TOPIK I · LEVEL 2
-(으)ㄴ 지
Shows how much time has passed since an action happened.
시간·순서Time & sequenceHan: Time is counted from an action that already happened, so the verb takes -(으)ㄴ (온), not 는 (오는).
Examples
점심을 먹은 지 한 시간밖에 안 됐는데 또 배가 고파요.It's only been an hour since I had lunch, but I'm hungry again.
한국어를 배운 지 얼마나 됐어요?How long have you been learning Korean?
고향 친구를 못 만난 지 1년이 넘었어요.It's been over a year since I last saw my friend from home.
한국에 온 지 6개월 됐어요.It's been six months since I came to Korea.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄴ 지vs-(으)ㄴ 후에후에 tells what happened next; -(으)ㄴ 지 measures the time passed up to now. 밥을 먹은 후에 커피를 마셨어요 vs 밥을 먹은 지 한 시간 됐어요.-(으)ㄴ 지vsN 동안동안 is how long the action itself lasted; -(으)ㄴ 지 counts from the action until now. 서울에서 3년 동안 살았어요 vs 서울에 온 지 3년 됐어요.
-(으)ㄴ 지vs-는지 / -(으)ㄴ지 (no space)Written together, it is an indirect question ('whether / what'), not elapsed time. 친구가 왔는지 몰라요 vs 친구가 온 지 10분 됐어요.
How to build it
V+(으)ㄴ 지+time+되다 / 지나다 / 넘다
오다 → 온 지, 먹다 → 먹은 지: 한국에 온 지 1년 됐어요.
- Attach it to verbs in the -(으)ㄴ form (온 지, 먹은 지), not the present 는 form (오는 지) and not to adjectives.
- The second part is a length of time plus 되다, 지나다 or 넘다; to describe the present situation it is usually in the past form: 3년 됐어요, 얼마나 됐어요?
- Write 지 with a space (온 지). Without a space, 온지/는지 is a different ending meaning 'whether / what'.
- With 안/못 it means time since you last did something: 못 만난 지 1년 됐어요.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 한국에 오는 지 2년 됐어요.
Right: 한국에 온 지 2년 됐어요.
Time is counted from an action that already happened, so the verb takes -(으)ㄴ (온), not 는 (오는).
Practise -(으)ㄴ 지 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 때Attaches to a verb or adjective to say at what time or in what situation something happens: 'when …'.
- -(으)ㄴ 후에Shows that the second action happens after the first action is finished.
- -(으)면서-(으)면서 links two actions or states that one person does or has at the same time: "while doing A, (also) B."
- -기 전에-기 전에 means 'before doing': the main action happens before the action of the verb that -기 전에 attaches to.
- -다가-다가 means you were doing one thing and then stopped or switched to another: 'while doing A, (then) B'.
- -(으)면-(으)면 attaches to a verb or adjective to set a condition: "if X happens or is true, then Y," and it can also mean "whenever X" for things that regularly happen.
- -(으)ㄹ 것Ends a written instruction or rule with a noun-like command: 'do X; X is to be done'. Impersonal and firm; used in notices, exam instructions, memos and rule lists.
- -(으)면 안 되다States that an action is not allowed or not acceptable: 'you must not… / it's not okay to…'.
- -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다Attach it to a verb to say that someone can or cannot do something, either because of their ability or because the situation allows or prevents it.
