-지 그래요? Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -지 그래요 to a verb stem and say the suggestion aloud.
• Handle consonant stems, ㄹ-stems and irregular verbs, which do not change.
• Use the past form -지 그랬어요? and know that it sounds critical.
• Soften the pattern with 좀 and with a friendly tone.
• Choose between -지 그래요?, -는 게 어때요? and -(으)세요.

Before you start: you should know how to find a verb stem by dropping 다, and the polite question -(으)ㄹ까요?, which makes a different kind of suggestion. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -지 그래요? Grammar Mean?

-지 그래요? grammar means "why don't you...?" and it suggests an action to the person you are speaking to. The speaker thinks the action is a good idea and says so in the form of a question. The listener is free to agree or not, but the question suggests that the idea is fairly obvious.

Two examples show the idea.

• 피곤하면 좀 쉬지 그래요? (pigonhamyeon jom swiji geuraeyo?) = "If you're tired, why don't you rest a bit?"
• 병원에 가 보지 그래요? (byeongwone ga boji geuraeyo?) [병워네 가 보지 그래요] = "Why don't you go to the hospital?"

The word 그래요 is the polite form of 그러다, a verb that means "to do so". The whole pattern is close to "why not do so?" The sections below show how to build the ending and how the tone changes its meaning. First comes the formation rule.

How Do You Form -지 그래요?

-지 그래요? is formed by dropping 다 from the dictionary form of a verb and adding -지 그래요 to the stem. The ending is the same for every stem. Unlike -(으)ㄹ까요? and -(으)세요, it has no version with 으, because 지 can follow any final consonant directly.

The table shows one ending with one shape. The sound column shows a change after a stop sound, which the next parts explain. The Revised Romanization writes the letters (meokji), not the tense sound. The next parts take each stem type in turn.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

A vowel stem takes -지 그래요 directly: 쉬다 becomes 쉬지 그래요, 타다 becomes 타지 그래요, and 사과하다 becomes 사과하지 그래요.

• 택시를 타지 그래요? (taeksireul taji geuraeyo?) = "Why don't you take a taxi?"
• 먼저 사과하지 그래요? (meonjeo sagwahaji geuraeyo?) = "Why don't you apologise first?"

No sound change happens after a vowel, so 타지 is simply [타지].

Stems Ending in a Consonant

A consonant stem also takes -지 그래요 directly, with no 으: 먹다 becomes 먹지 그래요, and 앉다 becomes 앉지 그래요. The ㅈ of 지 sounds tense after the stem's final sound, so 먹지 is said [먹찌], 앉지 is said [안찌], and 읽지 is said [익찌]. The pronunciation follows the 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법), which tense a plain consonant after a stop sound, and after ㄴ or ㅁ at the end of a verb stem.

• 좀 먹지 그래요? (jom meokji geuraeyo?) [좀 먹찌 그래요] = "Why don't you eat something?"
• 여기 앉지 그래요? (yeogi anji geuraeyo?) [여기 안찌 그래요] = "Why don't you sit here?"

Do not write 먹찌 or 안찌. The spelling stays 지, and the tense sound is a pronunciation habit only.

Do ㄹ-Stems and Irregular Verbs Change?

ㄹ-stems keep their ㄹ, because the ㄹ drops only before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ, and 지 starts with ㅈ. Irregular stems keep their base form, because their changes happen only before a vowel, and 지 starts with a consonant.

This is the opposite of -(으)ㄹ까요? and -(으)세요, where the same stems change. With the formation clear, one sentence can be built step by step.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -지 그래요?

-지 그래요? grammar works by turning a plain verb into a gentle piece of advice. Follow the steps for the sentence "Why don't you take a taxi?"

1. Start with the dictionary form. The verb is 타다 (to ride, to take).
2. Drop 다 to find the stem. The stem is 타. It ends in a vowel.
3. Add -지 그래요. There is no linking vowel, so you get 타지 그래요.
4. Add the object. 택시를 is "a taxi" with the object particle 를, and it comes before the verb.
5. Complete the sentence. 택시를 타지 그래요? (taeksireul taji geuraeyo?) = "Why don't you take a taxi?"

You will know it worked when the verb ends in -지 그래요 with no 으 and the listener is the one who would act. The most common slip is adding 으: 먹으지 그래요 is wrong. The next question is when the ending can appear in different tenses and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -지 그래요?

-지 그래요? works in the present as a suggestion, and in the past as a reproach. It attaches to action verbs, and the listener is the doer.

The past form is the one that surprises learners. 미리 말하지 그랬어요? (miri malhaji geuraesseoyo?) does not suggest anything, because the moment has passed. It says "You should have told me earlier," and the question form makes it sound like gentle complaint. 어제 쉬지 그랬어요? ("Why didn't you rest yesterday?") works the same way.

For intonation, a light rise at the end gives the question a friendly feel. A flat or falling tone, often with a pause before 그래요, makes it sound like criticism or impatience. This pattern has no question word, so the yes/no rise is the normal choice. The pattern has close neighbours that learners confuse with it.

How Is -지 그래요? Different from -는 게 어때요? and -(으)세요?

-지 그래요? suggests an action that the speaker thinks is obvious, -는 게 어때요? invites the listener's opinion, and -(으)세요 gives a direct polite instruction. They differ in how much freedom they leave.

