KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -아/어 놓다
Korean Grammar “-아/어 놓다”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 3)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 봐 놓다 | bwa nota |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽어 놓다 | ilgeo nota |
| 하다 | to do | 해 놓다 | hae nota |
| 열다 | to open | 열어 놓다 | yeoreo nota |
What changes
- -아/어 follows the last vowel of the stem: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 after other vowels (읽 → 읽어, 열 → 열어). When the stem ends in a vowel, the two vowels merge (보 + 아 → 봐), and 하다 becomes 해.
Explanation
손님이 오시기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 놓았어요.
“-아/어 놓다” means to complete an action and leave its result in place, and it is often used for preparation. The sentence means “I made the food in advance before the guests arrived.” “-아/어 두다” has nearly the same meaning. Distinguish it from “-아/어 있다,” which describes the resulting state of an intransitive verb (문이 열려 있다), while “-아/어 놓다” is used with transitive verbs for a deliberate act by a person.
손님이 오기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 놓았어요.
“-아/어 놓다” means to do something and leave the result in place, usually as preparation for later. The sentence means “I made the food in advance, before the guests arrived.” “-아/어 있다” describes the state of an intransitive verb, so it cannot be used with a transitive verb like 만들다.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 손님이 오시기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 놓았어요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [손니미 오시기 저네 음시글 미리 만드러 노아써요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 손님이 | ||
| 손 | ㅅ+ㅗ+ㄴ | son |
| 님 | ㄴ+ㅣ+ㅁ | [니] ni |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [미] mi |
| 오시기 | ||
| 오 | ㅇ+ㅗ | o |
| 시 | ㅅ+ㅣ | si |
| 기 | ㄱ+ㅣ | gi |
| 전에 | ||
| 전 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄴ | [저] jeo |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [네] ne |
| 음식을 | ||
| 음 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㅁ | eum |
| 식 | ㅅ+ㅣ+ㄱ | [시] si |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [글] geul |
| 미리 | ||
| 미 | ㅁ+ㅣ | mi |
| 리 | ㄹ+ㅣ | ri |
| 만들어 | ||
| 만 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄴ | man |
| 들 | ㄷ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [드] deu |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [러] reo |
| 놓았어요 | ||
| 놓 | ㄴ+ㅗ+ㅎ | [노] no |
| 았 | ㅇ+ㅏ+ㅆ | [아] a |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 님이 → [니미]
- Silent ㅎ: a final ㅎ (including the ㅎ inside ㄶ and ㅀ) is not pronounced before a vowel. 놓았어 → [노아써]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 손님 | noun | guest, customer | TOPIK level 2 |
| 음식 | noun | food | TOPIK level 1 |
| 미리 | adverb | in advance | TOPIK level 3 |
| 만들다 | verb | to make | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 손님이 오시기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 ____.
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Answer: 손님이 오시기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 놓았어요.
Question 2 Choose the word that fits the blank: 손님이 오기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 ____.
Show the answer
Answer: 손님이 오기 전에 음식을 미리 만들어 놓았어요.
Question 3 Which is the correct form of 읽다 + -아/어 놓다?
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Answer: 읽어 놓다
Question 4 Which is the correct form of 하다 + -아/어 놓다?
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Answer: 해 놓다
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