Mastering 는지 grammar | express uncertainty or guesswork

Hello, everyone!

Today, we will learn a bit advanced Korean grammar! (는지 grammar)
I’ll show you exactly when to use 는지 easily, so just trust me and follow along.

I will explain each point step by step to facilitate understanding.

So just follow along with me!

Part 1,
Let’s grasp the concept of grammar

는지 : used to express uncertainty, whether/if, or to ask indirect questions

We’ve studied -는 것 grammar, which is used to turn verbs and adjectives into nouns. However, when you encounter words like what, who, where, when, why, how (the 5 Ws and How, plus which!), if, or whether, you should use -는지 instead of -는 것. The grammar -는지 is specifically used to express uncertainty, guesswork, or to ask indirect questions.



Let’s take a closer look how to form this!


How to Form “는지” (present tense)


To form 는지, you simply attach 는지 to the verb stem. Here’s how:


Simply drop the “다” part from the original verb, and add 는지 (the present tense form)


■ 가다 (to go) → 가는지
■ 먹다 (to eat) → 먹는지
■ 쉬다 (to rest) → 쉬는지
■ 찾다 (to find) → 찾는지
■ 살다 (to live) → 사는지 (Drop “ㄹ”!✨)


It is often paired with verbs like 알다 (to know), 모르다 (to not know), 기억나다 (to remember), and 물어보다 (to ask).

Now, let’s take a look at how -는지 is used in sentences.

I asked where the store is (present tense).

In this sentence, there are two verbs: asked (the main verb) and is (an additional verb). Since a sentence cannot have two basic verb forms, we need to change the form of the second verb.
But! the sentence includes the word “where”, we use -는지 for the additional verb.

For “to be” (있다, referring to location), we simply remove -다 and add -는지, giving us 있는지.

Sentence order:

In Korean, the typical word order starts with the subject, followed by other details, and ends with the verbs. The main verb is placed at the very end of the sentence, while the additional verb appears right before it.

So to say this sentence, I asked where the store is, we will start with the subjects!

I (main subject) → the store (additional subject) → where → is (additional verb) → asked (main verb).

나는 가게가 어디(에) 있는지 물어봤어요.

For the additional verb (is), we add -는지 because the sentence includes the question word where.

For the additional subject (the store), we use the particles 이 or 가 exclusively.



Let’s take a look at more examples!



Do you know if he is at home?

그 사람이(he) 집에(at home) 있는지(is) 알아요?(do you know?)

• 그 사람 is a formal way to say “he.” Informally, you can use 걔 instead.

• The main subject is “you,” while “he” is the additional subject. So for “He,” we use the particles 이/가.

• By adding -는지 after 있다 (to be), we express the concept of “if” in Korean. There’s no need to explicitly translate “if” into the sentence.

I’m curious why she is crying.

나는(I) 그 사람이(She) 왜(why) 우는지(cry+ 는지) 궁금해요(curious)

• 울다 (to cry) ends with the ㄹ batchim, so we drop it. This is the same exception we learned with -는 것 grammar—do you remember? With -는 grammar, we always drop the ㄹ batchim, forming 우는지.

• As for 왜 (why), it’s very flexible in a sentence. It can appear anywhere, as long as it comes before the verb.

  -> 왜 그 사람이 우는지 궁금해요 is also possible!

Tell me know what you are eating!


너가(you) 뭐(what) 먹고 있는지(are eating) 말해 줘(tell me)!

• Here, we can also combine 먹고 있다 (be eating) with -는지 to form 먹고 있는지!

  While 먹고 있는 중인지 is also correct, it can feel a bit lengthy, so I personally prefer using 고 있다 over 는 중이다 in most cases.

• Do you remember the lesson on 주다(doing something for someone, lesson #27)? To express the verb “tell,” we combine 말하다 (to speak, say) with 주다 (to do for someone), creating 말해 주다.

  말해줘요 (formal) 말해 줘 (casual) -> You can memorize “tell someone” as 말해주다🐶

Now, we’re going to learn -는지 grammar with different tenses. This concept will repeat, and it’s the same as the -는 것 같아요 grammar we studied before. Do you remember our Lesson #20? To form -는 것 같아요, we learned how to use different tenses, and the same applies here!



The present tense form : “는지” for verbs and “ㄴ/은지” for adjectives.😊


e.g.)

I wonder if the weather is good :
날씨가 좋은지 궁금해 (casual)

* 좋다(to be good) -> since it ends in a batchim, we add 은지,  좋은지 (if it’s good)


I want to know if she is kind :
그 사람이 착한지 알고 싶어요.

