단다, (으)렴, 자꾸나, 거라: how grown-ups talk to children

By Daniel Buckley · 11 minute read · TOPIK 5

Vocabulary

옛날 - the old days, long ago
호랑이 - a tiger
고래 - a whale
나무꾼 - a woodcutter
심다 - to plant
자랑스럽다 - to be proud of
고르다 - to choose
물러가다 - to withdraw, to leave
푹 - soundly, properly (of resting)
손녀 - a granddaughter

Open a Korean picture book and a grandmother may be telling the story: 옛날 옛날에 호랑이 한 마리가 살았단다. You could write 살았다, and the facts would be the same. What 단다 adds is the grandmother, sitting beside you and telling you this.

These endings sit at the same level as 아/어라, the one for speaking down to a child, but with the edges taken off. You'll read them in children's books and hear them from grandparents and in dramas. Unless you're talking to a small child, you won't say them, so learn them to recognise the voice.

단다: let me tell you something

단다 sets out something the speaker already knows, gently, for someone who doesn't know it yet. It's how an adult explains the world to a child. It can also carry a little pride, when an older person tells you about their family.

Making 단다

Take the {한다체|/grammar/speech-levels} form and swap the final 다 for 단다.간다 → 간단다먹는다 → 먹는단다좋다 → 좋단다갔다 → 갔단다
Nouns and 아니다: 란다, with 이란다 after a consonant.친구 → 친구란다학생 → 학생이란다아니다 → 아니란다

Pick a verb

가다가간단다

옛날 옛날에 호랑이 한 마리가 살았단다.
Long, long ago, there lived a tiger.
고래는 숨을 쉬러 물 위로 올라온단다.
Whales come up to the surface to breathe, you know.
엄마도 어렸을 때는 채소를 싫어했단다.
Mum didn't like vegetables either when she was little.
할머니는 네가 정말 자랑스럽단다.
Grandma's so proud of you.
이건 할아버지가 심으신 나무란다.
This is the tree your grandad planted.
젓가락은 그렇게 잡는 게 아니란다.
That's not how you hold chopsticks, dear.

단다 can also mean "they say"

There's a second 단다 that looks identical. It's 다고 한다 shortened, the same way 다고 해요 shortens to 대요. So 민수가 내일 온단다 can mean that Minsu's coming tomorrow, as you've heard.

Nothing in the ending tells the two apart, so use the situation. If the speaker knows it themselves and is explaining it, it's the first kind. If it's news from someone else, it's the second. Try these, using the English as your context.

토끼는 귀가 아주 밝단다.
옆집 아들이 다음 달에 결혼한단다.
아빠도 어렸을 때는 키가 작았단다.
내일부터 날씨가 추워진단다.
별은 낮에도 하늘에 있단다.
민수가 오늘 못 온단다.

(으)렴 and (으)려무나: go on, then

You've met the blunt command in 아/어라. (으)렴 is the same level with the pressure taken off. It's a gentle instruction, or permission to do what the child wants, and it goes on verbs.

(으)려무나 does the same job. Dictionaries call it the warmer of the two.

Making (으)렴 and (으)려무나

Stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ: 렴, or 려무나.가다 → 가렴, 가려무나만들다 → 만들렴, 만들려무나
Stem ends in a consonant: 으렴, or 으려무나.먹다 → 먹으렴, 먹으려무나

Pick a verb

가다가가렴

더 놀다 가렴.
Stay and play a bit longer, if you like.
이것 좀 먹으렴.
Have some of this.
네가 좋아하는 걸로 고르렴.
Pick whichever you like.
궁금하면 직접 물어보렴.
If you're curious, go and ask for yourself.
오늘은 푹 쉬려무나.
Have a good rest today.
그렇게 가고 싶으면 가려무나.
If you want to go that badly, go on, then.

자꾸나: let's, dear

자 is the 반말 "let's" from commands and suggestions. 자꾸나 is the same suggestion from someone older to someone younger, and the 꾸나 makes it fonder.

