → 시험이거든요친구 → 친구거든요

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹거든요

The first job is to explain. You say something that needs a reason, then give the reason in a second sentence ending in 거든요. So the order is the reverse of 아/어서, where the reason comes first.

오늘은 못 가요. 시험이 있거든요.
Today (I) can't go. There is exam, you see.
저는 커피를 안 마셔요. 잠을 못 자거든요.
I don't drink coffee. (I) can't sleep, you see.
어제 일찍 잤어요. 너무 피곤했거든요.
Yesterday (I) slept early. (I) was too tired, you see.
제 친구는 한국어를 잘해요. 한국에서 살았거든요.
My friend is good at Korean. (They) lived in Korea, you see.
오늘은 일찍 가요. 내일이 시험이거든요.
Today (I) go early. Tomorrow is exam, you see.

The second job is to set something up. You put a fact on the table, the listener says 네 or 아, and you carry on with the part you wanted to tell them. It's the "so I went to Myeongdong yesterday..." that opens a story.

제가 어제 명동에 갔거든요. 거기서 고등학교 친구를 만났어요.
Yesterday I went to Myeongdong, see. There (I) met high school friend.
제가 요즘 요리를 배우거든요. 어제는 김치를 만들었어요.
These days I am learning cooking, see. Yesterday (I) made kimchi.

Both jobs give the listener something they lacked. The test is whether the 거든요 sentence explains what came before it or prepares what comes after.

오늘은 못 가요. 시험이 있거든요.
우리 회사 근처에 식당이 있거든요. 거기 비빔밥이 정말 맛있어요.
어제 일찍 잤어요. 너무 피곤했거든요.
제가 어제 명동에 갔거든요. 거기서 친구를 만났어요.
저는 매운 음식을 못 먹어요. 배가 아프거든요.
제가 지난주에 이사했거든요. 집이 정말 좋아요.

※ Because 거든요 tells people what they don't know, it can sound pushy in the wrong tone. Snapped in an argument, 아니거든요 is "actually, no". With a boss or in a formal setting, I'd give the reason with ~아/어서요 instead.

~잖아요: as you know

~잖아요 comes from ~지 않아요, the negative from Saying no. It works like English "isn't it?", which asks nothing when you say "it's raining, isn't it!". Korean has squeezed that into a single ending, and it points to something the listener already knows or can see.

Making the ~잖아요 form

Verbs and adjectives: drop 다, add 잖아요.먹다 → 먹잖아요바쁘다 → 바쁘잖아요
Past: add 잖아요 to the 았/었 stem.먹었잖아요바빴잖아요
Nouns: add 이잖아요, or 잖아요 after a vowel.시험 → 시험이잖아요친구 → 친구잖아요

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹잖아요

Often it gives a reason the listener can't argue with, because they have the same information. It's also a reminder: you know this, so why are we discussing it? Friendly or sharp comes down to tone.

따뜻하게 입으세요. 밖이 춥잖아요.
Dress warmly. Outside is cold, you know.
이 식당은 비싸잖아요. 다른 식당으로 가요.
This restaurant is expensive, you know. Let's go to another restaurant.
민수 씨는 내일 못 와요. 회사에 가잖아요.
Minsu can't come tomorrow. (He) goes to work, you know.
제가 어제 말했잖아요.
I told (you) yesterday, you know.
왜 이제 와요? 늦었잖아요!
Why come now? (You) are late, you know!

It also opens a topic. Put a noun with 있잖아요 and you get "you know X?", which reminds the listener who you mean before you say more. 있잖아요 alone gets someone's attention, like "you know what?"

제 동생 있잖아요, 이번에 결혼해요.
My younger sibling, you know, this time (they) are marrying.
있잖아요, 저 다음 달에 한국에 가요.
You know what, next month I go to Korea.

※ 죠 and 잖아요 can look alike. 맛있죠? asks you to agree. 맛있잖아요 asks for nothing: you already know it's good. That's why 잖아요 can feel like being corrected, and I'd take care with it around seniors.

~거든요 or ~잖아요?

Before you speak, ask whether the listener knows this already. If they don't, it's 거든요. If they do, or they should, it's 잖아요. Get it backwards and you're either telling someone what they know or blaming them for what they don't.

오늘 친구가 한국에 ___.
(A colleague asks why you're leaving early.) A friend is coming to Korea today, you see.
어머니가 꽃을 ___.
(Planning your mother's birthday with your sister.) Mum likes flowers, you know.
제가 요리 학교에 ___.
(A new colleague asks how you cook so well.) I went to cookery school, you see.
제가 지난주에 ___.
(Your friend forgot the plan.) I told you last week, remember?

왜 점심을 안 먹어요?

Why don't (you) eat lunch?

배가 안 고프거든요. 아침을 늦게 먹었어요.

Stomach is not hungry, you see. Ate breakfast late.

그럼 잠깐 나가요. 날씨가 좋잖아요.

Then let's go out a moment. Weather is good, you know.

그렇네요. 좋아요.

It is so, I notice. Good.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

Common mistakes

오늘은 바빠거든요.
오늘은 바쁘거든요.
거든요 and 잖아요 go on the stem, not the 아/어 form.
내일이 시험잖아요.
내일이 시험이잖아요.
After a consonant, a noun needs the 이.
시험이 있거든요 못 가요.
못 가요. 시험이 있거든요.
거든요 ends a sentence, after what it explains. To join them into one sentence, use 아/어서: 시험이 있어서 못 가요.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

오늘은 못 가요. 시험이 ___. (있다, with 거든요) I can't go today. I have an exam, you see.

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

Straight on the stem.

Summary

~거든요 forms
Dictionary	Stem	~거든요
먹다	먹	먹거든요
가다	가	가거든요
살다	살	살거든요
듣다	듣	듣거든요
춥다	춥	춥거든요
바쁘다	바쁘	바쁘거든요

~잖아요 forms
Dictionary	Stem	~잖아요
먹다	먹	먹잖아요
가다	가	가잖아요
살다	살	살잖아요
듣다	듣	듣잖아요
춥다	춥	춥잖아요
바쁘다	바쁘	바쁘잖아요

What the listener knows

They don't know: 거든요 explains, or sets up what's next.
They know, or should: 잖아요 reminds them.

Now you can say

오늘은 못 가요. 시험이 있거든요.
Today (I) can't go. There is exam, you see.
제가 어제 말했잖아요.
I told (you) yesterday, you know.
있잖아요, 저 다음 달에 한국에 가요.
You know what, next month I go to Korea.