-아/어지다 Become Passive: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Attach 아지다 or 어지다 to an adjective stem to say "become".
• Handle the stems that change: 하다, ㅡ, ㅂ, 르 and ㅎ.
• Recognise the passive and "comes out well" senses with action verbs.
• Choose between -아/어지다, the suffix passives 이/히/리/기 and -게 되다.
• Fix the five most common mistakes.

Before you start: you should know the polite ending -아요/어요 and how to find a verb stem (drop 다 from the dictionary form). If the idea of a passive is new, skim the passive suffixes 이 히 리 기 lesson first. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does the -아/어지다 Become Passive Mean?

The -아/어지다 construction means "to become" or "to get" something. It is built from the linking ending -아/어 and the verb 지다. A passive is a sentence where the subject receives an action instead of doing it, as in "The light was turned off". Korean uses -아/어지다 for this meaning when no particular person is doing the action.

The construction has two main jobs, and the word class in front of 지다 decides which one you see:

1. Adjective + 지다 = change of state. 따뜻하다 ("be warm") becomes 따뜻해지다 ("become warm").
2. Action verb + 지다 = passive or spontaneous. 끄다 ("turn off") becomes 꺼지다 ("go out, be turned off").

A First Example

• 날씨가 따뜻해졌어요. (nalssiga ttatteutaejyeosseoyo.) [날씨가 따뜨태저써요] = "The weather has become warm."
• 불이 꺼졌어요. (buri kkeojyeosseoyo.) [부리 꺼저써요] = "The light went out."

In the first sentence, 날씨 ("weather") is the subject, marked by 이/가, and 따뜻해졌어요 is the adjective 따뜻하다 plus 지다 in the polite past. In the second, 불 ("light") is the subject, and 꺼졌어요 comes from the verb 끄다 plus 지다. In both sentences, no one is named as the doer. The next section shows how to build the forms.

How Does the -아/어지다 Become Passive Work?

The -아/어지다 construction works in two steps: build the -아/어 form of the stem, then add 지다 and conjugate 지다 as a regular verb. The vowel in the stem chooses the shape. If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아. For every other vowel, add 어. Stems ending in 하 become 해.

The table shows one rule applied to eight stem types. The next three parts look at the groups.

Regular Stems and 하다 Stems

A stem with a regular vowel takes 아 or 어 and then 지다. 많다 gives 많아지다, and 길다 gives 길어지다. A 하다 adjective changes 하 to 해: 따뜻하다 gives 따뜻해지다, and 깨끗하다 gives 깨끗해지다.

• 방이 깨끗해졌어요. (bangi kkaekkeutaejyeosseoyo.) [방이 깨끄태저써요] = "The room has become clean."
• 머리가 길어졌어요. (meoriga gireojyeosseoyo.) [머리가 기러저써요] = "My hair has gotten long."

Notice the sound of 깨끗해졌어요. The final ㅅ of 깨끗 is said [ㄷ], and that [ㄷ] joins the ㅎ of 해 into one aspirated sound, [깨끄태], which is why Revised Romanization writes kkaekkeutae.

Stems That Change

A ㅡ stem drops the ㅡ before the linking vowel: 예쁘다 gives 예뻐지다, and 크다 gives 커지다. A ㅂ-irregular stem turns ㅂ into 우: 춥다 gives 추워지다. A 르-irregular stem doubles ㄹ: 다르다 gives 달라지다. A ㅎ-irregular stem drops ㅎ and changes the vowel: 빨갛다 gives 빨개지다.

• 동생이 많이 예뻐졌어요. (dongsaengi mani yeppeojyeosseoyo.) [동생이 마니 예뻐저써요] = "My younger sibling has become much prettier."
• 서울이 많이 달라졌어요. (seouri mani dallajyeosseoyo.) [서우리 마니 달라저써요] = "Seoul has changed a lot."

The verb 지다 itself is regular, so the ending forms follow the usual rules: 져요 (present), 졌어요 (past), 질 거예요 (future). The next part adds the verb uses.

Action Verbs: Passive and "Comes Out"

An action verb plus 지다 describes something that happens without a named doer. The thing that was acted on becomes the subject, with 이/가.

