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

What you'll learn

• Choose between -는데요, -(으)ㄴ데요 and -았/었는데요 for verbs, adjectives and the past.
• Soften a refusal or a complaint politely, as in 좀 바쁜데요.
• Open a question or request with background, as in 처음 오는데요.
• Tell the sentence ending from the connector -(으)ㄴ/는데.
• Hear the small surprise in 비가 오는데요!

Before you start: you should know how to find a stem (drop 다 from the dictionary form) and the polite ending -아요/어요. If you have already met the connector -(으)ㄴ/는데, keep it in mind, because the ending is the same form with 요 added. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -(으)ㄴ/는데요 Grammar Mean?

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 grammar means "but..." or "you see..." in a soft, polite way. The speaker says something true about the situation, then stops. The listener is expected to fill in the rest: a request, a refusal, a question or a feeling. This is a very common habit in everyday Korean, where plain "No" can sound hard.

Here are the first two examples. The pattern is the same in both, but the job is different. The first gives a fact so that the listener can decide what to do. The second gently disagrees.

• 지금 안 계시는데요. (jigeum an gyesineundeyo.) = "He (or she) isn't in right now." The unspoken part is "so what would you like to do?".
• 저는 괜찮은데요. (jeoneun gwaenchaneundeyo.) [저는 괜차는데요] = "I'm fine, though." The unspoken part is "so you don't need to worry."

The ending is the connector -(으)ㄴ/는데 ("and", "but", "so") plus the polite 요. When a speaker stops at 요, the connector has no second clause, so it works as a sentence ending. That is why the sentence feels open. Grammar books group it with the exclamation and realization endings, because the same shape can also show a small discovery, as in 비가 오는데요! ("Oh, it's raining!"). Next comes the mechanism that builds the pattern.

How Do You Form -(으)ㄴ/는데요?

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 is formed in three ways, depending on the word type. Verbs and 있다/없다 take -는데요. Adjectives take -ㄴ데요 after a vowel and -은데요 after a consonant. In the past, both take -았/었는데요. The noun form of 이다 is -인데요.

The table shows one idea applied to six word types. The next three parts look at the groups of stems one at a time.

Verb Stems

A verb stem takes -는데요 directly, whether it ends in a vowel or a consonant. 가다 becomes 가는데요, 오다 becomes 오는데요, and 먹다 becomes 먹는데요. Examples:

• 여기 처음 오는데요, 뭐가 맛있어요? (yeogi cheoeum oneundeyo, mwoga masisseoyo?) [여기 처음 오는데요 뭐가 마시써요] = "It's my first time here. What's tasty?"
• 저는 매운 음식을 못 먹는데요. (jeoneun maeun eumsigeul mot meongneundeyo.) [저는 매운 음시글 몬 멍는데요] = "I can't eat spicy food, though."

A final ㄱ before ㄴ is pronounced as ㅇ, so 먹는데요 is pronounced [멍는데요]. The wh-question 뭐가 맛있어요? has the stress on 뭐, and does not end with a sharp rise. Verbs are the simplest case. Adjectives need the choice between ㄴ and 은.

Adjective Stems

An adjective stem ending in a vowel takes -ㄴ데요: 바쁘다 becomes 바쁜데요, 크다 becomes 큰데요, and 예쁘다 becomes 예쁜데요. An adjective stem ending in a consonant takes -은데요: 좋다 becomes 좋은데요, and 괜찮다 becomes 괜찮은데요. The adjective form is the same one you use before a noun, as in 바쁜 사람 ("a busy person").

• 주말에는 좀 바쁜데요. (jumareneun jom bappeundeyo.) [주마레는 좀 바쁜데요] = "I'm a bit busy on the weekend, though." This is a polite way to decline.
• 이 옷은 좀 큰데요. (i oseun jom keundeyo.) [이 오슨 좀 큰데요] = "This is a bit big." A shop customer says it to ask for a smaller size.

Two more groups need a short note, because learners expect trouble with them.

Irregular Stems, 이다 and Nouns

Adjectives that drop or change a letter follow the same changes as before a noun. ㄹ-stem adjectives lose their ㄹ: 길다 becomes 긴데요 ("It's long, though"), and 멀다 becomes 먼데요. ㅂ-irregular adjectives turn ㅂ into 우: 춥다 becomes 추운데요, and 맵다 becomes 매운데요. Verbs with ㄹ also drop it before ㄴ: 만들다 becomes 만드는데요. Verbs that change before vowels do not change here, because -는데요 begins with ㄴ: 듣다 stays 듣는데요, and 돕다 stays 돕는데요.

