Lesson 12
In this lesson, we will take a look at the verb ending -더라. You will hear this often in situations where one person is telling another what they found out or experienced.
What is -더라?
-더라 is used when you tell someone else about a new fact that you learned by experiencing (i.e. seeing, finding, realizing, etc.) it yourself.
Let us take a look at some examples:
예쁘다 = to be pretty
예뻐요 = (She/It is) pretty.
→ 예쁘 + -더라 = 예쁘더라 = She is pretty! / I saw her, and she is so pretty!
춥다 = to be cold
추워요 = It is cold.
→ 춥 + - 더라 = 춥더라 = It was so cold! / I went there, and it was so cold!
* You could say, “추워요”, but, “춥더라” has more emphasis.
Like in the examples above, when you use -더라, it should be about a past action because you are talking about something that you have already experienced.
What is the difference between -더라, -더라고 and -더라고요?
They all mean -더라, but by adding -고 you slightly change the meaning. When you use -더라, you are telling someone a fact about something based on what you saw or experienced, but in a more “exclamatory” way. When you use -더라고 instead of -더라, the tone of your sentence is calmer, and it sounds less excited and conclusive than when you say -더라. If you add -요 to -더라고, it makes the sentence more polite.
Ex)
나는 그거 좋더라. = (I checked it out and) I liked it! [Very excited]
나는 그거 좋더라고. = (I checked it out and) I liked it. [More calm and neutral]
How do you say -더라 in 존댓말?
You can change -더라고 to 존댓말 quite easily just by adding -요 at the end. With -더라, however, it is a little bit different. You need to use the ending -던데요.
예쁘더라. → 예쁘던데요.
빠르더라. → 빠르던데요.
Naturally, you can also change it back to 반말 by getting rid of -요 at the end of -던데요.
Sample Sentences
그 영화 어제 봤는데, 재미있더라! (재미있던데요!/재미있더라고!/재미있더라고요!)
= I saw that movie yesterday, and it was fun!
어제 경화 씨 만났는데, 머리를 염색했더라. (염색했던데요./염색했더라고./염색했더라고요.)
= I met Kyung-hwa yesterday, and she had dyed her hair.
* Notice that here we are using “했” since she did it in the past.
싱가포르에 처음 가 봤는데, 정말 덥더라. (덥던데요./덥더라고./덥더라고요.)
= I went to Singapore for the first time, and it was really hot there.
윤아 씨한테 물어봤는데, 모르더라. (모르던데요./모르더라고./모르더라고요.)
= I asked Yoona, and she did not know.
아까 주연 씨 만났는데, 친구랑 있더라. (있던데요./있더라고./있더라고요.)
= I met Jooyeon earlier, and she was with her friend.
Remember!
1. -더라 normally does not work with statements about one’s own will or action.
Ex)
아침에 일어났는데 내가 바쁘더라. (x)
One case in which you could use this about yourself is for example, if you were an actor and got your script the day you arrived on set.
Ex)
오늘 가 봤는데 내가 형사더라.
= I went today and found out I was a detective.
Typically, you would not use this ending when talking about yourself.
2. You can use -더라 about your own emotions, but normally not about other people’s emotions.
Ex)
기쁘더라. (o) = I was happy/pleased.
석진 씨가 기쁘더라. (x)
슬프더라. (o) = It was sad (to me). / I was sad.
현우 씨가 슬프더라. (x)
If you use the verb form, though, you can say other people’s emotions.
Ex)
석진 씨가 기뻐하더라. = I saw Seokjin, and he was pleased.
현우 씨가 슬퍼하더라. = I saw Hyunwoo, and he was grieving/feeling sad.
3. You can NOT use -더라 if you have NOT experienced, seen, or read about something yourself.
Ex)
콘서트에 갔는데, 가수가 노래를 잘하더라. (o)
콘서트에 못 갔는데, 가수가 노래를 잘하더라. (x)