haru Korean › Grammar › Level 3B › A/V-잖아(요)
A/V-잖아(요) — you know … · as you know … — reminding someone of what they already know
You know … · as you know … — reminding someone of what they already know. Korean grammar for intermediate learners — Level 3B, lesson 1: 결혼하려면 아직 멀었어요 (Marriage is a long way off — love, plans and the future).
What it means
-잖아요 (from -지 않아요 'isn't it?') points to something the listener already knows, or should know: 길이 막히잖아요 'the roads are busy — you know that'. It is very common when you give a reason both of you share: 지하철을 타요. 연휴 마지막 날이라서 길이 막히잖아요. The 받침 does not matter — add 잖아요 to the stem (막히잖아요, 많잖아요, 먹잖아요). With a noun, use 이잖아요 after a 받침 and 잖아요 after a vowel: 같은 팀이잖아요, 친구잖아요. For something that already happened use -았/었잖아요: 제가 어제 말했잖아요 'I told you yesterday, remember?'. In casual speech drop 요: 말했잖아. Compare -거든요 (Lesson 3A-6), which gives a reason the listener did not know. Because -잖아요 says 'you know this', the tone matters: soft and smiling, it builds a feeling of 'we both know'; said sharply, it sounds like 'don't you even know that?' — so take care with teachers, bosses and older people. 있잖아요 at the start of a sentence means 'you know what…' and opens a piece of news or a story.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -잖아요 | 동사 · 형용사 — 받침 O · X 모두 | 막히다 + 잖아요 → 막히잖아요 |
| N(이)잖아요 | 명사 — 받침 O 이잖아요 · 받침 X 잖아요 | 같은 팀 + 이잖아요 → 같은 팀이잖아요 |
| -았/었잖아요 | 지난 일 — 듣는 사람도 알아요 | 말하다 + 했잖아요 → 말했잖아요 |
Key points
- A/V-잖아요 = you know … · as you know … — something the listener knows too: 막히잖아요 · 많잖아요 · 받침 doesn't matter
- N이잖아요 after a 받침 · N잖아요 after a vowel (같은 팀이잖아요 · 친구잖아요); the past is -았/었잖아요 (말했잖아요). Said sharply it means 'don't you know?' — careful with people above you.
Examples
- 듣는 사람도 아는 일을 말할 때 써요: 오늘은 길이 막히잖아요. (듣는 사람도 알아요.)
- 받침 O · X 모두 -잖아요: 막히잖아요 · 많잖아요 · 있잖아요.
- 명사는 받침 O → 이잖아요: 같은 팀이잖아요. 받침 X → 잖아요: 친구잖아요.
- 지난 일은 -았/었잖아요: 제가 어제 말했잖아요.
- 선생님이나 회사 윗사람한테는 조심해서 써요. 「그것도 몰라요?」처럼 들릴 수 있어요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 3B, lesson 10; Yonsei University Korean 3-1, lesson 5; Sogang University Korean 4A, lesson 7; Ewha Womans University Korean 2-2, lesson 11; Hongik University Korean 3B, lesson 7; Hanyang University Korean 3-1, lesson 6.
Also in this lesson
- A/V-던 N — the … I used to … · the … that used to be … — looking back at the past
- V-(으)ㄹ 생각 · 계획 · 예정이다 — I'm thinking of … · I plan to … · … is scheduled — talking about the future
- V-(으)려면 멀었다 — … is still a long way off — goals that are far away, and modest answers