-(느)ㄴ다고요? Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -(느)ㄴ다고요? to verbs, adjectives, 있다/없다, past forms and nouns.
• Use it to check what someone said and to show surprise.
• Hear the difference between the echo question and the insisting statement.
• Choose between -(느)ㄴ다고요?, -(느)ㄴ다니까 and a plain question, and avoid the usual errors.

Before you start: you should know the plain-style endings -ㄴ/는다 and -다, and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 25 minutes. This site places the pattern at level B1, which is an editorial estimate. The official TOPIK information is published at topik.go.kr.

What Does -(느)ㄴ다고요? Grammar Mean?

-(느)ㄴ다고요? means "You said...?" or "Did you say that...?" You take the other person's statement, put it into plain style, and add 고요 with a rising voice. It is an echo question: it hands their own words back to them.

The pattern has three working parts.

Behind the short form is a full sentence, -(느)ㄴ다고 했어요?, "Did you say that...?" Speakers drop the verb 하다 and keep only the marker and the 요. That is why the pattern ends the sentence and does not need anything after 요.

It does two jobs, and the context tells you which one you hear.

1. Checking. You are not sure you heard right. You want a "yes, that's what I said."
2. Disbelief. You heard fine, but you cannot believe it. The question means "Really? You're telling me that?"

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed.

1. 내일 간다고요? (naeil gandagoyo?) "You said you're going tomorrow?"

Pronunciation: [내일 간다고요]. The voice rises on the final 요.

2. 그 사람이 의사라고요? (geu sarami uisaragoyo?) "You say he is a doctor?"

Pronunciation: [그 사라미 의사라고요]. The ㅁ of 사람 joins the vowel of 이, so it sounds like 사라미.

In sentence 1 the speaker may simply want to confirm the day. In sentence 2 the speaker may be surprised, since the person does not look like a doctor. The words are the same. Only the face and the voice decide.

How Do You Form -(느)ㄴ다고요?

Take the plain-style statement form and add 고요. Verbs add -ㄴ/는 before 다, while adjectives, 있다/없다 and the past tense do not. This is the same rule you use with -다고 해서 and -(느)ㄴ다니까.

1. Action verbs: present stem + ㄴ다 (vowel stem) or 는다 (consonant stem), then 고요.
2. Adjectives and 있다/없다: the dictionary form already ends in 다, so just add 고요.
3. Past: stem + 았/었다고요.
4. Nouns: noun + (이)라고요. After a consonant use 이라고요, and after a vowel use 라고요.
5. Future: stem + (으)ㄹ 거라고요.

An ㄹ-stem drops its ㄹ before ㄴ, so 살다 gives 산다고요 and 만들다 gives 만든다고요.

Verbs and Adjectives

A verb takes ㄴ/는, and an adjective stays plain.

한국에 산다고요? (hanguge sandagoyo?) "You live in Korea?" or "You say you live in Korea?" The verb 살다 loses its ㄹ. Pronunciation: [한구게 산다고요].

시험이 어렵다고요? (siheomi eoryeopdagoyo?) "You're saying the exam is hard?" The adjective 어렵다 takes no ㄴ. Pronunciation: [시허미 어렵따고요]. The ㅂ of 어렵 is said as [ㅂ] and the ㄷ after it is tense.

Past Tense, Nouns and the Future

For the past, add 았/었 before 다고요. 어제 갔다고요? (eoje gatdagoyo?) "You said you went yesterday?" Pronunciation: [어제 갇따고요].

For a noun, use (이)라고요. 만 원이라고요? (man woniragoyo?) "Ten thousand won?" It is a common reaction to a price. Pronunciation: [마 눠니라고요]. The ㄴ of 만 links to 원 in connected speech.

For the future, use -(으)ㄹ 거라고요. 내일은 안 갈 거라고요? (naeireun an gal georagoyo?) "You say you won't go tomorrow?" Pronunciation: [내이른 안 갈꺼라고요].

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -(느)ㄴ다고요?

Goal: you heard "The class starts at nine," and you want to check it politely.

