-아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다 on a verb stem, including 쓰다, 사다 and 하다.
• Say that something was prepared in advance or left in a state.
• Choose between -아/어 놓다 and the state form -아/어 있다.
• Decide between 놓다 and 두다, and avoid the common mistakes.

Prerequisites: the lesson on -아/어 버리다 finish regret, which teaches the same vowel rule, and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• The main verb comes first, and 놓다 or 두다 follows it as an auxiliary.
• The main verb says what was done, and 놓다 or 두다 says the result stays that way.
• The main verb must be transitive, which means it takes an object: 열다, 쓰다, 사다.
• The vowel rule is the same as for -아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, and 어 after other vowels.
• In speech 놓아 often contracts to 놔 and 두어 to 둬: 놔요, 둬요, 놨어요, 뒀어요.

Listen to the two model sentences for this lesson.

The next section defines the patterns and shows what they mean.

What Does -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다 Mean?

-아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다 mean that someone does an action and the result stays in place. An auxiliary verb is a verb that follows a main verb and adds a meaning of its own. In 열어 놓다, the main verb is 열다 ("open") and the auxiliary is 놓다.

The ordinary meaning of 놓다 is "to put down" or "to set". The ordinary meaning of 두다 is "to place" or "to keep". As auxiliaries they keep this idea: you do something and you put the result down, so it stays. English often needs two ideas, "open and leave open", or one adverb, such as "in advance".

The patterns have two closely linked uses.

• A state is left. The window is open, the light is on, the door is shut: 불을 켜 놓았어요 means "I turned the light on and left it on".
• Preparation for later. The action is done early so that something is ready: 표를 사 두었어요 means "I have bought the tickets (so they are ready)".

A First Example

Here are two sentences, one for each use.

The second sentence has no object, but the idea of one is still there: you book a table, a room or a ticket. The next section shows how the patterns are formed.

How Does -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다 Work?

The rule has two steps: attach 아 or 어 to the stem of the main verb, then add 놓다 or 두다 and conjugate it. The stem is the verb without its dictionary ending -다. For 열다 the stem is 열.

1. Choose 아 or 어 by the last vowel of the stem. After ㅏ or ㅗ use 아. After every other vowel use 어. 하다 uses its own form, 해.
2. Add the auxiliary 놓다 or 두다. 열어 놓다, 사 두다.
3. Conjugate the auxiliary for tense and speech level. 놓아요 or 놔요 (polite present), 놓았어요 or 놨어요 (polite past), 놓으세요 (polite request).

Pattern Table

Two points explain most of the table. First, when the stem ends in a vowel, 아 or 어 merges with it: 사 + 아 gives 사, and 켜 + 어 gives 켜. Second, a final consonant links to the vowel that follows, so 열어 is said [여러] and 적어 is said [저거]. The auxiliary 놓다 has a ㅎ that changes the sounds around it, as the next table shows.

How Do 놓다 and 두다 Change?

Only the auxiliary changes with tense and speech level. The main verb stays as 열어. Spoken Korean often contracts the vowels, so 놓아 becomes 놔, 놓았 becomes 놨, 두어 becomes 둬 and 두었 becomes 뒀.

Both forms are correct. The contracted forms are more common in conversation, and the full forms are common in writing. The ㅎ of 놓 is silent before a vowel, so 놓았어요 is said [노아써요]. Before ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅈ it makes the next sound stronger, and before ㄴ it turns to a nasal sound.

Revised Romanization shows these sounds, so 놓고 is written noko and 놓아요 is written noayo.

The next section builds one sentence from scratch.

Worked Example: Building 창문을 열어 놓았어요

To say that you opened the window and left it open, start from the dictionary verb and add the pattern in five steps.

1. Pick the main verb. "Open" is 열다, and the object is 창문 ("window").
2. Find the stem and its last vowel. The stem is 열, and its vowel is ㅕ, so the connecting vowel is 어: 열어.
3. Choose the auxiliary. 놓다 stresses that you left the window as it is. 열어 놓다 means "open and leave open".
4. Choose the tense and level. The action is finished, so use the polite past: 놓았어요, or the contracted 놨어요.
5. Add the object. 창문을 comes before the verb pair. The result is 창문을 열어 놓았어요.

