Questions
Nothing moves. A yes/no question is the statement said with a rise (or a question ending), and a question word sits where the answer will sit.
Yes / no: by ending and by pitch
| level | statement | question |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 가요. | 가요? — pitch rises |
| formal | 갑니다. | 갑니까? |
| plain | 가. | 가? / 가니? / 가냐? |
In the polite style the question is the statement with rising intonation and nothing else: 커피 좋아해요? "Do you like coffee?" The formal style has its own ending, -습니까 / -ㅂ니까.
Tags and soft questions
| ending | force |
|---|---|
| -지요? / -죠? | "…, right?" — seeking agreement: 맞죠? "That's right, isn't it?" |
| -네요 | mild surprise at what you notice: 비 오네요. "Oh, it's raining." (not a question, but the same job as English "isn't it") |
| -ㄹ까요? | "shall we…?", "I wonder": 갈까요? "Shall we go?" 뭘까요? "What could it be?" |
| -나요? / -ㄴ가요? | a gentler, more curious question: 어디 가나요? |
Question words stay in place
| word | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| 뭐 / 무엇 | what | 뭐 먹어요? — "What are you eating?" (eat what) |
| 누구 | who | 누구 만나요? — "Who are you meeting?" · 누가 왔어요? — "Who came?" (누구 + 가 = 누가) |
| 어디 | where | 어디 가요? — "Where are you going?" · 화장실 어디예요? — "Where is the toilet?" |
| 언제 | when | 언제 와요? — "When are you coming?" |
| 왜 | why | 왜요? — "Why?" |
| 어떻게 | how | 어떻게 가요? — "How do I get there?" |
| 얼마 | how much (money) | 이거 얼마예요? — "How much is this?" |
| 얼마나 | how (much / long / far) | 얼마나 걸려요? — "How long does it take?" |
| 몇 | how many, what (number) | 몇 시예요? — "What time is it?" · 몇 명? — "How many people?" |
| 어느 | which (of a set) | 어느 나라 사람이에요? — "Which country are you from?" |
| 어떤 | what kind of | 어떤 음식 좋아해요? — "What kind of food do you like?" |
| 무슨 | what (kind of), which | 무슨 일이에요? — "What's the matter?" |
The question word is followed by the same particle the answer would take, and both are dropped in speech.
Asking politely
The honorific -시- goes into the verb (가세요?), the humble verbs come out (뭐 드릴까요? "What can I get you?"), and the formal ending appears in service: 뭘 도와드릴까요? "How may I help you?" — literally "what shall I give-help".
If you speak Vietnamese
Question words in situ, exactly as in Vietnamese; 뭐 먹어요? is ăn gì? reversed. Vietnamese needs the có … không frame for a yes/no question; Korean needs only the rise. -지요? is phải không?, -네요 is nhỉ.
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