-자고
Let's, Suggest Doing
-자고 is a reported speech ending used to quote a suggestion someone made, like 'Let's do...'.
How It Works
-자고 is a key part of Korean's indirect quotation system, specifically for reporting proposals or suggestions. It transforms a direct suggestion into a reported one.
Direct Suggestion vs. Indirect Quotation:
- Direct: 친구가 "우리 영화 보자."라고 했어요.
My friend said, "Let's watch a movie." - Indirect: 친구가 우리 영화 보자고 했어요.
My friend suggested that we watch a movie.
As you can see, the original suggestion ending -자 is changed to -자고, and the quotation marks are removed.
This pattern is most commonly used with verbs like 하다 (to do/say), 말하다 (to say/speak), and 제안하다 (to suggest/propose).
How it fits with other quotation forms:
Korean has different endings for quoting different types of sentences:
- Statements: -다고 하다 (He said that...)
- Questions: -냐고 하다 (He asked if...)
- Suggestions: -자고 하다 (He suggested that we...)
- Commands: -라고 하다 (He told me to...)
Understanding this distinction is crucial. -자고 is used exclusively for suggestions.
Negative Suggestions:
To report a negative suggestion ("Let's not do..."), you use the form -지 말자고 하다.
For example, "피곤하니까 쉬자." (Let's rest because we're tired) becomes 피곤하니까 쉬자고 했어요.
"술을 마시지 말자." (Let's not drink alcohol) becomes 술을 마시지 말자고 했어요.
Examples (5)
- 친구가 저녁을 같이 먹자고 했어요.
My friend suggested we eat dinner together.
Word by Word: Friend dinner together eat-let's said.
- 민준 씨가 회의 후에 커피 한잔하자고 했어요.
Minjun suggested having a cup of coffee after the meeting.
Word by Word: Minjun after the meeting coffee one cup do-let's said.
- 의사 선생님이 매일 운동하자고 조언하셨어요.
The doctor advised that I exercise every day.
Here, '조언하셨어요' (advised) is used instead of '했어요', showing that -자고 can be paired with other verbs of speaking or suggesting.
- 동생이 너무 시끄러우니까 조용히 하자고 했어요.
My younger sibling said let's be quiet because it's too loud.
Word by Word: Younger sibling too loud so quietly do-let's said.
- 비가 오니까 오늘은 나가지 말자고 약속했어요.
We promised not to go out today because it's raining.
This example shows the negative form, -지 말자고, used to report a suggestion not to do something.
Common Mistakes
Using -자고 to report a statement instead of a suggestion.
Not Quite그녀가 예쁘자고 했어요.Better그녀가 예쁘다고 했어요.-자고 is only for suggestions ('Let's...'). To report a statement of fact or opinion ('She is pretty'), you must use the declarative quotation form -다고.
Using -자고 with descriptive verbs (adjectives).
Different Meaning우리는 행복하자고 했어요.Better우리는 행복하게 살자고 했어요.The suggestion form -자 and its reported form -자고 are used with action verbs. While '행복하자' (Let's be happy) is a common idiomatic phrase, grammatically you cannot suggest a state of being with a pure adjective. Instead, you suggest an action, like '살자' (let's live), and modify it with an adverb like '행복하게' (happily).
Learn This First
To suggest doing something together, you need suggestion patterns and conjugation.
Related Patterns
- -(으)ㅂ시다Let's
-ㅂ시다 is the formal polite way to say 'Let's...'. -자고 is used to report suggestions made with either -자 or -ㅂ시다.
- -는다고/ㄴ다고/다고Say That, Claim That
This is the reported speech form for statements. It's important to contrast it with -자고 (suggestions) to understand the different types of indirect quotation.
- -냐고Whether, If (Indirect Question)
This is the reported speech form for questions. Comparing -자고 (suggestions) with -냐고 (questions) helps clarify how to report different sentence types.
- -라고Tell/order to Do
This is the reported speech form for commands ('Do this!'). It completes the set of basic quotation forms along with -자고 (suggestions), -다고 (statements), and -냐고 (questions).
- -지 말다Don't Do
This means 'don't do'. It combines with -자 to make negative suggestions ('-지 말자') and with -자고 to report them ('-지 말자고').