TOPIK II · LEVEL 6
-그려
Added after another sentence ending (-네, -구먼, -세, -ㅂ시다…) to give an old-fashioned emphatic or exclamatory touch: '…, indeed / you know'. Now found mainly in novels, period dramas and the speech of very old people.
문장 끝·말투Endings & speech styleHan: 그려 needs a full sentence ending before it, such as -네 or -구먼.
Examples
이 사람, 정말 오랜만일세그려!Well, well, it's been ages!
듣고 보니 자네 말이 옳네그려.Now that I've heard you out, you're right after all.
날도 저물었으니 오늘은 그만 쉬세그려.It's getting dark, so let's call it a day.
Don’t mix up
-그려vs-네 / -구먼Alone they are plain: 잘됐네. 잘됐네그려 adds old-style warmth and emphasis.
-그려vs-구려-구려 is a 하오체 exclamatory ending in its own right (좋구려); 그려 always comes after another ending (좋구먼그려).
How to build it
finished sentence ending+그려: -네그려, -구먼그려, -(으)세그려, -(으)ㅂ시다그려, -습니다그려
왔네 → 왔네그려; 좋구먼 → 좋구먼그려; 가세 → 가세그려; 합시다 → 합시다그려; 오랜만일세 → 오랜만일세그려
- It never attaches to a bare stem; it follows a complete sentence ending (dictionaries class it as a particle, the NIKL list as an ending): 왔네그려, not 오그려.
- After a statement it adds exclamation (자네 말이 옳네그려); after a suggestion it urges (어서 가세그려).
- Strongly old-fashioned, typically older male speech in literature and drama; in modern speech simply drop it.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 날씨가 좋그려.
Right: 날씨가 좋네그려.
그려 needs a full sentence ending before it, such as -네 or -구먼.
Practise -그려 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(이)라 (예스러운 서술)An archaic plain (해라체) statement ending attached to 이다 and 아니다: 'X is Y.' It sounds solemn and old, as in classical texts, proverbs, historical-drama narration and poetry; modern Korean uses -(이)다.
- -(으)오/-소Ending of the 하오체, an old-fashioned semi-formal style: one form serves statements and questions, and with -(으)시오 commands. Heard in period dramas, between older spouses, and in written notices such as 손대지 마시오.
- -(으)리오An archaic, literary rhetorical-question ending: 'how could …? who would …?'. The question implies the opposite (누가 알리오 = nobody knows). Found in classical poetry and prose, speeches and period dramas.
- -나 (의문)A question ending without 요 with two uses: the 하게체 question an older speaker asks an adult junior ('are you …?'), and a casual question to oneself ('did I …?', 'is it …?').
- -네 (하게체 서술)Statement ending of the 하게체: an older speaker telling an adult junior (son-in-law, grown-up former student) a fact or an intention, plainly but with courtesy. Old-fashioned; today mostly heard from elderly men and in novels and dramas.
- -던가 (회상 의문)A 하게체 question ending asking the listener about something they saw or experienced in the past: 'was it …? did you find that …?'. Old-fashioned, used by older speakers to adult juniors.
- -구려 (권유·명령)A 하오체 ending after an action verb that gently urges or advises the listener: 'do …, why don't you …'. Old-fashioned; heard from elderly speakers (often between spouses), in period dramas and novels.
- -던가 (혼잣말·추측)Used when talking to oneself about the past: the speaker wonders about something remembered only vaguely, or makes a tentative guess about it: 'was it …?', 'I wonder if …'. Reflective; common in essays, lyrics and inner monologue.
- -구려/-는구려Exclamatory ending of the old-fashioned 하오체: the speaker remarks on something just realised, with feeling: '…, I see / how …!'. Today heard mostly from elderly speakers (for example between older spouses) and in period dramas and novels.