* 착하다(to be kind) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ지,  착한지 (if she is kind)


I don’t know if he is happy :
그 사람이 행복한지 모르겠어요.

* 행복하다(to be happy) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ지,  행복한지 (if he is happy)


I’m not sure if I want to have a dog :
강아지를 키우고 싶은지 모르겠어요. (키우다: to raise)

* 고 싶다 (want to) is treated as an adjective, and since 싶 ends in a batchim, we add 은지! 키우고 싶은지 (if I want to raise)


I’m not sure who that person is :
그 사람이 누구인지 모르겠어요.

* 이다 (to be) is treated as an adjective, and since 이 ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ지!  누구(who) + 인지(is)


I’m not sure how I can do it :
어떻게 할 수 있는지 모르겠어요. (ㄹ/을 수 있다: can)

* can: ㄹ/을 수 있다 -> can be used in both the present and future tenses, depending on whether the action has happened yet or not. If you’re unsure how to do something at the moment, you would use the present tense. For the future tense, refer to the examples below.

The past tense form is : “ㄴ/은지“ for verbs (same as for the adjectives!) or 었/았/했는지



e.g.)

I wonder what she said.
걔가 뭐 말했는지/말한지 궁금해 (casual)

• 말하다(to say, talk) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ지,  말한지 or

  We can conjugate to the past tense, 말했어요, drop 어요 and add 는지! 말했는지

• 무슨 말한지 / 무슨 말했는지, 무슨(what kind, which) is also commonly used.

I don’t know why Mom came late yesterday
어제 우리 엄마가 왜 늦게 온지/ 왔는지 몰라요.

• 오다(to come) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ지,  온지 (why she came)

  왔어요(came) -> drop 어요, add 는지! 왔는지

I don’t remember if he was tall
걔가 키가 컸는지 기억이 안나요.

• (키가 크다:to be tall, literal meaning: the height is big / 키가 작다: to be short.)

• 크다(to be big) -> we conjugate to the past tense, 컸어요, drop 어요 and add 는지! 컸는지

• For adjectives, to conjugate them to the past tense, there’s only one way: we simply conjugate the adjective to the past tense and then add 는지.

I don’t remember if this restaurant was good.
그 식당이 맛있었는지 기억이 안나. (casual)

• 맛있다(to be delicious) -> we conjugate to the past tense, 맛있었어요, drop 어요 and add 는지! 맛있었는지

The future tense form is : “ㄹ/을지” for both verbs and adjectives.

When the adjectives or verbs end in a vowel, we add ㄹ and 지.
For those ending in a consonant, we add 을지.


e.g.)

I don’t know if he will go : 걔가 갈지 모르겠어요.
* 가다(to go) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄹ지, 갈지


I’m not sure if I’ll feel good tomorrow. : 내일 기분이 좋을지 모르겠어요.
* 좋다(to be good) -> since it ends in a batchim, we add 을지,  좋을지


I haven’t decided whether to make that cake: 케이크(를) 만들지 아직 안 정했어요.
* 만들다(to make) -> ends in the “ㄹ” batchim, we will simply add 지! 만들지
* “Have + decided” – In Korean, we use the simple past tense.




Look at these too!


I don’t know what I will wear = I don’t know what to wear.
뭐 입을지 모르겠어요

* In English, phrases like “what I will wear” are often shortened to “what to wear.” When translating these ideas, it’s important to consider the tense. If the situation hasn’t happened yet, we use the future tense.

E.g.)

I don’t know how to do (something):
어떻게 하는지 모르겠어요 – This is used when you’re unsure about the process or method at the current moment.

I don’t know what to do (yet):
어떻게 할지 모르겠어요 – This expresses uncertainty about what action to take in the future.


Generally, future tense is more commonly used!


I don’t know what to do 😭
뭐 할지 모르겠어 or 어떻게(how) 할지 모르겠어

-> You’re unsure about what kind of action to take in the future, so using the future tense here feels natural.


have to/should/need to conjugation: 해야 해요/돼요.
We use these forms mostly with the future tense as well.


I’m not sure if I should go there
거기 가야 할지/될지 모르겠어요.

* 가야 하다 + ㄹ지, becoming 가야 할지!

I don’t know If I should tell him
걔한테 말해야 할지/될지 모르겠어요. (한테 means *to*)

I’m not sure why I have to go there now
지금 거기 왜 가야 하는지 모르겠어요. (To express “the moment,” you can use the present tense.)


The same applies to the Can (수 있어요) grammar point!


I’m not sure if I can do it (not happened yet)
할 수 있을 지 모르겠어요.

