-(으)ㄴ 지 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -(으)ㄴ 지 to verbs, including ㄹ and irregular verbs.
• Add the right length of time and end with 되다, 지나다 or 넘다.
• Tell whether the count starts at the beginning or at the end of the action.
• Keep -(으)ㄴ 지 ("since") apart from -(으)ㄴ지 ("whether") with one small space.

Prerequisites: the past tense -았/었- and numbers. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -(으)ㄴ 지 means "since", and it measures the time that has passed.
• The form is stem + ㄴ 지 after a vowel (온 지) and stem + 은 지 after a final consonant (먹은 지).
• 지 is a dependent noun, so it needs a space before it.
• A time length is required, such as 일 년, 이틀 or 오래.
• It is used with verbs and not with adjectives.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -(으)ㄴ 지 Grammar Mean?

-(으)ㄴ 지 means "since". It does not link two actions. It reports how much time has passed since an action. The noun 지 means "the time since", and the part before it, such as 배운, is a modifier ending. A modifier ending changes a verb into a describing word that sits in front of a noun. So 배운 지 literally means "the time since having learned".

A sentence with -(으)ㄴ 지 has three parts. First comes the action. Then comes a length of time. Last comes a verb that counts it: 되다 ("become"), 지나다 ("pass") or 넘다 ("go over").

Here are two glossed examples.

Revised Romanization (RR) is the national system for writing Korean in the Latin alphabet. It is shown here only as a learning aid.

The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -(으)ㄴ 지?

Take the dictionary form, remove 다 to get the stem, and look at the last sound of the stem. The stem is the verb without its dictionary ending -다. For 먹다 the stem is 먹.

The form is the same as the past modifier in 먹은 음식 ("the food I ate"). The full set of modifier endings is on the Noun-Modifying Forms page. RR writes the aspiration of verbs, so 시작한 is sijakan.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

Vowel stems take ㄴ directly, and the ㄴ sits under the last syllable: 오 + ㄴ = 온, 배우 + ㄴ = 배운, 하 + ㄴ = 한.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

Consonant stems take 은: 먹 + 은 = 먹은. The 은 is a helping syllable.

Irregular Stems

Time Lengths to Put after 지

Years use the Sino-Korean number plus 년, as in 일 년. Months use the native number plus 달, as in 한 달, 두 달, 석 달. You can also say 개월 with a Sino-Korean number: 삼 개월. Do not say 일 달.

The next section builds a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building 한국어를 배운 지 일 년 됐어요

Say that you started learning Korean a year ago. Follow five steps.

1. Write the action. "I learn Korean" is 한국어를 배워요 in the polite style.
2. Find the stem. The dictionary form is 배우다, so the stem is 배우.
3. Add ㄴ 지. The stem ends in a vowel, so 배우 + ㄴ 지 = 배운 지. Take away the polite ending, and keep a space before 지.
4. Add the time length. "One year" is 일 년.
5. Finish with 됐어요. The verb 되다 counts the time. Together: 한국어를 배운 지 일 년 됐어요.

You'll know it worked when the first verb ends in 배운 지 with a space, a time length follows, and 됐어요 closes the sentence. The polite ending 요 appears only once. Try the same steps with "I have lived in Seoul for five years": 살다 gives 산 지, 오 년 follows, and 됐어요 closes it.

The next section explains what the count starts from.

What Does the Time Count From?

The same form can count from two different points. The verb type decides which.

With 배우다 or 살다, the state goes on, so the count runs from when it began. With 먹다 or 오다, the action is over in a moment, so the count runs from when it finished. When the verb is a one-time action, but the sentence says "first", the count starts at the first time: 그를 처음 만난 지 오 년 됐어요 means "It has been five years since I first met him."

A negative with 못 or 안 turns the sentence into "it has been a long time since I last did it". It is a very common way to say that you have not done something for a while.

The next section covers other endings and sentence types.

Which Endings and Sentence Types Work with -(으)ㄴ 지?

The final verb counts the time. These endings are the most common.

The spoken forms are [이사한 지 이틀 돼써요] for 이사한 지 이틀 됐어요, and [결혼한 지 심 녀니 너머써요] for 결혼한 지 십 년이 넘었어요. Because the sentence is a report on time, it is mostly statements and questions. Commands and suggestions are not used with this pattern.

Yes/no questions usually end with a rise. A wh-question puts the stress on the question word and often ends with a fall or a rise-fall, rather than a sharp final rise.

For a date in the future, add 이면 ("if it is" or "when it comes to"): 내일이면 한국에 온 지 일 년이 돼요 means "Tomorrow it will be one year since I came to Korea." Spoken, it is [내이리면 한구게 온 지 일려니 돼요].

The next section compares -(으)ㄴ 지 with similar patterns.

How Is -(으)ㄴ 지 Different from -(으)ㄴ지 and -(으)ㄴ 후에?

The most important contrast is with a look-alike. Without a space, 지 becomes part of a different ending.

The attached endings -(으)ㄴ지 (after adjectives, as in 예쁜지) and -는지 (after verbs and 있다/없다) start an indirect question. The spaced -(으)ㄴ 지 is a noun phrase, and it needs a time length.

Now compare -(으)ㄴ 지 with -(으)ㄴ 후에.

The 후에 pattern puts two actions in order. The 지 pattern measures a gap. To say the same fact as "ago", use 전에: 일 년 전에 한국에 왔어요.

The next section covers edge cases.

Variations and Edge Cases of -(으)ㄴ 지

Casual Forms

In casual speech, 됐어요 becomes 됐어: 한국에 온 지 일 년 됐어. In writing and formal speech, you may see 되었습니다 or 됐습니다: 한국에 온 지 일 년이 되었습니다.