• 불을 켜요 (I turn on the light) → 불이 켜져요 [부리 켜저요] = "The light comes on."
• 불을 꺼요 (I turn off the light) → 불이 꺼져요 [부리 꺼저요] = "The light goes out."
• 쌀로 케이크를 만들어요 → 이 케이크는 쌀로 만들어져요 [이 케이크는 쌀로 만드러저요] = "This cake is made with rice."

Many of these forms are listed in dictionaries as verbs in their own right, such as 켜지다, 꺼지다 and 만들어지다. A related use means "comes out" or "turns out well": 이 펜은 잘 써져요 (i peneun jal sseojyeoyo) [이 페는 잘 써저요] means "This pen writes well", and 글이 안 써져요 (geuri an sseojyeoyo) [그리 안 써저요] means "The writing just won't come." In these sentences the verb stands for an action that happens easily or with difficulty.

With the forms clear, a full sentence can be built step by step.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -아/어지다

The -아/어지다 construction turns a state into a change in four steps. Follow the sentence "The weather has become warm."

1. Start with the state. 날씨가 따뜻해요. (nalssiga ttatteutaeyo.) = "The weather is warm." The adjective is 따뜻하다.
2. Find the stem and its type. The stem is 따뜻하, a 하다 stem. A 하다 stem changes to 해.
3. Add 지다. 따뜻해 + 지다 = 따뜻해지다 ("become warm").
4. Conjugate 지다. For a finished change, use the polite past: 따뜻해졌어요. The result is 날씨가 따뜻해졌어요.

You know it worked when the subject keeps 이/가 and the predicate ends in 졌어요. For a change in progress, use -고 있다: 점점 따뜻해지고 있어요 (jeomjeom ttatteutaejigo isseoyo) [점점 따뜨태지고 이써요] means "It is gradually getting warm." For a future change, use 질 거예요: 곧 따뜻해질 거예요 (got ttatteutaejil geoyeyo) [곧 따뜨태질꺼예요] means "It will soon get warm."

The same change of state can be expressed with other patterns, so the next section compares them.

How Is -아/어지다 Different from 이/히/리/기 and -게 되다?

The -아/어지다 construction is the general way to say "become" or "be done", the suffixes 이/히/리/기 are fixed passives for particular verbs, and -게 되다 means "come to" or "turn out". The three overlap in English, which is why learners mix them up.

Two guidelines decide most cases. First, if the word in front is an adjective, use -아/어지다: 추워졌어요 means "It has become cold." Second, if the word is an action verb and you describe a change in your own habits or situation, use -게 되다: 한국 음식을 좋아하게 됐어요 (hanguk eumsigeul joahage dwaesseoyo) [한국 음시글 조아하게 돼써요] means "I have come to like Korean food." For a noun, use 되다: 의사가 됐어요 means "I became a doctor."

A verb that already has a suffix passive does not add 지다. 잡다 has 잡히다, so 잡히어지다 is redundant. The suffix passives are taught in passive suffixes 이 히 리 기, the 하다 passive is on -되다 passive 하다 verbs, and a state that results from a change is in -아/어 있다 state. The next section looks at edge cases.

When Do You Use -아/어지다, and When Not?

The -아/어지다 construction fits changes of state and doer-less events. It does not fit deliberate actions, and it has a few special results.

• Change over time. Words such as 점점 ("gradually") and 점점 더 ("more and more") pair naturally: 점점 추워져요 (jeomjeom chuwojyeoyo) [점점 추워저요] means "It is getting colder."
• Present versus past. 추워져요 describes a change that is happening or recurring. 추워졌어요 says that the change has happened and the new state holds now.
• Sentences with a result. 한국어 실력이 좋아졌어요 (hangugeo sillyeogi joajyeosseoyo) [한구거 실려기 조아저써요] means "My Korean has improved."
• Not for deliberate acts. 저는 문을 열어졌어요 is wrong, because 지다 removes the doer. If you did it, say 저는 문을 열었어요.

This lesson covers the change-of-state and spontaneous uses, not the full list of verbs with 지다 in the dictionary, and not the passive with a named doer. The mistakes below show the points where learners go wrong.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -아/어지다?

Learners most often choose the wrong particle or build the stem wrongly. Five mistakes appear again and again.

