-(으)ㄴ 지 되다 in Korean: “it's been (time) since”
-(으)ㄴ 지 되다
-(eu)n ji doeda
it's been (time) since
Intermediate · Saying what you think and feel
-(으)ㄴ 지 되다 (-(eu)n ji doeda) means "it's been (a length of time) since." 한국에 온 지 일 년 됐어요 means "It's been a year since I came to Korea."
How to form it
| When | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb stem ending in a vowel | + ㄴ 지 (time) 되다 | 오다 → 온 지 1년 됐어요 |
| Verb stem ending in a consonant | + 은 지 (time) 되다 | 먹다 → 먹은 지 두 시간 됐어요 |
| Verb stem ending in ㄹ (ㄹ drops) | + ㄴ 지 (time) 되다 | 살다 → 산 지 3년 됐어요 |
| With 지나다 or 넘다 | + (으)ㄴ 지 (time)이/가 지났다 | 만나다 → 만난 지 한 달이 지났어요 |
How to use it
Use it to say how much time has passed since something happened. The pattern is: action + (으)ㄴ 지 + amount of time + 되다. Since time has already passed, 되다 is usually in the past: 됐어요.
To ask "How long has it been since...?" or "How long have you been...?", say -(으)ㄴ 지 얼마나 됐어요? For a long time, use 오래됐어요.
지 here is written with a space: 온 지. This sets it apart from -는지 ("whether"), which is written together.
Only the last verb changes for politeness: 됐어요 (polite), 됐어 (casual), 되었습니다 (formal).
Examples
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Introducing yourself
Asking a classmate
Turning down a snack
A couple's anniversary
Don’t mix it up with
-는지: -는지 means "whether" or "if," as in 뭐 하는지 몰라요 ("I don't know what he's doing"). It's written with no space and has nothing to do with time.
-(으)ㄴ 후에: -(으)ㄴ 후에 means "after doing." -(으)ㄴ 지 되다 measures how much time has passed since.
Common mistakes
Using the present form -는 지, like 공부하는 지 1년 됐어요. The start happened in the past, so use -(으)ㄴ: 공부한 지 1년 됐어요.
Want the basics first? Read Describing nouns (-는, -은, -을).
Questions learners ask
How do you say "How long have you been..." in Korean?
Use -(으)ㄴ 지 얼마나 됐어요? For example, 한국에 산 지 얼마나 됐어요? means "How long have you lived in Korea?"
Is it 온 지 or 온지?
When it means "since," write it with a space: 온 지. Without a space, -ㄴ지 is a different ending that means "whether."