The Particle 이 or 가 on the Time Length

You can put 이/가 after the time length: 일 년이 됐어요, 이 년이 지났어요. With 지나다 and 넘다, the particle is almost always used. With 되다, it is optional.

오래 and 얼마나

오래 means "a long time", and 얼마나 asks "how long". 오래 is not a number, but it fills the same slot. 얼마 안 됐어요 means "it hasn't been long".

Start or Finish with 처음

Put 처음 ("first") before the verb to fix the starting point: 처음 만난 지 일 년 됐어요.

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)ㄴ 지?

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

Learners often drop the space. Wrong: 배운지 일 년 됐어요. Right: 배운 지 일 년 됐어요. Fix: 지 is a noun in this pattern, so keep a space. Without it, you write the "whether" ending.

Learners often leave out the time length. Wrong: 한국어를 배운 지 됐어요. Right: 한국어를 배운 지 일 년 됐어요, or 한국어를 배운 지 오래됐어요. Fix: always add a time length or 오래.

Learners often add 았/었 inside. Wrong: 배웠은 지 일 년 됐어요. Right: 배운 지 일 년 됐어요. Fix: the -(으)ㄴ ending already shows that the action is done. Tense is only on the last verb.

Learners often use the present form. Wrong: 배우는 지 일 년 됐어요. Right: 배운 지 일 년 됐어요. Fix: use the finished form 은 or ㄴ.

Learners often use adjectives. Wrong: 예쁜 지 일 년 됐어요. Right: 예뻐진 지 일 년 됐어요 only with a change, or use another pattern. Fix: -(으)ㄴ 지 counts the time since an action, so choose a verb.

Learners often say 일 달. Wrong: 한국에 온 지 일 달 됐어요. Right: 한국에 온 지 한 달 됐어요, or 일 개월. Fix: 달 takes native numbers (한, 두, 석), and 개월 takes Sino-Korean numbers.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: add -(으)ㄴ 지. Write the "since" form of each verb.

1. 오다 (come)
2. 먹다 (eat)
3. 살다 (live)
4. 만들다 (make)
5. 시작하다 (start)

Task 2: build the sentence. Write one sentence for each pair.

1. 한국에 와요. / 일 년 돼요.
2. 이사해요. / 이틀 돼요.
3. 친구를 못 만나요. / 오래돼요.

Task 3: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 배운지 일 년 됐어요.
2. 한국어를 배운 지 됐어요.
3. 한국에 온 지 일 달 됐어요.

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence that says how long you have lived in your city, and one that says how long since you last ate.

Answer key

1. (1) 온 지 (2) 먹은 지 (3) 산 지 (4) 만든 지 (5) 시작한 지
2. (1) 한국에 온 지 일 년 됐어요. (2) 이사한 지 이틀 됐어요. (3) 친구를 못 만난 지 오래됐어요.
3. (1) 배운 지 일 년 됐어요. (2) 한국어를 배운 지 일 년 됐어요 (or any time length). (3) 한국에 온 지 한 달 됐어요.
4. Sample answers: 서울에 산 지 삼 년 됐어요. 밥을 먹은 지 두 시간 됐어요. Any pair is correct if each first part ends in ㄴ 지 or 은 지 with a space, and a time length follows.

If task 1 was correct, you have the formation rule. If task 3 was hard, check the space before 지 and the time length. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -(으)ㄴ 지 Grammar?

After -(으)ㄴ 지, learn -(으)ㄴ 후에 to say "after" an action. Then review -(으)ㄹ 때까지 for "until", which is the other side of the same timeline. To collect all the time connectors, use Time and Sequence.

To plan by level, see Beginner Grammar.

This lesson shows -(으)ㄴ 지 with polite-style endings; the pattern itself is the same in every speech style, because the style comes from the last verb. It does not cover every written variation. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. Revised Romanization follows the national rules and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -(으)ㄴ 지 Mean?

-(으)ㄴ 지 means "since" and reports how long ago an action started or finished. 한국어를 배운 지 일 년 됐어요 means "It has been one year since I started learning Korean." The noun 지 means "the time since". A length of time and a verb such as 되다 always follow it.

How Do I Attach -(으)ㄴ 지 to a Verb or Adjective?

Use verbs only. Remove 다 to get the stem. After a vowel, add ㄴ 지: 오다 becomes 온 지. After a final consonant, add 은 지: 먹다 becomes 먹은 지. An ㄹ stem drops its ㄹ: 살다 becomes 산 지. Write a space before 지, then add a time length and 됐어요.

Can -(으)ㄴ 지 Be Used in the past Tense?

The clause itself already uses the finished -(으)ㄴ form, so you never add 았/었 inside it. Tense appears at the end. 됐어요 means "it has been" and is the most common form. 돼요 is also possible. For a future date, use 이면: 내일이면 한국에 온 지 일 년이 돼요.

Is -(으)ㄴ 지 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?

It is used in both and is very common in everyday talk. People ask 한국에 온 지 얼마나 됐어요? when they meet someone. It works in polite, casual and formal speech, because the speech level is set by the last verb. In casual speech, 됐어요 becomes 됐어.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -(으)ㄴ 지?

Learners write it without the space, as in 배운지. That spelling is the separate ending -(으)ㄴ지, which means "whether", as in 맛있는지 모르겠어요. Write 배운 지. Another common slip is leaving out the time length, because the pattern always needs one, such as 일 년, 이틀 or 오래.

What Is the Difference between -(으)ㄴ 지 and -(으)ㄴ 후에?

-(으)ㄴ 후에 means "after" and links two actions in order. -(으)ㄴ 지 measures the time since an action. 한국에 온 후에 한국어를 배웠어요 is "After I came to Korea, I learned Korean". 한국에 온 지 일 년 됐어요 is "It has been a year since I came to Korea".