1. Marking the changing thing with 을/를. 날씨를 따뜻해졌어요 is wrong. The thing that changes is the subject, so it takes 이/가: 날씨가 따뜻해졌어요.
2. Forgetting the stem change. 예쁘어지다 and 크어지다 are wrong. A ㅡ stem drops the ㅡ: 예뻐지다, 커지다. For 하다 stems, 따뜻하어지다 is wrong; say 따뜻해지다.
3. Stacking passives. 잡히어지다 and 닫혀지다 pile one passive on another. Grammar books call these double passives (이중 피동), and careful writing avoids them. Use 잡히다 and 닫히다.
4. Adding a doer. 불이 친구에게 꺼졌어요 is wrong. 지다 does not take a doer with 에게. If you need one, use the active sentence: 친구가 불을 껐어요.
5. Using it for a deliberate act. 저는 숙제를 해졌어요 is wrong. Use the plain verb: 저는 숙제를 했어요.

A quick check: Is the thing that changes marked with 이/가? Is the vowel right for the stem type? Is there only one passive in the verb? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set tests these points.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answers.

1. Choose the form. Complete: 방이 ___. (깨끗해졌어요 / 깨끗하어졌어요)
2. Fix the error. A learner says 날씨를 추워졌어요. Correct it.
3. Translate. "My Korean has improved." Use 한국어 실력 and 좋아지다.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence that describes a change in the weather, in your city or in a room, using -아/어지다 in the past.

Answer key

1. 깨끗해졌어요. A 하다 stem changes 하 to 해: 방이 깨끗해졌어요.
2. 날씨가 추워졌어요. The thing that changes takes 이/가.
3. 한국어 실력이 좋아졌어요. (hangugeo sillyeogi joajyeosseoyo.) The stem 좋 has the bright vowel ㅗ, so it takes 아.
4. Answers vary. Check that the subject has 이/가, the stem is built correctly and the ending is 졌어요. An example: 요즘 날씨가 추워졌어요 ("The weather has become cold lately").

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can use the construction in conversation. The next section points to related lessons.

What Should You Learn Next after the -아/어지다 Become Passive?

After the -아/어지다 construction, learn the other passives and then the causatives. This lesson teaches "become" and the doer-less passive, and it does not cover passives with a named doer, the 하다 passive or the causatives. Those have their own pages.

1. Read passive suffixes 이 히 리 기 for fixed passives such as 잡히다.
2. Read -되다 passive 하다 verbs for 시작되다 and similar verbs.
3. Read -아/어 있다 state to describe the state that results.
4. See adjective present tense in Korean to review the adjective forms.
5. Return to the full set of Korean passive verbs, or to Korean sentence endings.

With these steps, the pattern becomes automatic: find the stem, add 아 or 어, then 지다, and mark the changing thing with 이/가.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -아/어지다 mean in Korean?

-아/어지다 means "to become" when it follows an adjective, as in 예뻐지다 (become pretty). After an action verb it gives a passive or spontaneous meaning, as in 꺼지다 (go out, be turned off). The changing thing is the subject, so it takes 이/가.

How do I form -아/어지다?

Add 아 after a stem whose last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, and 어 after other vowels, then add 지다. 하다 stems use 해지다, ㅡ stems drop ㅡ (예쁘다 becomes 예뻐지다), and irregular stems change as usual (춥다 becomes 추워지다). Then conjugate 지다 like a regular verb.

What is the most common mistake with -아/어지다?

The most common mistake is marking the changing thing with 을/를. 날씨를 따뜻해졌어요 is wrong, because 지다 makes the thing the subject. Say 날씨가 따뜻해졌어요. Learners also forget stem changes, such as writing 예쁘어지다 for 예뻐지다.

How is -아/어지다 different from -게 되다?

-아/어지다 describes a change of state, mostly with adjectives: 추워졌어요 (it became cold). -게 되다 describes how a situation or habit came about, mostly with verbs: 한국에 가게 됐어요 (it turned out I am going to Korea). Both can mean "become" in English.

Do I use -아/어지다 in speech, writing or both?

Both. 추워졌어요 and 좋아졌어요 are everyday speech, and the same forms appear in news and essays with other endings, such as 좋아졌습니다. The passive uses like 만들어지다 are more common in writing, because they describe results without naming a doer.

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