The copula 이다 ("to be") gives -인데요 for nouns: 저는 학생인데요 ("I'm a student, and..."). After a vowel the 이 also stays: 의사인데요. The negative 아니다 becomes 아닌데요 ("It isn't, though"). A plan with 거 uses a short form: 내일 갈 건데요 ("I'm going tomorrow, so...") comes from 갈 것 + 인데요 (갈 거인데요), shortened in speech.

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

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -(으)ㄴ/는데요

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 grammar works by turning a plain fact into a soft opening. Follow the steps with the sentence "I'm busy on the weekend", turned into a polite refusal.

1. Start with the plain sentence. 주말에는 바빠요. (jumareneun bappayo.) = "I'm busy on the weekend." The word is 바빠요.
2. Find the dictionary form. 바빠요 comes from 바쁘다 (to be busy). It is an adjective, and the stem is 바쁘.
3. Check the last letter of the stem. 쁘 ends in a vowel (ㅡ), so the ending is -ㄴ데요.
4. Add the ending. 바쁘 + ㄴ데요 = 바쁜데요.
5. Rebuild the sentence. Add 좀 ("a bit") to make it softer: 주말에는 좀 바쁜데요. (jumareneun jom bappeundeyo.) [주마레는 좀 바쁜데요] = "I'm a bit busy on the weekend, though."

You will know it worked when you can hear the unsaid part: "...so I can't." The most common slip at this step is to use a verb ending on an adjective (바쁘는데요). Always check whether the word is a verb or an adjective. The sentence is now a soft opening, and the next question is how the ending behaves across tenses and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -(으)ㄴ/는데요?

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 works in the present, past and plan forms, in statements and, with care, in questions. The change always happens before 는데요. The table shows the forms for 가다 and 좋다.

The past form is the same for verbs and adjectives: 어제 갔는데요, 문이 닫혀 있었어요 (eoje ganneundeyo, muni dachyeo isseosseoyo.) [어제 간는데요 무니 다처 이써써요] = "I went yesterday, but the door was shut." The first clause gives the background, and the second states the surprise.

Questions are possible when the ending sets up a request or question: 여기 처음 오는데요, 뭐가 맛있어요? Here the first clause gives background and the second asks. The ending is normally said with a sustained or lightly rising tone, which signals that you are waiting for a reply. A sharp fall can make it sound blunt. Commands do not attach to this ending. The most useful contrast for a learner is the connector that gives the ending its shape.

How Is -(으)ㄴ/는데요 Different from -(으)ㄴ/는데?

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 is a complete sentence ending, while -(으)ㄴ/는데 is a connector that normally links two clauses. They have the same shape. The difference is what comes next. The connector sets up a background clause, then continues. The ending stops after 요, and the listener supplies the rest. The full rules for the connector are on the page for -(으)ㄴ/는데.

When a speaker drops 요 with a friend, the bare -(으)ㄴ/는데 also works as a casual ending. That form is covered with banmal. A second neighbour is -잖아요, which means "you know" and assumes the listener already knows the fact, sometimes with a hint of impatience: 비 온다고 했잖아요 ("I told you it would rain"). The ending in this lesson makes no such assumption. It offers news or background without blame. A third neighbour is -네요, a pure "I just noticed". 비가 오네요 is a calm observation, while 비가 오는데요! can also call the listener's attention to the fact. These contrasts lead to the smaller variations of the pattern itself.

Variations and Edge Cases of -(으)ㄴ/는데요

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 has four common jobs. Each one is short, and each appears in real conversation.

• Soft refusal. 주말에는 좀 바쁜데요 declines an invitation without saying "no". Adding 좀 ("a bit") makes it softer.
• Opening a request or question. 여기 처음 오는데요, 뭐가 맛있어요? gives background first. The same shape is common in shops: 이거 사이즈가 작은데요 ("This size is small").
• Mild disagreement. If someone says the soup is too spicy, you can reply 저는 괜찮은데요 ("I find it fine"). The ending turns your view into a personal report, not a correction.
• Small surprise. 비가 오는데요! (biga oneundeyo!) = "Oh, it's raining!" and 와, 눈이 많이 오는데요 ("Wow, it's snowing a lot") express a fresh discovery, usually with a rise in the voice.

In a phone call, the fixed phrase 지금 안 계시는데요 is the standard way to say that someone is not available. In very formal talks, speakers often choose a different softener, such as -(스)ㅂ니다만. This lesson covers the polite everyday forms, not the full range of softening endings. The mistakes below show where the boundary with other patterns causes real errors.

