-다니
I Can't Believe, To Think That
-다니 is used to express surprise, disbelief, or another strong emotion (like admiration or disappointment) upon hearing or realizing something. It translates to 'To think that...' or 'I can't believe that...'
How It Works
-다니 is a powerful expression used to convey a strong emotional reaction to a piece of information. It's as if the speaker is quoting a fact and then immediately reacting to it. The emotion can be positive (admiration, pleasant surprise), negative (shock, disappointment, criticism), or neutral (simple disbelief).
Conjugation Rules:
The conjugation depends on the type of word and tense.
- Verbs (Present Tense): Stem + -ㄴ/는다니
- 먹다 → 먹는다니 (To think that someone eats...)
- 가다 → 간다니 (To think that someone goes...) - Adjectives: Stem + 다니
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘다니 (To think that it's pretty!)
- 크다 → 크다니 (I can't believe it's so big!) - Nouns: Noun + -(이)라니
- 학생 → 학생이라니 (To think he's a student!)
- 의사 → 의사라니 (I can't believe she's a doctor!) - Past Tense: Stem + -았/었다니
- 했다 → 했다니 (To think that they did it!)
- 봤다 → 봤다니 (I can't believe you saw it!) - Future/Conjecture: Stem + -겠다니
- 가겠다 → 가겠다니 (To think that you will go!)
This pattern is often used as a standalone exclamation or as the first part of a sentence where the second part describes the speaker's reaction. For example: [Fact]-다니 [Reaction].
Examples (5)
- 그 영화가 그렇게 재미있다니, 저도 꼭 봐야겠어요.
To think that movie is so fun, I must watch it too.
Word by Word: That movie that much is fun, I also definitely must watch.
The speaker expresses surprise and interest upon hearing how fun the movie is.
- 매일 아침 5시에 일어난다니 정말 대단하네요.
To think that you wake up at 5 AM every day, that's truly amazing.
Word by Word: Every morning at 5 o'clock wake up, really is amazing.
This sentence shows admiration for someone's disciplined routine.
- 저 사람이 제 상사라니 믿을 수가 없어요.
I can't believe that person is my boss.
Word by Word: That person my boss is, I cannot believe.
Here, -라니 is used with a noun (상사) to express shock or disbelief.
- 벌써 숙제를 다 했다니, 정말 빨리 끝냈네요!
To think you've already finished all your homework! You finished really fast!
Word by Word: Already homework all did, really quickly finished!
The past tense -했다니 is used to show surprise about a completed action.
- 시험 전날에 밤새 게임을 했다니 제정신이야?
To think you stayed up all night playing games the day before an exam, are you in your right mind?
Word by Word: Exam day before all night games did, are you sane?
This example shows how -다니 can be used to express critical disbelief or disapproval.
Common Mistakes
Confusing -다니 (surprise) with -다니까 (reason/emphasis).
Not Quite비가 온다니 우산을 가져가세요.Better비가 온다니까 우산을 가져가세요.-다니 expresses an emotional reaction to a fact ('I can't believe it's raining!'). -다니까 gives a reason for a command or suggestion ('Because it's raining, take an umbrella.'). They are not interchangeable.
Using the wrong conjugation for nouns.
Not Quite그 사람이 한국 사람다니, 한국말을 정말 잘하네요.Better그 사람이 한국 사람이라니, 한국말을 정말 잘하네요.For nouns, you must use the copula 이다 and attach the pattern to it, resulting in -(이)라니. You cannot attach -다니 directly to a noun.
Learn This First
To express surprise 'I can't believe/to think that', you need statement forms.
Related Patterns
- -는다고/ㄴ다고/다고Say That, Claim That
This is the basic indirect quotation form. -다니 is a contraction of '-다고 하니' (since they say that...), so understanding this base form is key to understanding where -다니 comes from.
- -다니까I'm Telling You
Also derived from a quotative form ('-다고 하니까'), but used to provide a reason or to re-emphasize a point, often before a command or suggestion. It's crucial to distinguish this from the surprise/disbelief of -다니.
- -더니I Noticed, And Then
Used when the speaker observes a situation that leads to a subsequent result. While both involve a preceding fact, -더니 focuses on a sequence or cause-and-effect, whereas -다니 focuses on the speaker's emotional reaction to the fact itself.
- -군/구나Oh, I See
This is an exclamatory ending expressing a new realization or mild surprise. -다니 expresses a much stronger emotion like shock, disbelief, or admiration, while -구나 is a more gentle 'Oh, I see!' or 'So that's how it is!'