1. Find the statement. 수업이 아홉 시에 시작해요. "The class starts at nine."
2. Put it in plain style. The verb 시작하다 is a vowel stem, so 시작하 + ㄴ다 → 시작한다.
3. Add the marker. 시작한다 + 고 → 시작한다고.
4. Add the polite ending. 시작한다고 + 요 → 시작한다고요.
5. Add the rest and raise your voice. 수업이 아홉 시에 시작한다고요?

Result: 수업이 아홉 시에 시작한다고요? (sueobi ahop sie sijakandagoyo?) "You said the class starts at nine?"

Pronunciation: [수어비 아홉씨에 시자칸다고요]. The ㅎ of 하 joins the ㄱ of 작 and makes [ㅋ], so 시작한다 sounds like [시자칸다].

What Does the Intonation Tell You?

The pitch decides the meaning. A rising voice on 요 asks a question, and a level or falling voice turns the same words into an insistence.

Listen to both versions of the same words.

괜찮다고요? (gwaenchantagoyo?) with a rise means "You say it's okay?" 괜찮다고요. (gwaenchantagoyo.) with a fall means "I said it's okay." Pronunciation for both: [괜찬타고요].

The falling version is close to -(느)ㄴ다니까, the "I told you" pattern. The difference is that -다니까요 is always an insistence, while -다고요 changes with the tone of your voice. If you want to be sure to insist, choose -다니까요. If you want to be sure to question, raise your voice and look puzzled.

A special case is the question word 뭐. 뭐라고요? (mworagoyo?) means "What did you say?" Here 뭐 does not ask about something unknown in the world. It stands for the words the other person just said, so the speaker asks them to repeat it, and the voice usually rises. Pronunciation: [뭐라고요]. It is the pattern you will use most when you cannot hear something.

How Is -(느)ㄴ다고요? Different from a Plain Question?

A plain question asks something new. An echo question asks about something already said. Compare these two replies to 저는 내일 가요 ("I'm going tomorrow").

Here is a short exchange.

• A: 이거 만 원이에요. (igeo man wonieyo.) = "This is ten thousand won." Pronunciation: [이거 마 눠니에요].
• B: 만 원이라고요? 너무 비싸요. (man woniragoyo? neomu bissayo.) = "Ten thousand won? That's too expensive." Pronunciation: [마 눠니라고요 너무 비싸요].

B repeats the price to show surprise and then gives an opinion. If B had said only 만 원이에요?, the question would be a plain check on the price. The echo form carries the extra feeling "Really? That much?"

Variations and Edge Cases of -(느)ㄴ다고요?

Other quotation types. The same echo works with the other sentence types of reported speech. -(으)라고요? echoes a command, -자고요? echoes a suggestion, and -냐고요? echoes a question.

• 같이 가자고요? (gachi gajagoyo?) = "You're suggesting we go together?" Pronunciation: [가치 가자고요].
• 어디 가냐고요? 집에 가요. (eodi ganyagoyo? jibe gayo.) = "Where am I going, you ask? I'm going home." Pronunciation: [어디 가냐고요 지베 가요]. Here the speaker repeats the question and then answers it.

Honorific. When the person you echo deserves respect, use -(으)시-. 선생님이 오신다고요? (seonsaengnimi osindagoyo?) "You say the teacher is coming?" Pronunciation: [선생니미 오신다고요]. See honorific -(으)시- for the rule.

Dropping 요. Among friends you can leave off 요: 내일 간다고? (naeil gandago?) "You said you're going tomorrow?" It is casual and should not be used with a teacher or a stranger.

Softening the surprise. Disbelief can sound rude. Add a word that shows you are checking, not attacking: 아, 내일 간다고요? ("Oh, you said tomorrow?") or 정말요? ("Really?").

Not the same as reporting. -(느)ㄴ다고 해요 reports what a third person says ("He says he's going"). -(느)ㄴ다고요 repeats what the person in front of you said, so its subject is usually "you" and is often left out: 저는 내일 가요 becomes 내일 간다고요?

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(느)ㄴ다고요?