You'll know it worked when the verb pair ends in 놓았어요, 열어 stands directly before it, and the object carries 을 or 를. The same steps give 문을 닫아 놓으세요 ("Please keep the door shut") and 밥을 해 놓았어요 ("I cooked the rice ahead of time").

In a question, a wh-word carries the prominence and the sentence often ends with a fall or a rise-fall. 누가 창문을 열어 놓았어요? means "Who left the window open?"

The next section compares the patterns with the state form that learners confuse them with.

How Is -아/어 놓다/두다 Different from -아/어 있다?

Both patterns describe a result that stays, but they look at it from different sides. -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다 look at the person who did the action. -아/어 있다 state looks at the thing and says how it is now, with no doer in view.

Notice the particles. With 놓다 the thing is the object, so it takes 을 or 를: 창문을. With 있다 the thing is the subject, so it takes 이 or 가: 창문이. The verb changes too. 열다 ("open", a doer's action) becomes 열리다 ("be open", the thing's state) before 있다: 열려 있어요.

Many verbs that describe a body position or a movement have no object, and for them -아/어 있다 is the only choice. 앉아 있어요 ("I am sitting") is fine, while 앉아 놓았어요 is not, because nobody sets a thing down in a sitting state. The difference between -아/어 있다 and the progressive -고 있다 is a separate topic, covered in -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다.

Does it matter who did it? Yes. If you say 문이 열려 있어요, you do not say who opened it, and the sentence can be neutral or even a complaint. If you say 문을 열어 놓았어요, you take or give the responsibility: you did it, or someone did it on purpose.

The next section compares 놓다 with 두다 and explains when each one fits.

When Do You Use 놓다, and When 두다?

The two auxiliaries overlap a great deal. 해 놓았어요 and 해 두었어요 are both common, and both mean "I did it in advance". The small difference is where the speaker looks. 놓다 looks at the state that is left in place. 두다 looks at keeping the result for a future use.

Treat the table as a tendency and not a law. Native speakers use both in many sentences, and some verbs prefer one by habit. 알아 두다 is a set phrase, and 알아 놓다 is much rarer. 켜 놓다 is more usual than 켜 두다, although both exist.

Fixed Words and the Meaning "Leave Alone"

The two auxiliaries also appear in the set verb 놓아두다, shortened to 놔두다, meaning "to leave something alone". It is listed as one word, so 그냥 놔두세요 means "Just leave it". A related phrase is 내버려 두다, which means "to let be", and it keeps 두다 as the auxiliary.

Where the Patterns Are Used

You hear them in everyday plans (표를 미리 사 놨어요), in household talk (밥을 해 놨어요), in instructions (뚜껑을 덮어 놓으세요) and in notes to yourself (메모를 써 놓았어요). Politeness comes from the ending, not from the pattern. Add -세요 to ask politely and -아요/어요 to report.

What this lesson does not cover. The pattern for finishing something with feeling (-아/어 버리다) and the patterns for gradual change (-아/어 가다/오다) have their own lessons. The related pages are -아/어 버리다 finish regret and -아/어 가다 -아/어 오다 continuing.

An honest limit. The line between 놓다 and 두다 is blurry. The table shows common tendencies, and a dictionary example may still go the other way. When in doubt, choose 놓다 for a visible state and 두다 for keeping something for later.

The next section lists the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -아/어 놓다/두다?

Learners make five predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often use the pattern with verbs that have no object. Actually the patterns need a thing to leave in a state. Wrong: 앉아 놓았어요 or 가 놓았어요. Right: 앉아 있어요. Fix: ask "what did I act on?" If there is no answer, use -아/어 있다.

Learners often give the thing the subject marker. Actually with 놓다 the thing is the object. Wrong: 창문이 열어 놓았어요. Right: 창문을 열어 놓았어요 (I left the window open) or 창문이 열려 있어요 (the window is open). Fix: match 을/를 with 놓다 and 이/가 with 있다.

