Expression dictionary — full article
States & Progress · I observed that..., I noticed that..., It turned out that..., I realized that...
The V+더라고(요) ending is used to recount a past personal experience or observation that the speaker directly witnessed, heard, felt, or realized. It allows the speaker to share a firsthand account of something that happened or a state that existed in the past.
This grammatical ending is employed when the speaker is recalling an event or situation from their own memory that they personally experienced or observed. It carries a nuance of direct experience and often a subtle sense of realization, surprise, or confirmation of a previously held or forgotten impression. The speaker is the one who observed, and they are now sharing that observation with the listener.
For example, if you saw a friend looking tired yesterday, you might say "친구가 피곤해 보이더라고요" (I noticed my friend looked tired). The 더라고 indicates that you personally observed this fact. It's not just reporting information; it's sharing your personal recollection of an experience. While it often describes others' actions or states, it can also be used to describe the speaker's own feelings or conditions if they are being observed objectively (e.g., "어제 제가 좀 피곤하더라고요" - I realized I was a bit tired yesterday). Adding 요 makes it polite.
The 더라고 ending attaches directly to the verb stem without any distinction based on whether the stem ends in a vowel or a consonant. It inherently carries a past observational meaning, so no separate past tense marker (like -았/었-) is added to the verb stem itself.
| Verb Stem | Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 (to go) | 가더라고(요) | 친구가 벌써 가더라고요. (I noticed my friend already left.) |
| 먹다 (to eat) | 먹더라고(요) | 아이들이 밥을 잘 먹더라고요. (I observed the children ate well.) |
| 예쁘다 (to be pretty) | 예쁘더라고(요) | 그 옷이 생각보다 예쁘더라고요. (I found that dress was prettier than I thought.) |
| 하다 (to do) | 하더라고(요) | 학생들이 열심히 공부하더라고요. (I observed the students were studying hard.) |
더라고 is typically not the speaker, as the speaker is the one making the observation. However, it can be used with the speaker as the subject when describing an objective realization about oneself (e.g., "어제 제가 감기에 걸렸더라고요" - I realized I had caught a cold yesterday).더라고 and -던 relate to past experiences, 더라고 emphasizes a specific past observation or realization, often with a sense of discovery or confirmation. -던 typically refers to a recollection of a repeated, habitual, or continuous action/state in the past. For instance, "내가 어릴 때 살던 집" (the house I used to live in when I was young) uses -던 for a continuous past state, whereas "그 식당 음식이 맛있더라고요" (I found that restaurant's food was delicious) uses 더라고 for a specific observation.더라고 cannot be used with future tense markers, commands, or suggestions, as it is solely for recounting past personal observations.요 can be added for politeness, making it 더라고요. Without 요, it is informal (더라고).더군 or 더구먼 can sometimes be heard, carrying a similar nuance of personal observation.