아/어지다: To become, to get

Target: 아/어지다 (a/eojida)

Theory

Practice

TOPIK 3

아/어지다 (a/eojida) means "to become, to get".

Goes on an adjective to say something changed: 추워지다 (chuwojida), "to get cold", 좋아지다 (joajida), "to get better".

Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language

Adjective stem+아/어지다a/eojida to become …, to get …

Same choice as 아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 after other vowels, 해 for 하다.
Written as one word: 추워지다 chuwojida, not 추워 지다.

Build it

춥다chupda추워지다chuwojidato get cold

많다manta많아지다manajidato become more

예쁘다yeppeuda예뻐지다yeppeojidato get prettier

따뜻하다ttatteutada따뜻해지다ttatteutaejidato get warm

The forms you need

Now

추워져요chuwojyeoyoit's getting cold

Past

추워졌어요chuwojyeosseoyoit's gotten cold

Future

추워질 거예요chuwojil geoyeyoit'll get cold

In progress

추워지고 있어요chuwojigo isseoyoit's getting colder

When to use it

Becoming

With an adjective, it says the state changed.

날씨가 많이 추워졌어요.nalssiga mani chuwojyeosseoyo.It's gotten a lot colder.

Getting done

With some verbs, it says the action happens, without saying who does it.

이 펜은 글씨가 잘 써져요.i peneun geulssiga jal sseojyeoyo.This pen writes really smoothly.

Coming to feel

With verbs like 믿다 mitda · believe, it says how something strikes you.

그 말이 믿어지지 않아요.geu mari mideojiji anayo.I can't believe it.

Watch out

예쁘어졌어요.

예뻐졌어요.yeppeojyeosseoyo.You've gotten prettier.

The ㅡ drops, just like in 예뻐요 yeppeoyo.

In context

6 examples

1
한국어 실력이 많이 좋아졌네요!
Hangugeo sillyeogi mani joajyeonneyo!
Your Korean has gotten so much better!
2
불을 끄니까 방이 어두워졌어요.
Bureul kkeunikka bangi eoduwojyeosseoyo.
When I turned off the light, the room got dark.
3
요즘 일이 많아져서 바빠요.
Yojeum iri manajyeoseo bappayo.
I've had more work lately, so I'm busy.
4
봄이 되니까 날씨가 따뜻해졌어요.
Bomi doenikka nalssiga ttatteutaejyeosseoyo.
Now that it's spring, the weather has gotten warm.
5
이 노트북이 왜 이렇게 느려졌을까요?
I noteubugi wae ireoke neuryeojyeosseulkkayo?
Why has this laptop gotten so slow?
6
그 소식이 아직도 믿어지지 않아요.
Geu sosigi ajikdo mideojiji anayo.
I still can't believe the news.

Practice

6 questions

Which form?1 / 6

크다 + 아/어지다

아/어지다 or 게 되다?

Both describe a change, and they split the work. 아/어지다 goes mostly on adjectives, for a state that changes: 추워졌어요 chuwojyeosseoyo, "it got cold". 게 되다 ge doeda goes mostly on verbs, for how things turned out: 한국에 살게 됐어요 hanguge salge dwaesseoyo, "I ended up living in Korea".

With verbs: things that get done

On a verb, 아/어지다 says the action happens, and it doesn't matter who does it. That's why a lot of these look like the English passive: 만들어지다 mandeureojida, "to be made", 이 다리는 100년 전에 만들어졌어요 i darineun baengnyeon jeone mandeureojyeosseoyo, "this bridge was built 100 years ago".

Words that already have it

Some verbs that end in 지다 are words of their own, and you learn them as they are: 넘어지다 neomeojida · to fall over, 헤어지다 heeojida · to break up, 떨어지다 tteoreojida · to fall, drop.