What is -죠/지요 ending in Korean grammar?

- Author: Niya (Trinidad and Tobago), Nina (The U.K.)
- Editor: Good Job Korean team 

 The 죠/-지요 ending is used when the speaker wants to confirm with the listener something already known or to reconfirm something. The 죠/-지요 ending is added after the verb stem. Let’s check out how the conjugation works and the usages of the -지(요)/죠 ending.

Conjugation

•Present tense

Verb stem + -지(요)/죠

Ex)

- 재미있다 -> 재미있지요/재밌죠

- 맛있다 -> 맛있지요/맛있죠

- 하다 -> 하지요/하죠

*재미있다: to be interesting   *맛있다: to be tasty   *하다: to do  *(noun)이다: to be (noun)

 It can also be added to nouns when combined with the verb ‘이다(to be)’. The conjugation varies depending on the noun’s ending.  

Noun ending with a consonant + 이지(요)/이죠.   Ex) 학생이죠.
Noun ending with a vowel + 지(요)/죠.   Ex) 학교죠.    

*학생: student  *학교: school

•Past tense

Past tense verb stem + -지(요)/죠.

Ex)

- 기다렸어요 -> 기다렸지요/기다렸죠

- 갔어요 -> 갔지요/갔죠

- 청소했어요 -> 청소했지요/청소했죠

*기다리다: to wait   *가다: to go   *청소하다: to clean

•Future tense

Future tense without 예요 + -지(요)/죠

Ex)

- 먹을 거예요 -> 먹을 거지요/먹을 거죠

- 걸을 거예요 -> 걸을 거지요/걸을 거죠

- 잘 거예요 -> 잘 거지요/ 잘 거죠

*먹다: to eat   *걷다: to walk   *자다: to sleep

When speaking 존댓말, the verb ending –지(요) often changes to -죠 as a shortened form.

Different usages of –지(요)/죠 ending

 The –지(요)/죠 ending can be used in both a declarative sentence and a question sentence. Let’s check out the usage for each declarative sentence ending and question sentence ending.

Usage #1 (declarative sentence)

 - A declarative sentence with 지요/죠 ending is used when you suppose the listener also already knows what you are talking about.

Example

A: 어제 새벽 3시에 뭐 했어요?

A: What were you doing at 3:00 am last night?

B: 당연히 자고 있었죠.

B: Of course I was sleeping. (supposing the listener already knows)

*당연히: of course, naturally     *자다: to sleep   *-고 있다: present progressive tense

In this sentence, B supposes A knows that B was sleeping at 3:00 am.

Usage #2 (declarative sentence)

 -The second usage as a declarative sentence of –지(요)/죠 is when both people know about something or have common opinions about something, and one is just stating the fact again.

Example

A: 회사에 다니는 것이 너무 힘들어요.

A: It is tough going to work.

B: 맞아요. 회사 다니는 것은 힘들죠. 

B: That’s right. Going to work is tough. (having a common opinion and stating the fact again)

*회사: Company   *다니다: to go (somewhere) regularly  *힘들다: to be hard, tough

 In this sentence, A and B both have the same opinion that going to work is tough and just state the fact again to show B’s agreement.

Usage #3 (question sentence)

 -As a question sentence, –지(요)/죠 ending can be used when both people know about something and one is just reassuring him or herself by asking a question.

Example

오늘 출근 안 한다고 했죠?

You said you don’t go to work today, right? (reassuring)

*오늘: today   *출근하다: to go to work     *-다고 하다: to say that ~

The speaker knows that the listener doesn’t go to work today but the speaker is asking just to reassure by asking the listener.

Usage #4 (question sentence)

 -The last usage of –지(요)/죠 question sentence ending is used when you don't know about something and are asking yourself a question.

 It could be thinking out loud or indirectly asking others around the speaker at the same time. Polite speech is not used in this usage when you talk to yourself.

Examples

집에 어떻게 가지? 

How can I go home? (asking oneself a question)

*집: home, house   *어떻게: how   *가다: to go

잠깐, 지금 몇 시지? 

Wait, What time is it now? (asking oneself a question)

*잠깐: wait a moment   *지금: now   *몇 시: what time  

 As you can see in these sentences, the speaker doesn’t know how to go home in the first sentence and time in the second sentence. Moreover, by thinking out loud the speaker is indirectly asking how to go home and time to the people around the speaker.

- Author: Niya (Trinidad and Tobago), Nina (The U.K.)
- Editor: Good Job Korean team