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

Learners most often think the sentence is unfinished, mix the verb and adjective forms, or forget the stem rules. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Waiting for a second clause. Learners think -(으)ㄴ/는데요 needs a following clause, so they add one or avoid the ending. Actually, 요 makes it complete. 지금 안 계시는데요 is a full sentence, and the listener understands the rest.
2. Mixing verb and adjective endings. Verbs take 는: 가는데요, 먹는데요. Adjectives take ㄴ/은: 바쁜데요, 좋은데요. 가ㄴ데요, 좋는데요 and 바쁘는데요 are wrong.
3. Forgetting the stem rules. ㄹ-stem adjectives drop ㄹ (긴데요, not 길은데요), and ㅂ-irregular adjectives take 우 (추운데요, not 춥은데요). Verbs such as 만들다 also drop ㄹ (만드는데요, not 만들는데요).
4. Putting the past tense in the wrong place. The past marker goes before 는데요: 갔는데요, 좋았는데요. 갔은데요 and 좋았은데요 are wrong: after the past marker, always use 는데요.

A quick check for any sentence: Is the word a verb or an adjective? Is the tense before 는데요? Could the listener answer the unspoken part? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set below tests these points directly.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Choose the form. Complete: 오늘은 좀 ___. ("I'm a bit tired today, though.") (피곤한데요 / 피곤하는데요)
2. Fix the error. A learner says 날씨가 좋는데요 to mean "The weather is good, though." Correct it.
3. Translate. "I'm a student, and is there a discount?" Use 학생 and 할인이 되나요.
4. Write your own. Write one soft refusal for an invitation to dinner using -(으)ㄴ/는데요. Then write the same sentence about last week in the past.

Answer key

1. 피곤한데요. 피곤하다 is an adjective, so it takes -ㄴ데요: 오늘은 좀 피곤한데요. 피곤하는데요 treats it as a verb.
2. 날씨가 좋은데요. 좋다 is an adjective with a final consonant, so it takes -은데요.
3. 저는 학생인데요, 할인이 되나요? (jeoneun haksaengindeyo, harini doenayo?) [저는 학쌩인데요 하리니 되나요] = "I'm a student. Is there a discount?"
4. Answers vary. Check that the adjective takes -(으)ㄴ데요 and the past form is -았/었는데요. An example: 저녁에는 좀 바쁜데요 → 지난주에는 바빴는데요. (Last week I was busy, though.)

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can use the ending in conversation. Next, the lesson hands off to related patterns.

What Should You Learn Next after -(으)ㄴ/는데요 Grammar?

After -(으)ㄴ/는데요 grammar, learn the connector it comes from, then the other endings in this set. This lesson teaches the soft polite ending and does not cover the connector, reminders or pure discoveries in depth. Those live on their own pages.

1. Start with -(으)ㄴ/는데, the connector that links two clauses.
2. Continue with -잖아요, which reminds the listener of something they already know.
3. Return to Exclamations and Realization to see every lesson in this set, or to the Beginner Grammar list for other A2 patterns.

With these steps, -(으)ㄴ/는데요 becomes automatic: choose 는 for verbs and (으)ㄴ for adjectives, add 데요, and let the listener finish the thought.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -(으)ㄴ/는데요 mean?

-(으)ㄴ/는데요 is a soft ending that means roughly "but..." or "you see..." without saying the rest. 지금 안 계시는데요 means "He isn't in right now (so what shall we do?)." The speaker gives a fact, a reason or a mild objection and leaves the next step to the listener.

How do I attach -(으)ㄴ/는데요 to a verb or adjective?

Verbs and 있다/없다 take -는데요: 가다 becomes 가는데요, and 없다 becomes 없는데요. Adjectives take -ㄴ데요 after a vowel and -은데요 after a consonant: 바쁘다 becomes 바쁜데요, and 좋다 becomes 좋은데요. In the past, both take -았/었는데요.

Can -(으)ㄴ/는데요 be used in the past tense?

Yes. Put -았/었 before 는데요: 어제 갔는데요 means "I went yesterday, and..." and 좋았는데요 means "It was good, but..." The past form is the same for verbs and adjectives. For a plan, use 갈 건데요, which means "I'm going to go, so..."

Is -(으)ㄴ/는데요 used in speech or only in writing?

It belongs mostly to speech. Friends say the casual -(으)ㄴ/는데, and strangers or seniors hear the polite -(으)ㄴ/는데요. In formal writing the ending is rare, because it leaves a sentence open. Phone calls, shops and offices are where you will hear it most.

What is the most common mistake with -(으)ㄴ/는데요?

The most common mistake is thinking a clause must follow, so learners add a second sentence or stop using the ending. Here 요 makes it complete. A second slip is mixing the verb and adjective forms, such as 가ㄴ데요 for 가는데요 or 좋는데요 for 좋은데요.