-냐고
Whether, If (Indirect Question)
-냐고 is used to quote or report a question someone asked. It's like saying '...asked if/whether...' in English.
How It Works
When you want to tell someone about a question that another person asked, you use -냐고. This is a fundamental pattern in reported speech.
Conjugation Rules:
The ending changes slightly depending on the type of word and tense.
1. Verbs: Attach -느냐고 to the verb stem.
- 가다 → 가느냐고
- 먹다 → 먹느냐고
In casual speech, this is often shortened to just -냐고 (e.g., 가냐고).
2. Adjectives: Attach -냐고 to the adjective stem, regardless of whether it ends in a vowel or a consonant.
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘냐고
- 작다 → 작냐고
3. Nouns (with 이다): Attach -(이)냐고.
- If the noun ends in a vowel: -냐고 (e.g., 의사 → 의사냐고)
- If the noun ends in a consonant: -이냐고 (e.g., 학생 → 학생이냐고)
4. Tense:
- Past Tense (-았/었-): Attach -았/었느냐고 to the stem. (e.g., 먹었다 → 먹었느냐고, 갔다 → 갔느냐고)
- Future Tense (-겠-): Attach -겠느냐고 to the stem. (e.g., 가겠다 → 가겠느냐고)
Just like with present tense verbs, the -느- in the past and future tense forms is often dropped in casual speech (e.g., 먹었냐고, 가겠냐고).
The full sentence structure is often: [Asker]이/가 [Listener]에게 [Question content]-냐고 묻다/물어보다.
Examples (5)
- 친구가 저에게 어디 가느냐고 물었어요.
My friend asked me where I was going.
Word by Word: Friend to me where are you going asked.
The verb 가다 becomes 가느냐고 to report the question '어디 가?'. In casual speech, '어디 가냐고' is more common.
- 엄마가 오늘 날씨가 춥냐고 하셨어요.
My mom asked if the weather is cold today.
Word by Word: Mom today weather is cold said/asked.
The adjective stem 춥- is combined with -냐고. For this grammar pattern, the 'ㅂ' irregular rule does not apply, so it correctly becomes 춥냐고 (not 추우냐고).
- 선생님께서 제가 몇 학년이냐고 질문하셨어요.
The teacher asked what grade I am in.
Word by Word: Teacher me what grade am asked a question.
The noun 학년 ends in a consonant, so it takes -이냐고.
- 동생이 점심을 먹었냐고 물어봤어요.
My younger sibling asked if I had eaten lunch.
Word by Word: Younger sibling lunch ate asked.
This shows the past tense. The formal reported form is 먹었느냐고, but the colloquial form 먹었냐고 is very common in speech.
- 수진 씨가 이게 뭐냐고 해요.
Sujin is asking what this is.
Word by Word: Sujin this what is it says/asks.
This example uses the noun 뭐 (what) with -냐고.
Common Mistakes
Using the verb conjugation for adjectives.
Not Quite친구가 이 옷이 예쁘느냐고 했어요.Better친구가 이 옷이 예쁘냐고 했어요.Adjective stems take -냐고, not -느냐고. -느냐고 is for verbs. So, 예쁘다 becomes 예쁘냐고.
Confusing indirect and direct quotations.
Not Quite친구가 "어디 가냐고?" 물었어요.Better친구가 "어디 가?"라고 물었어요.-냐고 is for indirect speech (no quotation marks). For direct quotes, use the original question form inside quotation marks followed by -라고.
Learn This First
To express 'whether, if (indirect question)', you need conjugation and question knowledge.
Related Patterns
- -는다고/ㄴ다고/다고Say That, Claim That
This is the indirect quotation form for declarative statements ('say that...'). -냐고 is its direct counterpart for questions ('ask if/whether...'). They are part of the same reported speech system.
- -자고Let's, Suggest Doing
This is the indirect quotation form for proposals ('suggest that we...'). Like -냐고, it's used to report a specific type of utterance.
- -라고Tell/order to Do
This is used for direct quotations (e.g., "..."라고) and for reporting commands ('tell to...'). It's important to distinguish its use from -냐고, which is specifically for indirect questions.
- -ㄴ지/는지Whether, If
Both can embed a question in a sentence (e.g., 어디 가는지 알아요? - Do you know where they are going?). However, -냐고 specifically reports a question someone asked, while -ㄴ지/는지 is used more broadly to embed unknown information or uncertainty.
- -냐Casual Question Ending
This is a casual question ending. -냐고 is formed by combining this question form with the quoting particle -고.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.