-냐고 하다
Asked if, Asked Whether
-냐고 하다 is used to quote a question someone asked. It's the indirect speech form for questions, similar to 'asked if...' or 'asked what/when/where...' in English.
How It Works
-냐고 하다 is a key pattern in Korean reported speech, used specifically for quoting questions. It changes a direct question into an indirect one.
Conjugation Rules:
The ending changes slightly depending on what it's attached to.
1. Verbs:
Attach -냐고 하다 directly to the verb stem, regardless of whether it ends in a vowel or consonant.
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹냐고 하다
- 가다 (to go) → 가냐고 하다
2. Adjectives:
Attach -(으)냐고 하다 to the adjective stem.
- If the stem ends in a vowel: -냐고 하다 (e.g., 크다 → 크냐고 하다)
- If the stem ends in a consonant: -으냐고 하다 (e.g., 작다 → 작으냐고 하다)
- Exception: For stems ending in 있다/없다, use -냐고 하다 (e.g., 재미있다 → 재미있냐고 하다)
3. Nouns (with 이다):
Attach -(이)냐고 하다.
- If the noun ends in a vowel: -냐고 하다 (e.g., 의사 → 의사냐고 하다)
- If the noun ends in a consonant: -이냐고 하다 (e.g., 학생 → 학생이냐고 하다)
Tense:
Tense is applied to the original verb/adjective before adding -냐고 하다.
- Past: -았/었냐고 하다 (e.g., 먹었다 → 먹었냐고 하다)
- Future: -ㄹ/을 거냐고 하다 (e.g., 갈 것이다 → 갈 거냐고 하다)
The final verb, 하다, is conjugated to match the tense of the reporting sentence (e.g., 했어요, 해요, 할 거예요). It's very common to use 묻다 (to ask) or 물어보다 (to ask) instead of 하다 for clarity.
Examples (5)
- 친구가 저녁에 뭐 먹냐고 물어봤어요.
My friend asked what I'm eating for dinner.
Word by Word: Friend in the evening what eat-asked.
The direct question '뭐 먹어?' (What are you eating?) is reported using the verb 먹다 + -냐고 물어봤어요.
- 선생님께서 그 영화가 재미있냐고 하셨어요.
The teacher asked if that movie is fun.
Word by Word: Teacher that movie is fun-asked (honorific).
The adjective 재미있다 (to be fun) is combined with -냐고 하다 to report the question '재미있어요?'.
- 저 사람이 학생이냐고 물었어요.
She asked if that person is a student.
Word by Word: That person student is-asked.
The noun 학생 (student), which ends in a consonant, uses -이냐고 to report the question '학생이에요?'.
- 엄마가 숙제 다 했냐고 물어보셨어요.
My mom asked if I finished all my homework.
Word by Word: Mom homework all did-asked (honorific).
This reports a past tense question. The past tense -했- is part of the quoted verb, followed by -냐고.
- 언제 한국에 갈 거냐고 물었어요.
He asked when I will go to Korea.
Word by Word: When to Korea go will-asked.
This reports a future tense question using the -ㄹ 거 form, followed by -냐고.
Common Mistakes
Using the statement reporting form (-다고) for questions.
Not Quite친구가 언제 오다고 물었어요.Better친구가 언제 오냐고 물었어요.To report a question, you must use the interrogative form -냐고 하다. The form -다고 하다 is used for reporting statements.
Forgetting to add -이- when reporting a question about a noun ending in a consonant.
Not Quite이것이 무엇냐고 물었어요.Better이것이 무엇이냐고 물었어요.When quoting a question with a noun ending in a consonant (like 무엇), you must use -이냐고. For nouns ending in a vowel (like 누구), you use -냐고 (누구냐고).
Using the direct question ending (-아요/어요) in an indirect quote.
Not Quite친구가 어디 가요고 물어봤어요.Better친구가 어디 가냐고 물어봤어요.When reporting speech indirectly, you must change the original sentence ending to the appropriate reporting form. The polite ending -요 is dropped and replaced with -냐고.
Learn This First
To report questions indirectly, learners need the indirect question marker -냐고 and 하다.
Related Patterns
- -다고 하다Said That, Reported That
This is the counterpart to -냐고 하다 used for reporting statements. For example, 'I am a student' becomes 학생이라고 해요. It's essential to learn them together to distinguish between reporting statements and questions.
- -라고 하다Said That, Told to
This is used for reporting commands or requests (e.g., 'Go!' becomes 가라고 했어요). It's part of the same family of reported speech patterns as -냐고 하다.
- -자고Let's, Suggest Doing
This is used for reporting suggestions (e.g., 'Let's go!' becomes 가자고 했어요). Learning -냐고, -다고, -라고, and -자고 together covers the four basic types of reported speech.
- -ㄴ지/는지Whether, If
Both patterns can translate to 'if/whether', but they are used in different contexts. -냐고 하다 reports a direct question someone asked. -ㄴ/는지 is used to embed a question or uncertainty within a larger sentence, often with verbs like 알다 (to know), 모르다 (to not know), or 궁금하다 (to be curious). For example: '언제 와요?' → '언제 오냐고 물었어요.' (He asked when I'm coming.) vs. '언제 오는지 몰라요.' (I don't know when he's coming.)
- Question formation
-냐고 하다 is used to report questions. Understanding how direct questions are formed in Korean (e.g., using endings like -아/어요?, -ㅂ/습니까?, -니?, -냐?) is fundamental to knowing what kind of sentences can be reported with this pattern.