TOPIK II · LEVEL 4
-았/었더니
-았/었더니 means 'when I did A, (I found that) B': your own action followed by a discovery or result.
감정·희망Feelings, hopes & regretsHan: The second clause must be a past result, not a request.
Examples
문을 열었더니 아무도 없었어요.I opened the door, and there was nobody there.
매일 운동했더니 건강이 좋아졌어요.I exercised every day, and my health improved.
아침에 일찍 일어났더니 하루 종일 졸려요.I got up early this morning, and now I'm sleepy all day.
Don’t mix up
-았/었더니vs-더니-더니 is about someone else you observed; -았/었더니 is about what you did and found: 동생이 공부하더니 vs 내가 공부했더니.How to build it
V+았/었더니
가다 → 갔더니, 먹다 → 먹었더니
- The first clause is usually the speaker's own action (first person).
- The second clause is a past fact, not a plan or command.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 약을 먹었더니 푹 쉬세요.
Right: 약을 먹었더니 좀 나아졌어요.
The second clause must be a past result, not a request.
Practise -았/었더니 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)나-(으)나 is a formal written 'but / however', linking two contrasting clauses.
- -(으)되-(으)되 states or allows a first action and then adds a condition or limit to it, in a formal or written style.
- -(이)면 (조사)Attaches to a noun to mean 'if it is N / whenever it is N'; repeated as N(이)면 N, it means 'in every field, whatever you name'.
- -(으)ㄹ 게 아니라Use it to say that doing X is not the right move, so you should do Y instead: "rather than doing X, do Y."
- -(으)ㄹ 무렵-(으)ㄹ 무렵 means 'around the time when …'.
- -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다Use -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 when you are convinced that something cannot possibly be true or happen, based on what you know.
- -(으)로 인해(서)-(으)로 인해(서) means 'due to / because of' (a cause), in formal speech and writing.
- -(으)ㄹ 바에는Use -(으)ㄹ 바에는 to say that if the only way is to do this unpleasant thing, you would rather do something else instead.
- -(으)ㄹ 법하다-(으)ㄹ 법하다 says that something is quite plausible or would be natural to expect, given the situation or common sense.