TL;DR
- -냐고 하다 is how you quote questions in Korean 🗣️💬
- Attach -냐고 to verb/adjective stems, then add 하다 (ask) or 묻다 (wonder) to report what someone asked 🤔
- For casual speech, you can drop 하다 and just say -냐고 or shorten it to -냬 😎
What is -냐고 하다? 🤷♀️
When you want to tell someone what question another person asked, you use -냐고 하다 💭
It's the question version of indirect speech! Just like how -다고 하다 quotes statements, -냐고 하다 quotes questions ❓✨
How to Form It 🔨
Verb/Adjective stem + -냐고 하다
That's it! Super simple 🎉
Examples 📝
→ 엄마가 어디 가냐고 물어봤어요.
(Mom asked where I was going.)
→ 친구가 시험 어렵냐고 했어.
(My friend asked if the exam was hard.)
→ 선생님이 숙제 다 했냐고 하셨어요.
(The teacher asked if I finished my homework.)
Different Verbs for Different Vibes 🎭
You don't always have to use 하다! 🙅♂️
- 묻다 = to ask (more direct) 🎤
- 물어보다 = to ask (softer, more polite) 🌸
- 궁금해하다 = to wonder, be curious 🤔💭
Examples 🌟
→ 동생이 이게 뭐냐고 물었어요.
(My younger sibling asked what this was.)
→ 친구가 언제 만나냐고 물어봤어.
(My friend asked when we're meeting.)
→ 다들 왜 늦었냐고 궁금해했어요.
(Everyone wondered why I was late.)
Casual Shortcuts ⚡
In casual speech, Koreans love to simplify! 🏃♀️💨
Drop 하다 completely 🚫
→ 뭐 하냐고?
(They're asking what you're doing?)
→ 어디 가냐고!
(They asked where I'm going!)
Shorten to -냬 🎯
This is super casual and common with young people! 👫
→ 뭐 하냬?
(What'd they say you're doing?)
→ 언제 오냬?
(When'd they ask you to come?)
With Different Question Words 🔍
-냐고 하다 works beautifully with all question words! 🌈
→ 누가 왔냐고 물었어요.
(They asked who came.)
→ 왜 안 왔냐고 했어.
(They asked why I didn't come.)
→ 어떻게 했냐고 궁금해했어요.
(They wondered how I did it.)
→ 얼마냐고 물어봤어.
(They asked how much it was.)
Yes/No Questions 🙆♀️🙅♂️
When quoting yes/no questions, the structure stays exactly the same! 👌
→ 바쁘냐고 물어봤어요.
(They asked if I'm busy.)
→ 맛있냐고 했어.
(They asked if it's delicious.)
→ 피곤하냐고 물었어요.
(They asked if I'm tired.)
Exceptions ⚠️
With 이다 (to be) 🏷️
For the verb 이다, you can use either -이냐고 or -이라고 when quoting questions! Both work perfectly 💯
→ 이게 뭐냐고 물었어요.
(They asked what this is.)
→ 학생이냐고 했어.
(They asked if I'm a student.)
→ 누구냐고 물어봤어요.
(They asked who it is.)
Past Tense Questions ⏰
To quote a question that was asked in the past tense, use -았/었/였냐고 📆
→ 어디 갔냐고 물었어요.
(They asked where I went.)
→ 뭐 먹었냐고 했어.
(They asked what I ate.)
→ 재미있었냐고 물어봤어요.
(They asked if it was fun.)
Quick Comparison 🔄
Just so you can see the pattern clearly! 👀
Statement: -다고 하다 💬
→ 바쁘다고 했어요. (They said they're busy.)
Question: -냐고 하다 ❓
→ 바쁘냐고 했어요. (They asked if I'm busy.)
See? Just swap -다 for -냐 and you're golden! ✨🏆
Try the following exercise.
Transform the following questions into reported speech using -냐고 하다. 🗣️
- 친구가 "언제 한국에 갔어?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
친구가 언제 한국에 갔냐고 물었어요.
- 선생님이 "숙제 다 했니?"라고 물으셨어요.
Answer
선생님이 숙제 다 했냐고 물으셨어요.
- 동생이 "오빠는 뭐 먹을 거야?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
동생이 오빠는 뭐 먹을 거냐고 물었어요.
- 어머니가 "오늘 회사에 가니?"라고 물으셨어요.
Answer
어머니가 오늘 회사에 가냐고 물으셨어요.
- 친구가 "주말에 시간 있어?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
친구가 주말에 시간 있냐고 물었어요.
- 동료가 "이 프로젝트 언제 끝나?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
동료가 이 프로젝트 언제 끝나냐고 물었어요.
- 아버지가 "학교 시험은 어땠니?"라고 물으셨어요.
Answer
아버지가 학교 시험은 어땠냐고 물으셨어요.
- 언니가 "내일 날씨가 좋을까?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
언니가 내일 날씨가 좋을까 하고 물었어요. / 언니가 내일 날씨가 좋으냐고 물었어요.
- 후배가 "선배님, 이거 어떻게 하는 거예요?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
후배가 이거 어떻게 하는 거냐고 물었어요.
- 친구가 "너 지금 어디야?"라고 물었어요.
Answer
친구가 지금 어디냐고 물었어요.
Vocabulary 📚
- 언제 = when
- 한국 = Korea
- 숙제 = homework
- 다 = all, completely
- 동생 = younger sibling
- 오빠 = older brother (for females)
- 먹다 = to eat
- 회사 = company, office
- 주말 = weekend
- 시간 = time
- 프로젝트 = project
- 끝나다 = to end, finish
- 동료 = colleague
- 시험 = exam, test
- 날씨 = weather
- 후배 = junior
- 선배님 = senior (honorific)
- 어디 = where
Common mistakes 🚨
- ⚠️ Forgetting to drop the question marker (니/어/아) when adding -냐고 — it becomes redundant
- 🔄 Confusing -냐고 with -라고 — use -냐고 specifically for questions, not statements
- 📝 Not matching politeness levels — if the original question used honorifics, maintain them in 물으셨어요
- ❌ Using -냐고 with yes/no questions ending in -을까/-ㄹ까 — these typically use -(으)냐고 or are rephrased differently