Compare 병원에 가 보지 그래요? with 병원에 가는 게 어때요? The first assumes the idea is a good one and nudges the listener. The second asks what the listener thinks of the idea, so it is gentler. The full contrast is covered in -는 게 어때요?, in -(으)세요 and in -(으)ㄹ까요?. These contrasts lead to a few variations in how the ending is used.

Variations and Edge Cases of -지 그래요?

-지 그래요? has four common variations: softeners, a trial verb, casual speech and an honorific. Each one shows how real speakers use it.

• Softeners. Adding 좀 ("a bit") or 한번 ("once") makes the suggestion lighter: 한번 해 보지 그래요? ("Why don't you try it once?").
• A trial verb. Adding -아/어 보다 ("try doing") makes the advice sound smaller: 전화해 보지 그래요? (jeonhwahae boji geuraeyo?) = "Why don't you try calling?"
• Casual speech. Drop 요 to talk to a friend: 너무 늦었는데 택시 타지 그래? ("It's too late, so why don't you take a taxi?").
• Honorific. Insert -(으)시- to address a respected listener: 좀 앉으시지 그래요? (jom anjeusiji geuraeyo?) [좀 안즈시지 그래요]. It is possible, but it can still sound pushy to a senior.

This lesson covers the suggestion pattern, not the whole system of advice endings. The honorific marker -(으)시- has its own page on honorific -(으)시-. For the wider picture, see Korean Speech Levels. The mistakes below are the ones that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -지 그래요?

Learners most often confuse the tone, the subject and the stem. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Ignoring tone. The words are polite, but a sharp tone turns a suggestion into a complaint. Keep a light rise and add 좀.
2. Using it for yourself. 쉬지 그래요 cannot mean "I will rest." The doer is the listener. Say 제가 쉴게요.
3. Using it with a senior. A suggestion to a boss in this form sounds like criticism. Prefer 쉬시는 게 어때요?.
4. Adding 으 or changing the stem. 먹으지 그래요 and 만드지 그래요 are wrong. The pattern attaches to the plain stem: 먹지 그래요, 만들지 그래요.

A quick check: Is the listener the doer? Is the tone friendly? Is the stem followed directly by 지 그래요? 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: 피곤하면 좀 ___? (쉬지 그래요 / 쉬으지 그래요)
2. Fix the error. A learner writes 만드지 그래요 for "Why don't you make it?" Correct it.
3. Translate. "Why don't you go to the hospital?" Use 가 보다.
4. Choose the form. Your friend missed the bus because he did not leave early. You say "Why didn't you leave earlier?" Use 출발하다 and the past form.

Answer key

1. 쉬지 그래요. The pattern attaches directly to the stem 쉬.
2. 만들지 그래요. The ㄹ of 만들 stays, because 지 does not start with ㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ.
3. 병원에 가 보지 그래요? The verb is 가 보다, so the stem is 가 보.
4. 일찍 출발하지 그랬어요? (iljjik chulbalhaji geuraesseoyo?) [일찍 출발하지 그래써요] The past form looks back at what did not happen.

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can give gentle advice in Korean. The final section points to the next lessons.

What Should You Learn Next after -지 그래요? Grammar?

After -지 그래요? grammar, learn the gentler suggestion, then the other advice endings. This lesson teaches the soft suggestion and the past reproach and does not cover the full advice system, the honorific or the favour patterns in depth. Those live on separate pages.

1. Learn -는 게 어때요?, the open suggestion.
2. Review -(으)ㄹ까요? for suggestions that include the speaker.
3. Read Suggestions and Requests for every suggestion and request ending in one place.
4. Return to the Intermediate Grammar list for the other patterns at this level.

TOPIK is the official Korean proficiency test, and the level shown here is an editorial estimate; the official descriptions are on topik.go.kr. With these steps, the choice becomes automatic: use -지 그래요? for friendly advice among equals, and -는 게 어때요? when you want the listener to decide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -지 그래요? mean?

-지 그래요? means "why don't you...?" and gives a soft suggestion to the listener. 피곤하면 좀 쉬지 그래요? means "If you are tired, why don't you rest a bit?" The speaker thinks the action is a good idea but leaves the choice to the listener. The tone decides whether it sounds kind or critical.

How do I attach -지 그래요? to a verb?

Drop 다 from the verb and add -지 그래요 to the stem. The ending is the same after a vowel and after a consonant: 쉬다 becomes 쉬지 그래요, and 먹다 becomes 먹지 그래요. ㄹ-stems keep their ㄹ (만들지 그래요), and irregular stems keep their base form (듣지 그래요). Add the casual form -지 그래 for friends.

Can -지 그래요? sound rude or like nagging?

Yes. A suggestion in question form can sound like mild criticism, especially in a flat or sharp tone, or when the listener has already heard the advice. The past form -지 그랬어요? is even more critical: it means "Why didn't you...?" Softeners such as 좀 and a friendly tone help. With seniors, -는 게 어때요? is safer.

Can I use -지 그래요? about myself or for "let's"?

No. The pattern suggests an action to the person spoken to, so the doer is the listener. For your own offer or plan, use -(으)ㄹ게요 or -(으)ㄹ래요. To suggest something for both of you, use -(으)ㄹ까요? or -자.

What is the difference between -지 그래요? and -는 게 어때요?

-는 게 어때요? means "how about doing...?" and invites the listener's opinion. -지 그래요? means "why don't you...?" and often assumes the idea is obvious. 병원에 가는 게 어때요? offers an idea; 병원에 가 보지 그래요? pushes it a little. Both are polite endings, but -는 게 어때요? is gentler.

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