TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-아/어라
-아/어라 is the plain (casual) command ending, used to children, close friends, and in written instructions.
문장 끝·말투Endings & speech styleHan: -아/어라 to an elder is rude; use the honorific -(으)세요.
Examples
밥 먹기 전에 손 씻어라.Wash your hands before you eat.
시험 잘 봐라!Good luck on your exam!
늦었으니까 빨리 자라.It's late, go to sleep quickly.
Don’t mix up
-아/어라vs-아/어Casual -아/어 can also command but is softer; -아/어라 sounds firmer, like a parent or teacher.
How to build it
V+아라 (ㅏ,ㅗ) / 어라 (others) / 해라 (하다)
가다 → 가라, 먹다 → 먹어라, 공부하다 → 공부해라
- Too strong for adults you don't know; to them use -(으)세요.
- In exam instructions and quotes: -(으)라 (고르라, 쓰라).
Classic mistake
Wrong: 할아버지, 여기 앉아라.
Right: 할아버지, 여기 앉으세요.
-아/어라 to an elder is rude; use the honorific -(으)세요.
Practise -아/어라 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(느)ㄴ다/-다 (해라체)-(느)ㄴ다/-다 is the plain written style used in diaries, essays, newspapers and the TOPIK writing section.
- -(으)ㄹ걸요-(으)ㄹ걸요 gives a soft guess, often gently disagreeing: 'probably …, I think …'.
- -지 그래요?-지 그래요? is a friendly suggestion: 'why don't you …?'
- -니?/-냐?-니?/-냐? are plain (casual) question endings, used to friends, younger people, and in quoted questions.
- -아/어야지요-아/어야지요 (-아/어야죠) means 'of course one should / I really must …' — a firm intention or obvious duty.
- -구나/-는구나A plain (반말) ending for a fresh realization or mild surprise: 'Oh, so…!'. Used to friends, younger people and children, or when talking to oneself.
- -던데(요)-던데(요) shares something you observed in the past, often as background or a soft contrast: 'I noticed …, (but/so) …'.
- -기는요-기는요 politely denies or plays down a compliment or statement: 'Not at all / Me? No way'.
- -잖아요-잖아요 reminds the listener of something they already know or should know, often to justify what you are saying or as a mild complaint.