Usage
i) Factual contrast
토마토는 과일이지 야채가 아니다.
Tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.
Conjugation
| Type | Example | Past | Present (processive) |
Future (prospective) |
Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AV (vowel) | 하다 | 했지 | 하지 | 할 거지 | 하던지 |
| AV (cons.) | 듣다 | 들었지 | 듣지 | 들을 거지 | 듣던지 |
| DV (vowel) | 빠르다 | 빨랐지 | 빠르지 | 빠를 거지 | 빠르던지 |
| DV (cons.) | 어둡다 | 어두웠지 | 어둡지 | 어두울 거지 | 어둡던지 |
| Noun (vowel) | 남자 | 남자였지 | 남자이지 | 남자일 거지 | 남자던지 |
| Noun (cons.) | 사람 | 사람이었지 | 사람이지 | 사람일 거지 | 사람이던지 |
Where:
AV = action verb / processive verb.
DV = descriptive verb / ‘adjective’.
Nouns take the copula (이다) and this becomes a DV.
Contents
Introduction
i) Factual contrast
Additional details
Associated grammar
See also
Bibliography
User examples
Introduction
The conjunctive ending -지 is used to contrast two elements. The speakers asserts the first element (marked with -지) as factually true.
i) Factual contrast
Put simply, -지 is used to factually contrast X with Y.
토마토는 과일이지 야채가 아니다.
Tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.
Here tomato being a fruit is factually contrasted with being a vegetable. That is, the speaker factually approves X+지 while negating/refuting Y.
그건 폭행이지 장난이 아니다. It is violence, not a playful action.
나는 너희의 선생이지 친구가 아니야.
I’m your teacher, not your friend.
걔는 공부만 잘 하지 예의가 없어.
He only studies well; he has no manners.
나이만 먹었지 아직 어린애야.
He’s only older in years; he’s still a young child.
The speaker’s concern is always on the first clause X; the following clause Y is merely an appendage. The second clause is often a rhetorical question to reinforce the factual nature of X.
학생이 공부를 해야지 왜 매일 놀기만 하니?
Students need to study; why do you just play everyday?
Here the speaker’s concern is on ‘students needing to study’ and the rhetorical question, while added for emphasis, is less important.
벌써 밥 먹었겠지 아직 굶고 있겠어?
You ate already and you’re still hungry?
집에 있지 왜 왔어요?
Just stay home; why did you come here?
그만하면 됐지 더 바랄 게 있어요?
Surely that is enough; what more could you wish for?
Notice the similarity of this to the conviction usage of -지(요)
니가 그를 죽였지?!
You killed him, didn’t you?! (I already know you did)
In both cases, -지 marks the speaker’s belief about something.
Also notice the similarity to -든지 which contrasts two facts with the speaker’s concern always on the first element.
살든지 죽든지
either you live or die
먹든지 말든지
either you eat or not
Additional details
General
-지 evolved from the negative constructions -지 말다 and 지 않다.
걱정하지 마세요.
Don’t worry.
당신을 사랑하지 않아요.
I don’t love you.
From these negative constructions arose the negation/refutation aspect of -지.
토마토는 과일이지 야채가 아니다.
Tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.
The contrastive nature of -지 then led to the suggestive/strong encouragement sense found in 지요.
좀 쉬지 (그래요?)
Why don’t you take a rest?
이혼을 하지 (그랬어요?)
Why don’t you get a divorce?
Associated grammar
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See also
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Bibliography
Affiliate links help support uK.
— Ihm, H.B., Hong, K.P., & Chang, S.I. (2001). Korean Grammar for International Learners. Seoul: Yonsei University Press.— King, R., Yeon, J., Kim, C., & Baker, D. (2015). Advanced Korean. Boston: Tuttle Publishing.
— Rhee, S. (2008). On the rise and fall of Korean nominalizers. In M. J. López-Couso & E. Seoane (Eds.), Rethinking Grammaticalization: New perspectives (pp. 239–264).
— Rhee, S. (2011). Nominalization and stance marking in Korean. In F. H. Yap, K. Grunow-Hårsta & J. Wrona (Eds.), Nominalization in Asian Languages (pp. 393–422).