1. Adding ㄴ/는 to an adjective. 좋은다고요 and 어렵는다고요 are wrong. Adjectives keep the plain form: 좋다고요, 어렵다고요.
2. Leaving ㄴ/는 off a verb. 가다고요 and 먹다고요 are wrong for the present. Say 간다고요 and 먹는다고요.
3. Keeping the ㄹ of an ㄹ-stem. 살는다고요 is wrong. Say 산다고요.
4. Using 이다고요 for nouns. 학생이다고요 is wrong. Say 학생이라고요, and after a vowel 의사라고요.
5. Forgetting the rising tone. Without the rise, the sentence turns into an insistence (괜찮다고요.) instead of an echo question.
6. Echoing too sharply. Strong disbelief with the wrong face can sound rude. Add 아 or 정말요 to soften it.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio.

1. Choose the form. Echo "I like Korean food" (한국 음식을 좋아해요). 좋아한다고요? or 좋아하다고요?
2. Fix the error. 그 사람이 학생이다고요?
3. Translate. "You say the test is hard?" (Use 시험 and 어렵다.)
4. Write your own. Echo a friend who said they live in Seoul (서울에 살다).

Answer Key

1. 좋아한다고요? (joahandagoyo?) Pronunciation: [조아한다고요]. 좋아하다 is a verb, so it takes ㄴ before 다고요.

2. 그 사람이 학생이라고요? (geu sarami haksaengiragoyo?) Pronunciation: [그 사라미 학쌩이라고요]. A noun after a consonant takes 이라고요.

3. 시험이 어렵다고요? (siheomi eoryeopdagoyo?) Pronunciation: [시허미 어렵따고요]. The adjective 어렵다 keeps the plain form.

4. Sample answer: 서울에 산다고요? (seoure sandagoyo?) "You say you live in Seoul?" Pronunciation: [서우레 산다고요]. The ㄹ of 살다 drops, so you get 산다고요.

If a sentence went wrong, check three things: verbs take ㄴ/는, adjectives stay plain, and your voice rises on 요.

What Should You Learn Next?

The speaker's side of this exchange is -(느)ㄴ다니까, which insists on what you already said. To see the quotation endings behind the echo, read the lesson on direct and indirect quotation. For a different use of the same front half, see -다고 해서. The Reported Speech section lists every pattern, and the Intermediate Grammar page shows where this one sits among the B1 patterns.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid. The Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: statement + 다고요 with a rising voice means "You said...?".

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -(느)ㄴ다고요? Mean in Korean?

-(느)ㄴ다고요? means "You said...?" It repeats the other person's statement as a question, either to check that you heard correctly or to show surprise. 내일 간다고요? means "You said you are going tomorrow?" and 그 사람이 의사라고요? means "You say he is a doctor?"

How Do I Form -(느)ㄴ다고요?

Use the plain-style statement form and add 고요. Verbs take ㄴ/는: 가다 becomes 간다고요, and 먹다 becomes 먹는다고요. Adjectives, 있다/없다 and past forms keep the plain -다: 좋다고요, 있다고요, 갔다고요. Nouns take (이)라고요: 학생이라고요, 의사라고요. An ㄹ-stem drops the ㄹ: 산다고요.

Does -(느)ㄴ다고요 Always End with a Rising Tone?

The echo question rises on 요. The same words with a falling tone become an insistence: 괜찮다고요. means "I said it's okay." If you want to insist without any doubt about the meaning, use -(느)ㄴ다니까요, which is always an insistence.

What Does 뭐라고요? Mean?

뭐라고요? means "What did you say?" The word 뭐 stands for the words the other person just said, so you are asking them to repeat it. It is a very common phrase when you cannot hear or cannot believe what you heard.

Can I Use -(느)ㄴ다고요? with a Teacher or an Older Person?

Yes, because the final 요 makes it polite. Be careful with strong disbelief, which can sound rude. Add 아 or 정말요 to soften it, and use -(으)시- if the person deserves respect: 선생님이 오신다고요?

How Is -(느)ㄴ다고요? Different from -(느)ㄴ다고 해요?

-(느)ㄴ다고 해요 reports what a third person says: "He says he is going." -(느)ㄴ다고요? repeats what the person in front of you just said. The echo question ends the sentence, and the reported form needs a verb 하다 after 고.

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