I’m not sure if I can finish it on time (not happened yet)
제 시간에 끝낼 수 있을지 모르겠어요. (제 시간에 means *on time*)

I’m not sure how I can do this (at the moment)
어떻게 할 수 있는지 모르겠어요. (는지, present tense, to express the moment!)

Part 2,
Practice making sentences

1. I’m curious whether they are Korean or not.
(to be curious: 궁금하다)

2. I’ll find where the restaurant is. (casually!)
(find: 찾다)

3. Do you know how I can turn this on?
(turn on: 키다)

4. I’m not sure if the weather is good or bad right now.
(not sure: 잘 모르겠다 / weather: 날씨)

5. I don’t know if I want to move to another country. (casually!)
(to move: 이사하다 / another country: 다른 나라)

6. I need to(have to) check if my boss sent me the email.
(check: 확인하다 / boss: 상사 / to send: 보내다/ email: 이메일)

7. I don’t remember when we went to that restaurant.
(remember: 기억나다)

8. We haven’t decided what to do tomorrow (what we will do).
(to decide: 정하다)

9. I’m not sure what I should wear for my first date!
(to wear: 입다 / first date: 첫번째 데이트)

10. I don’t know exactly when the delivery will come.
(exactly: 정확히 / the delivery: 배달)

11. I’m not sure if this one will be good. I’m debating whether to buy it or not.
(to be debating.. thinking : 고민하다)

12. I’m not sure if this dress will fit me; it seems small.
(dress: 원피스 / fit : 맞다 / small: 작다)

13. I don’t know where I can throw away garbage here. There’s no trash can in Korea!
(to throw away: 버리다/ garbage: 쓰레기 / trash can: 쓰레기)

14. I don’t see why I need to go there. I don’t know anyone there.
(there: 거기 / anyone: 아무도)

15. I don’t know why I can’t get a job. My resume seems perfect.
(get a job: 일(을) 구하다/ resume: 이력서 / perfect: 완벽하다)

Try these on your own first, before checking the answers!

These are the answers:

1. I’m curious whether they are Korean or not.
(to be curious: 궁금하다)

그 사람들이 한국 사람인지 아닌지 궁금해요.

* 이다(to be) is treated as an adjective, we will add ㄴ + 지 for the present tense. 인지 and 아닌지 😁

2. I’ll find where the restaurant is. (casually!)
(find: 찾다)

그 식당이 어디 있는지 찾을 거야.

* 있다(to be, for the location) is a verb, we will simply add 는지 for the present tense. 있는지!
* 찾을 거예요(polite) 찾을 거야(casual)

3. Do you know how I can turn this on?
(turn on: 키다)

이거 어떻게 키는지 알아요?

* 키다(to turn on), we will simply add 는지 for the present tense. 키는지!
* turn on: 키다 / turn off: 끄다!
You can answer this way: 아니요. 어떻게 키는지 몰라요 (No, I don’t know how to turn it on)

4. I’m not sure if the weather is good or bad right now.
(not sure: 잘 모르겠다 / weather: 날씨)

날씨가 지금 좋은지 나쁜지 잘 모르겠어요

* 좋다(to be good) is an adjective, we will add 은지 (since it ends in a batchim) for the present tense.
* You don’t need to specify ‘or’ here. Instead, you can repeat the 는지 grammar twice; that’s how we express it!

5. I don’t know if I want to move to another country. (casually!)
(to move: 이사하다 / another country: 다른 나라)

다른 나라로 이사하고 싶은지 모르겠어

* 고 싶다(want to) is treated as an adjective, we will add 은지 (since it ends in a batchim) for the present tense.
* Past tense: “I didn’t know if I wanted to move” – you can say 다른 나라로 이사하고 싶었는지 몰랐어요.
* Here, you can use either “로” (towards) or “에” to express “to.” So, 다른 나라에 works as well.

6. I need to(have to) check if my boss sent me the email.
(check: 확인하다 / boss: 상사 / to send: 보내다/ email: 이메일)

내 상사가 (나한테) 이메일(을) 보냈는지 확인해야 돼요

* Past tense: 보냈는지 / 보낸지 – Both work!
* “To me” can be expressed as 나한테 (한테 is “to”), or it can be omitted if it’s clear from the context.
* 확인해야 해요 also works!

7. I don’t remember when we went to that restaurant.
(remember: 기억나다)

우리가 언제 그 식당에 갔는지 기억 안 나요.

* Past tense: 갔는지 / 간지 / even 갔었는지 – everything works!
* The location of “언제” is flexible. 언제 우리가 그 식당에 갔는지 or 우리가 그 식당에 언제 갔는지 also possible!

