haru Korean › Grammar › Level 4B › A/V-아/어서인지 · N(이)어서인지

A/V-아/어서인지 · N(이)어서인지 — maybe because … · perhaps it's because … — a careful guess at the reason

Maybe because … · perhaps it's because … — a careful guess at the reason. Korean grammar for upper intermediate learners — Level 4B, lesson 6: 여행의 즐거움 (The joy of travel — while you're at it, and rather than…).

What it means

-아/어서인지 offers a reason you are not sure of: 날씨가 좋아서인지 바닷가에 사람이 많았어요 'perhaps because the weather was nice, there were lots of people at the beach'. It is -아/어서 'because' followed by 인지 'whether it is', so the speaker is really saying 'whether it's because …, (but) …'. Build it exactly like -아/어서: after ㅏ or ㅗ use 아서인지 (많아서인지, 와서인지), after other vowels 어서인지 (걸어서인지 — ㄷ irregular; 더워서인지 — ㅂ irregular), and 하다 becomes 해서인지 (피곤해서인지). With a noun use N(이)라서인지 — the more common form in speech — or N(이)어서인지: 연휴라서인지, 주말이라서인지, 금요일이어서인지. Like -아/어서, it never takes -았/었- (왔어서인지 ✗); the time comes from the end of the sentence: 어제 많이 걸어서인지 다리가 아팠어요. In conversation Koreans often say the longer -아/어서 그런지 with the same meaning; -아/어서인지 is a little shorter and is what you will see most in news, reviews and posts. Because it only guesses and blames no one, it is a polite way to explain a problem: 주말이라서인지 길이 많이 막히네요. Words like 아마 and 어쩌면 often go with it.

Forms

Key points

• -아/어서인지 = maybe because … (I'm not sure): -아/어서 'because' + 인지 'whether it is'. ㅏ · ㅗ → 아서인지 (많아서인지 · 와서인지) · others → 어서인지 (걸어서인지 · 더워서인지) · 하다 → 해서인지 (피곤해서인지).
• With a noun: N(이)라서인지 (more common in speech) or N(이)어서인지 — 연휴라서인지 · 주말이라서인지 · 금요일이어서인지. No -았/었- in front (왔어서인지 ✗); the tense goes at the end. In conversation people also say -아/어서 그런지.

Examples

• 이유를 잘 모를 때, 아마 그것 때문인 것 같다고 조심스럽게 말할 때 써요: 날씨가 좋아서인지 바닷가에 사람이 많았어요.
• ㅏ · ㅗ → -아서인지(많아서인지 · 와서인지) · 그 외 → -어서인지(걸어서인지 · 더워서인지) · 하다 → 해서인지(피곤해서인지).
• 명사는 N(이)라서인지 · N(이)어서인지: 연휴라서인지 · 주말이라서인지 · 금요일이어서인지.
• -았/었-을 앞에 붙이지 않아요(왔어서인지 ✗). 시제는 문장 끝에: 어제 많이 걸어서인지 다리가 아팠어요.
• 말할 때는 -아/어서 그런지도 많이 써요. -아/어서인지가 조금 더 짧고, 글이나 뉴스에서 더 많이 보여요.

Where university textbooks teach it

This point also appears in: Sogang University Korean 5B, lesson 1; Hongik University Korean 4B, lesson 8; Yonsei University Korean 3-1, lesson 3; Ewha Womans University Korean 2-1, lesson 7.

Also in this lesson

• V-는 김에 · V-(으)ㄴ 김에 — while you're at it · since you're (already) there — adding one more thing to the same trip
• V-느니 (차라리) — rather than … · I'd sooner … — choosing the lesser of two evils
• N(이)면 N(이)면 — be it A or be it B — good in every way, one thing after another

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