Is it true that...?

This pattern is used to confirm information you've heard from a third party. It's like saying, "I heard that... is it true?" or "Someone told me that..." It's a great way to start a conversation about news or rumors.

Formation Rules

The ending changes based on the type of word and tense.

Action Verbs (Present Tense): Attach -ㄴ/는다면서?

Vowel stem: 가다 → 간다면서?

Consonant stem: 먹다 → 먹는다면서?

Verbs (Past Tense): Attach -았다/었다면서?

헤어지다 → 헤어졌다면서?

되다 → 됐다면서?

Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives): Attach -다면서?

아프다 → 아프다면서?

맛있다 → 맛있다면서?

Nouns: Attach -(이)라면서?

Vowel ending: 공짜 → 공짜라면서?

Consonant ending: 학생 → 학생이라면서?

너 로또 됐다면서? / 다이어트한다면서? / 아프다면서? / 공짜라면서?

While -다면서? is a way to confirm information, its nuance often goes beyond a simple question. It can imply surprise, curiosity, or even a bit of friendly skepticism.

Surprise/Congratulations: When you hear good news, using this pattern is a natural way to bring it up and offer congratulations.

승진했다면서? 축하해! (I heard you got promoted? Congratulations!)

Curiosity/Concern: If you hear someone is going through a tough time, it's a gentle way to check in.

힘들다면서? 무슨 일 있어? (I heard things are tough? Is everything okay?)

Skepticism/Contradiction: You can use it when someone's actions contradict what you've heard about them.

다이어트한다면서? (근데 왜 케이크를 먹어?) (I heard you're on a diet? (But why are you eating cake?))

결혼한다면서? 정말 축하해! / 바쁘다면서? 내가 도와줄까? / 다이어트한다면서? 이건 웬 피자야?

You will often hear Koreans use -다며? in place of -다면서?. In most conversational contexts, they are interchangeable.

-다며?

-다며? is a common contraction of -다면서?. It feels slightly more casual and is used very frequently in spoken Korean. For the purpose of confirming what you've heard, you can treat them as synonyms.

미국 간다면서? is the same as 미국 간다며?

-다고 들었어(요)

This phrase, meaning "I heard that...", is a more direct way of stating the source of your information. While -다면서? seeks confirmation with a nuance of surprise or curiosity, -다고 들었어(요) simply states a fact you've heard and often leads to a more direct question like 정말이야? (Is it true?).

-다면서?: 이사 간다면서? (More conversational, implies "Tell me more!")

-다고 들었어: 이사 간다고 들었어요. 맞아요? (More direct, states the fact and asks for verification.)

회사 그만둔다면서? / 회사 그만둔다며? / 회사 그만둔다고 들었는데, 사실이에요?

This pattern can be easily adjusted for politeness by adding 요 at the end. The script lines for this episode demonstrate this clearly.

Casual Form: -다면서?

Use this form with close friends, family, or people younger than you. It's the standard 반말 (casual language) version.

Example: 내일 회사 쉰다면서? (I heard you're off work tomorrow?)

Polite Form: -다면서요?

Simply add 요 to make the question polite. Use this with colleagues, acquaintances, older people, or anyone you would normally speak to in 해요체 (polite form).

Example: 내일 회사 쉰다면서요? (I heard you're off work tomorrow?)

남친이랑 헤어졌다면서? / 남친이랑 헤어졌다면서요? / 회사 그만둔다면서? / 회사 그만둔다면서요?