Learners often mix the auxiliary 놓다 with the main verb. Actually the main verb means "put down". 책을 책상에 놓았어요 means "I put the book on the desk". 책을 읽어 놓았어요 means "I have read the book (ahead of time)". Fix: look for a verb before 놓다.

Learners often assume the pattern means regret, like -아/어 버리다. Actually it carries no regret. It is neutral and practical. 숙제를 해 놓았어요 means "I did my homework (so it is ready)". Fix: for a feeling of finality, use -아/어 버리다 finish regret.

Learners often use the wrong vowel. Actually the vowel follows the stem. Wrong: 열아 놓았어요 or 닫어 놓았어요. Right: 열어 놓았어요 and 닫아 놓았어요. Fix: look at the last vowel of the stem.

Practice puts these rules into your own sentences, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: choose 아 or 어. Write the form with 놓았어요.

1. 닫다
2. 쓰다
3. 만들다
4. 켜다

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 의자에 앉아 놓았어요. (the meaning is "I am seated")
2. 창문이 열어 놓았어요. (the meaning is "I left the window open")
3. 문을 닫어 놓으세요.

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "I bought the tickets in advance." and "I left the light on."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence about something you prepared before a trip, and one about something you left on or open.

Answer key

1. (1) 닫아 놓았어요 (2) 써 놓았어요 (3) 만들어 놓았어요 (4) 켜 놓았어요
2. (1) 의자에 앉아 있어요. (2) 창문을 열어 놓았어요. (3) 문을 닫아 놓으세요.
3. 표를 미리 사 두었어요. 불을 켜 놓았어요.
4. Sample answers: 호텔을 예약해 놓았어요. ("I booked the hotel.") 창문을 열어 놓았어요. ("I left the window open.") Any verb with an object is correct if the vowel matches the stem and 놓다 or 두다 follows it.

If task 1 was correct, you have the vowel rule. If task 2 was hard, return to the comparison table and check what the thing is in the sentence. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다?

After -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다, learn -아/어 가다 -아/어 오다 continuing, which shows change that moves toward or away from now. If the contrast with the state form is still unclear, read -아/어 있다 state again. To say what someone else wants to do, continue with -고 싶어 하다 third person.

For a wider view, the parent page Korean auxiliary verbs lists every lesson in learning order. To review the vowel rule on a simpler pattern, return to -아/어 보다 try.

This lesson covers -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다 in the polite and linking forms. It does not cover every fixed phrase. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were machine-generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -아/어 놓다/두다 Mean?

-아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다 mean "to do something and leave it in that state". Often the action is preparation for later. 창문을 열어 놓았어요 means "I opened the window and left it open", and 미리 예약해 두었어요 means "I booked it in advance". Both patterns need a doer and a thing acted on.

How Do I Form -아/어 놓다/두다?

Take the stem of a verb that has an object and add 아 after the vowels ㅏ and ㅗ, or 어 after any other vowel. Then add 놓다 or 두다 as the next word. 열다 becomes 열어 놓다, 쓰다 becomes 써 놓다, and 예약하다 becomes 예약해 두다. Conjugate 놓다 or 두다 for tense and politeness.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -아/어 놓다/두다?

The most common mistake is using it with an intransitive verb, a verb that takes no object. 앉아 놓았어요 is wrong, because nobody acts on a thing. The natural form for a state is -아/어 있다, as in 앉아 있어요. A second mistake is the wrong vowel, such as 열아 놓았어요.

How Is -아/어 놓다/두다 Different from -아/어 있다?

-아/어 놓다 needs a person who acted and left the result: 문을 열어 놓았어요. -아/어 있다 only describes a state, with no doer in view: 문이 열려 있어요. The first answers "who did it", and the second answers "what is it like now". Use the state form when you do not know who acted.

Do I Use -아/어 놓다/두다 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both. It is common in speech and in messages, as in 예약해 놨어요. It is also normal in recipes, instructions and notices, where 닫아 놓으세요 or 켜 두세요 appear. In writing you may see the plain forms 해 놓았다 and 적어 두었다. The grammar is the same and only the ending changes.

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