Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 4 - Intermediate Korean #1 (Lessons 91 to 120) ᚛ Lesson 107 - "You know that..." in Korean [-잖아(요)]

"You know that..." in Korean [-잖아(요)]

In this course: 잖아 / 잖아요

The suffix -잖아(요) is one of those Korean suffixes that bring a nuance which is not always easy to translate literally into English. -잖아(요) is used when the listener knows, or is supposed to know, what we are talking about. In English, it could be translated by many expressions such as "you know that", "as you know", "don’t forget that" or any other expression indicating that the listener should already know the information we are giving.

To use the suffix -잖아(요), simply follow the following structure:
[Stem]잖아(요)

- 오빠, 그 반지를 사 주세요.
→ Oppa, please buy me that ring.
- 난 돈이 없잖아.
→ I don’t have any money (as you know).

- 파티에 왜 안 갔어?
→ Why didn’t you go to the party?
- 아팠잖아.
→ I was sick (and you know it, I told you)

- 저는 코트를 입을까요?
→ Should I put on a coat?
- 밖에 춥잖아요.
→ (You know that) it’s cold outside.

가자코레는 한국어를 배우는 것에 가장 좋은 사이트잖아요.
→ KajaKorea is (obviously, as you know) the best site to learn Korean. (Thank you very much! :D)

Summary table of structure

Exercises

Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.

Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!

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