If you are studying Korean indirect questions, this lesson is the one to keep. You will learn how -는지 / -냐고 하다 works in real conversation, when to use it, and the mistakes English speakers make first. This is a Korean advanced grammar guide with examples, romanization, and a five-minute speaking drill.
By the end you should be able to hear -는지 / -냐고 하다 in dramas and K-talk, then reuse it in your own sentences. Read once. Say the examples out loud. Then drill the same lines on Practice.
What -는지 / -냐고 하다 means
Korean indirect questions tuck a question inside a sentence. 언제 오는지만 알려 주세요: just tell me when you’re coming. -냐고 하다 quotes someone’s question. Advanced speech needs both to retell conversations cleanly.
How to form it
- Action present: -는지 → 가는지, 먹는지
- Adjective / past: -(으)ㄴ지 → 바쁜지, 갔는지
- Noun: 인지 → 학생인지
- Quoted question: -냐고 하다 → 가냐고 했어요, 학생이냐고 했어요
-는지 / -냐고 하다 examples
Use these Korean indirect questions example sentences as a speaking list. Korean first, then pronunciation, then English.
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 회의가 몇 시에 시작하는지 아세요? | hoeuiga myeot sie sijakaneunji aseyo? | Do you know what time the meeting starts? |
| 왜 안 왔는지 모르겠어요. | wae an wanneunji moreugesseoyo. | I don’t know why they didn’t come. |
| 이게 맞는지 확인해 주세요. | ige manneunji hwaginhae juseyo. | Please check whether this is right. |
| 민수가 어디 사는지 물어봤어요. | minsuga eodi saneunji mureobwasseoyo. | I asked where Minsu lives. |
| 선생님이 숙제 했냐고 하셨어요. | seonsaengnimi sukje haennyago hasyeosseoyo. | The teacher asked if we did the homework. |
| 그 사람이 누구인지 아직 몰라요. | geu sarami nuguinji ajik mollayo. | I still don’t know who that person is. |
When to use it
- I don’t know / tell me / I wonder + question word.
- Retelling “they asked if…”
- Softening a direct 뭐예요?
Common mistakes
These are the traps English speakers hit when they translate word-for-word. Fix the pattern, not just the vocabulary.
Watch-out
❌ 냐고 하다 vs 다고 하다
✅ Questions take 냐고
갔다고 했어요 = they said they went. 갔냐고 했어요 = they asked if (someone) went.
Watch-out
❌ 는지요 as a full polite question always
✅ Sometimes 나요 / 가요 is simpler
는지 shines when embedded.
Watch-out
❌ 바쁜는지
✅ 바쁜지
Adjectives: ㄴ지.
Mini dialogue
Read it twice. Second time, cover the English.
| Speaker | Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 지은 씨가 올까요? | jieun ssiga olkkayo? | Will Jieun come? |
| B | 온다고는 했는데, 몇 시에 올지는 안 알려 줬어요. | ondagoneun haenneunde, myeot sie oljineun an allyeo jwosseoyo. | She said she’s coming, but she didn’t say what time. |
| A | 그러면 제가 한번 물어볼게요. | geureomyeon jega hanbeon mureobolgeyo. | Then I’ll ask once. |
Don’t mix these up
Embedded -는지 is not reported speech. -냐고 하다 is reported speech for questions. You can nest: 언제 오는지 물어봤어요.
Five-minute Korean speaking practice
Korean speaking practice beats extra grammar notes. Do this once today, then again tomorrow without looking.
- Read each example slowly, Korean only.
- Say it at natural speed. Record yourself if you can.
- Cover the Korean and rebuild the sentence from English.
- Swap in your own details: your job, your city, your weekend.
Starter lines for today:
- 이게 무슨 뜻인지 모르겠어요.
- 어디로 가야 하는지 알려 주세요.
- 친구가 괜찮냐고 했어요.
Lesson summary
- Pattern: -는지 / -냐고 하다
- Search topic: Korean indirect questions
- -는지 embeds a question. -냐고 하다 quotes a question. -다고 하다 quotes a statement.
- Say it out loud on Practice, then come back to Guides if a particle still feels sticky.
Homework
- Turn five direct questions into 는지 embeddings.
- Turn three into 냐고 하다 reports.
- Practice 인지 after nouns: 누구인지, 어디인지, 몇 시인지.
Korean indirect questions: quick answers
을지?
Future/uncertainty cousin: 올지 모르겠어요. Very useful.
는지라?
Different, written cause. Don’t mix it into this lesson.
Keep going
Want a path, not a single grammar point? Open Learn or browse the rest of this series in Korean advanced.