아/어 지다

Overview

The grammatical pattern -아/어 지다 is used to express a change in state or condition. It signifies that something "becomes" or "gets" a certain way, often implying a natural progression or an unintentional transformation. It can also function as a passive voice marker, indicating that an action is performed on the subject rather than by it.

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Usage

-아/어 지다 primarily attaches to adjectives to describe how a quality or state changes over time or due to certain circumstances. For example, 날씨가 따뜻해지다 (the weather becomes warm). When attached to verbs, it typically forms the passive voice, meaning the subject is acted upon. For instance, 문이 열리다 (the door opens itself) vs. 문이 열어지다 (the door gets opened/is opened). While many verbs have inherent passive forms (e.g., 먹다 -> 먹히다), -아/어 지다 can be used with a wider range of verbs, especially when the change is less about a direct action and more about a resulting state or possibility. It often implies that the change is unintentional, natural, or beyond the subject's direct control.

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Conjugation Rules

The conjugation of -아/어 지다 follows the standard 아/어 conjugation rules:

1. If the last vowel of the adjective or verb stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, attach -아 지다.
   • 작다 (small) -> 작 + 아 지다 -> 작아지다 (to become small)
   • 좋다 (good) -> 좋 + 아 지다 -> 좋아지다 (to become good)
2. If the last vowel of the adjective or verb stem is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ, attach -어 지다.
   • 크다 (big) -> 크 + 어 지다 -> 커지다 (to become big)
   • 춥다 (cold) -> 춥 + 어 지다 -> 추워지다 -> 추워지다 (to become cold)
   • 만들다 (make) -> 만들 + 어 지다 -> 만들어지다 (to be made)
3. If the stem ends in 하다, it changes to -해 지다.
   • 복잡하다 (complicated) -> 복잡 + 해 지다 -> 복잡해지다 (to become complicated)
   • 피곤하다 (tired) -> 피곤 + 해 지다 -> 피곤해지다 (to become tired)

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Knowledge Plus

While -아/어 지다 can function as a passive marker, it's important to distinguish it from inherent passive verbs (e.g., 보다 -> 보이다, 듣다 -> 들리다). The -아/어 지다 form often emphasizes the resultant state or the possibility/ease of an action, rather than a direct passive action by an agent. For example, "문이 열리다" means "the door opens (by itself or is opened)," while "문이 열어지다" can imply "the door can be opened / gets opened (perhaps easily or unintentionally)." When used with adjectives, it's a straightforward way to express "to become [adjective]." The nuance often leans towards a gradual or natural change.