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TOPIK II · LEVEL 6

방언 종결 어미 (경상·전라)

The most noticeable sentence endings of the two big southern dialects: 경상 (Busan, Daegu) and 전라 (Gwangju, Mokpo). You learn them to understand dramas, films and real people from those regions — not to use them yourself.

문장 끝·말투Endings & speech style

Han: -노 is dialect 반말, so it is rude to a teacher even in Busan; and from a learner, dialect easily sounds like teasing. Use standard polite speech.

Examples

니 지금 어디 가노?Where are you off to now? (경상; standard: 너 지금 어디 가니?)
내일 비 온께 우산 챙겨 가잉.It's going to rain tomorrow, so take an umbrella, OK? (전라; standard: 내일 비 오니까 우산 챙겨 가.)
내가 안 했당께!I didn't do it, I'm telling you! (전라; standard: 내가 안 했다니까!)
밥은 묵었나?Have you eaten? (경상; standard: 밥은 먹었니?)

Don’t mix up

방언 종결 어미 (경상·전라)vs-니? / -냐?Standard 반말 questions use -니? / -냐? for every type of question: 밥 먹었니? and 어디 가니? alike. 경상 splits them into -나 and -노.
방언 종결 어미 (경상·전라)vs-다니까 / -잖아전라 -당께 matches standard -다니까 (repeating what you already said), and 경상 아이가 matches -잖아 (3-11, something the listener should know).

How to build it

경상: V-나? (yes/no) · V-노? (with a question word) · N-가? / N-고? · V-데이 · polite -예, -ㅂ니더 — 전라: V-당께 / N-랑께 · V-께 · -잉 · -지라(우)

밥 묵었나? (= 밥 먹었니?) 어디 가노? (= 어디 가니?) 내가 했당께! (= 내가 했다니까!)

  1. 경상 questions in 반말 change with the type of question: a yes/no question ends in -나 (밥 묵었나? 'Have you eaten?'), a question with 뭐, 어디, 왜 ends in -노 (어디 가노? 'Where are you going?'). After a noun the pair is -가 / -고: 이거 니 꺼가? 'Is this yours?', 이게 뭐고? 'What's this?'.
  2. 경상 statements: -데이 adds warmth or emphasis in 반말 (내 간데이 'I'm off, then', 고맙데이 'thanks'). 아이가 works like -잖아 'you know': 우리 친구 아이가! 'We're friends, aren't we!'. Polite speech uses -예 (맞아예 'that's right') and -ㅂ니더 / -습니더 instead of -ㅂ니다.
  3. 전라: -당께 / -랑께 = standard -다니까 / -라니까, insisting 'I told you': 내가 안 했당께! 'I didn't do it, I'm telling you!'. -께 alone = -(으)니까 'since': 비 온께 'since it's raining'. -잉 is a soft tag at the end ('…, OK?'): 잘 가잉. -지라(우) is a polite ending like -지요: 맞지라 'That's right, isn't it'.
  4. Dialect is also in the vowels and the melody: 경상 speakers say 묵다 for 먹다 and keep a pitch accent, and many verbs sound different (그라다 for 그러다). Understand it, answer in standard Korean, and keep it out of TOPIK writing.

Classic mistake

Wrong: 선생님, 어디 가노?

Right: 선생님, 어디 가세요?

-노 is dialect 반말, so it is rude to a teacher even in Busan; and from a learner, dialect easily sounds like teasing. Use standard polite speech.

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