-더군(요)

Recalls something the speaker saw, heard or felt in the past and voices the realization it brought: 'I found that…, I noticed…'. -더군요 is polite; bare -더군 sounds like a monologue or an older speaker.

문장 끝·말투Endings & speech style

Han: -더- reports what you observed, not your own deliberate action; say what you did with -았/었- and use -더군요 for what you found.

Examples

그 소설은 다시 읽어도 여전히 감동적이더군.That novel was still moving, even on a second reading.

직접 만나 보니 생각보다 훨씬 친절한 사람이더군요.When I actually met him, he turned out to be much kinder than I'd thought.

오랜만에 고향에 가 보니 동네가 많이 변했더군요.When I went home after a long time, I found the neighbourhood had changed a lot.

Don’t mix up

-더군(요)vs-군요-군요 reacts to something you notice right now; -더군요 recalls what you noticed back then: (tasting now) 맛있군요 vs (telling about last week) 맛있더군요.

-더군(요)vs-더라고요Both report past observation; -더라고요 is chattier and passes the news to the listener, -더군요 adds a sense of personal realization: 사람이 많더라고요 ≈ 사람이 많더군요.

How to build it

V/A+더군(요)

N+(이)더군(요)

completed before you saw it: V/A+았/었더군(요)

맛있다 → 맛있더군요; 춥다 → 춥더군요; 학생 → 학생이더군요; 떠나다 → 떠났더군요

It reports your own past perception. Your own deliberate actions are normally not its content (제가 갔더군요 is unnatural), but involuntary reactions can be: 나도 모르게 눈물이 나더군요.
With 았/었 it means the state was already completed when you saw it: 가 보니 벌써 문을 닫았더군요 (it had already closed).
In conversation -더라고요 is more common; -더군요 sounds more reflective and is frequent in speeches, essays and dramas. Without 요, younger speakers use -더라 rather than -더군.

Classic mistake

Wrong: ~~어제 제가 그 식당에 가더군요.~~

Right: 어제 그 식당에 갔는데 음식이 정말 맛있더군요.

-더- reports what you observed, not your own deliberate action; say what you did with -았/었- and use -더군요 for what you found.

Practise -더군(요) on real TOPIK questions

Hannim plans each day up to your exam date: questions on this pattern, reviews, full mock papers and graded writing. 7 days free, no card.

Start 7-day free trial

More level 4 grammar

All TOPIK grammar