Making 자꾸나

Verb stem plus 자꾸나.가다 → 가자꾸나먹다 → 먹자꾸나

Pick a verb

가다가가자꾸나

이제 그만 가자꾸나.
Let's go now.
다 같이 먹자꾸나.
Let's all eat together.
어디 한번 보자꾸나.
Well, let's have a look.
내일 다시 이야기하자꾸나.
Let's talk about it again tomorrow.

거라: the old command

거라 goes on a verb stem and gives an order with an old flavour, older than 아/어라. Parents and grandparents still use it, and it's all over historical dramas, where a king or a master says 물러가거라 to send someone out of the room.

오다 and verbs ending in 오다 traditionally take 너라 instead: 오너라, 나오너라. In a historical drama you'll hear a visitor shout 이리 오너라 at a gate to summon a servant. It sounds strange the first time, since it's a guest giving orders at someone else's house.

Making 거라

Verb stem plus 거라.가다 → 가거라자다 → 자거라있다 → 있거라
오다 and verbs ending in 오다: 너라. You'll sometimes see 오거라 too.오다 → 오너라나오다 → 나오너라

Pick a verb

가다가가거라

어서 가거라.
Go on, now.
이리 오너라.
Come here.
밥 식기 전에 먹거라.
Eat before it gets cold.
오늘은 일찍 자거라.
Go to bed early tonight.
잘 있거라.
Take care. (Said by the one leaving.)
그만 물러가거라.
You may go.

※ Older textbooks limit 거라 to 가다 and verbs ending in 가다. Current dictionaries give it for verbs in general, and they list sentences like 빨리 먹거라, so don't be thrown when you see it.

배고프면 이것 좀 ___.
An aunt to a small child: if you're hungry, have some of this.
자, 이제 다 같이 ___.
A grandfather to the grandchildren: right, let's all go now.
할머니, 여기 ___.
A child to a grandmother: Grandma, sit here.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

A bedtime story

손녀

할머니, 옛날이야기 해 주세요.

Grandma, old story do for me.

할머니

그래, 이리 오너라. 여기 앉으렴.

Yes, here come. Here sit.

손녀

무슨 이야기예요?

What story is it?

할머니

옛날 옛날에 착한 나무꾼이 살았단다.

Long long ago a kind woodcutter lived, you see.

손녀

그다음에는요?

After that?

할머니

오늘은 너무 늦었구나. 내일 또 하자꾸나. 이제 그만 자거라.

Today too late, I see. Tomorrow again let's do. Now stop and sleep.

Common mistakes

오늘은 날씨가 좋는단다.
오늘은 날씨가 좋단다.
좋다 is an adjective, so its 한다체 form is 좋다, not 좋는다.
이 사람은 내 친구단다.
이 사람은 내 친구란다.
Nouns take 란다, not 단다.
할아버지, 여기 앉으렴.
할아버지, 여기 앉으세요.
(으)렴 goes to someone younger.

Check yourself

Quick check

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옛날에 호랑이 한 마리가 ___. (살다, past, use 단다) Long ago there lived a tiger.

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

The 한다체 form is 살았다.

Summary

ㄴ/는단다 forms
Dictionary	Stem	ㄴ/는단다
가다	가	간단다
먹다	먹	먹는단다
살다	살	산단다
듣다	듣	듣는단다

(으)렴 forms
Dictionary	Stem	(으)렴
가다	가	가렴
먹다	먹	먹으렴
듣다	듣	들으렴
만들다	만들	만들렴

자꾸나 forms
Dictionary	Stem	자꾸나
가다	가	가자꾸나
먹다	먹	먹자꾸나
듣다	듣	듣자꾸나
만들다	만들	만들자꾸나

All of it, from older to younger

단다: let me tell you. Swap the 다 of the 한다체 form. Nouns take 란다. It can also mean "I hear".산단다, 먹는단다, 좋단다, 친구란다
(으)렴, (으)려무나: a gentle instruction, or permission.가렴, 먹으렴, 가려무나
자꾸나: a fond "let's".가자꾸나, 먹자꾸나
거라, 너라: an old-style command.가거라, 자거라, 오너라

Now you can say

옛날 옛날에 호랑이 한 마리가 살았단다.
Long, long ago, there lived a tiger.
네가 좋아하는 걸로 고르렴.
Pick whichever you like.
이제 그만 가자꾸나.
Let's go now.