8. We haven’t decided what to do tomorrow (what we will do).
(to decide: 정하다)

내일 뭐 할지 안 정했어요.

* Future tense: 할지 – 하다 ends in a vowel, we add ‘ㄹ’ and 지!
* “Have + decided” – In Korean, we use the simple past tense.

9. I’m not sure what I should wear for my first date!
(to wear: 입다 / first date: 첫번째 데이트)

첫번째 데이트에 뭐 입어야 할지 잘 모르겠어.

* ‘Should,‘ we will use the Future tense: 입어야 할지/ 될지
* 첫 번째 데이트인데, 뭐 입어야 할지 잘 모르겠어 also sounds natural. You can use the 는데 grammar to connect it, like: (It’s my first date, but I’m not sure what to wear!)

10. I don’t know exactly when the delivery will come.
(exactly: 정확히 / the delivery: 배달)

정확히 언제 배달이 올지 모르겠어요.

* Future tense: 올지 – 오다 ends in a vowel, we add ‘ㄹ’ and 지!
* 언제 정확히 배달이 올지 and 배달이 정확히 언제 올지 are both okay. The sentence order can be flexible when it comes to adverbs 🙂

11. I’m not sure if this one will be good. I’m debating whether to buy it or not.
(to be debating.. thinking : 고민하다)

이거가 좋을지 모르겠어요. 살지 말지 고민 중이에요.

* Future tense: 좋을지/ 살지/ 말지

* “말지” is a form of the verb 말다, which means “to stop” or “to not do something.” It’s used to express indecision or doubt about whether to do something. It is only used with verbs!

• 먹을지 말지 모르겠어 – “I’m not sure whether to eat or not.”

• 갈지 말지 모르겠어 – “I’m not sure whether to go or not.”

• 할지 말지 모르겠어 – “I’m not sure whether to do it or not.”

For adjectives, you can use 아닌지 (to not be):

• 좋은지 아닌지 모르겠어 – “I’m not sure whether it’s good or not.”

• 예쁜지 아닌지 모르겠어 – “I’m not sure if it’s pretty or not.”

-말다 is often used in the imperative form to mean “don’t do” or “stop doing.”
This is commonly seen with the -지 마 construction:

하지 마 – “Don’t do it.”
자지 마 – “Don’t sleep.”

Besides this, 그만하다 is more commonly used to express “stop” in normal statements. 말다 is not frequently used in everyday conversation outside of the -지 마 or 말지 form.

12. I’m not sure if this dress will fit me; it seems small.
(dress: 원피스 / fit : 맞다 / small: 작다)

이 원피스가 나한테 맞을지 모르겠어요. 작은 것 같아요 or 작아 보여요.


* Future tense: 맞을지 – 맞다 ends in a batchim, we add 을지!
* To express “it seems small,” you can use either 것 같아요 or 아 보여요 (looks small).

13. I don’t know where I can throw away garbage here. There’s no trash can in Korea!
(to throw away: 버리다/ garbage: 쓰레기 / trash can: 쓰레기)

여기에서 어디에 쓰레기(를) 버릴 수 있는지 모르겠어요. 한국에 쓰레기통이 없어요!


* Present tense: 버릴 수 있는지 / Future tense: 버릴 수 있을지 (if it hasn’t happened yet), here, using the present tense sounds more natural since we are talking about “at the moment”!
* “여기에서” is often shortened to “여기서” in casual speech.

14. I don’t see why I need to go there. I don’t know anyone there.
(there: 거기 / anyone: 아무도)

왜 거기 가야하는 지 모르겠어요. 거기 아무도 몰라요.


* Present tense: 가야 하는지 / Future tense: 가야 할지 (if it hasn’t happened yet), here, you can use either depending on the context!

15. I don’t know why I can’t get a job. My resume seems perfect.
(get a job: 일(을) 구하다/ resume: 이력서 / perfect: 완벽하다)

왜 일을 구할 수 없는지 모르겠어요. 내 이력서 완벽해 보이는데.. / 완벽한 것 같은데..


* 구할 수 없는지/ 못 구하는지 both work. Here, using the present tense sounds more natural since it’s something that has been happening!
*I would end with 는데 to express a sense of “my resume seems perfect, but why…?” to convey the “but” here. You can change the order to: 내 이력서 완벽해 보이는데 왜 일을 못 구하는지 모르겠어요.

Great job! You’re getting closer to achieving your Korean goal!
✨😊
“To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.” – Chinese Proverb.