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TOPIK II · LEVEL 3

-아/어지다

Attach -아/어지다 to an adjective to say that something becomes that way, changing from its earlier state.

변화·피동·사동Change, passive & causative

Han: 잘하다 is an action verb that takes an object (한국어를), so 'came to be good at' needs -게 되다, not -아/어지다.

Examples

요즘 과일 값이 많이 비싸졌어요.Fruit has become a lot more expensive these days.
봄이 되니까 날씨가 많이 따뜻해졌어요.Now that spring has come, the weather has become much warmer.
한국 생활에 익숙해지는 데 시간이 좀 걸렸어요.It took me some time to get used to life in Korea.
운동을 시작한 후에 건강이 좋아졌어요.My health got better after I started exercising.

Don’t mix up

-아/어지다vsV + 게 되다-아/어지다 is for adjectives (a state changes); -게 되다 is mainly used with verbs for a new action or situation that came about: 매운 음식을 먹게 됐어요.
-아/어지다vsA + 아/어지다 vs A + 아/어져 가다-아/어지다 just states the change; adding 가다 stresses that the change is still in progress: 날씨가 점점 추워져 가요.

How to build it

A+아/어지다 (하다 → 해지다)

따뜻하다 → 따뜻해지다 → 따뜻해졌어요; 춥다 → 추워지다 → 추워졌어요

  1. In the meaning 'become', it attaches to adjectives. With action verbs it usually gives a passive meaning (만들어지다 'be made'), so for 'came to do / ended up doing' use V + 게 되다 instead.
  2. Write it attached to the stem with no space: 추워지다, 예뻐지다 (not 추워 지다). Irregular stems change as usual: 춥다 → 추워지다, 다르다 → 달라지다.
  3. The result behaves like a verb: present modifier -는 (예뻐지는 얼굴), plain form -ㄴ다 (추워진다), and it combines with -고 있다 (추워지고 있어요).

Classic mistake

Wrong: 한국에서 1년 살아서 한국어를 잘해졌어요.

Right: 한국에서 1년 살아서 한국어를 잘하게 됐어요.

잘하다 is an action verb that takes an object (한국어를), so 'came to be good at' needs -게 되다, not -아/어지다.

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