-아/어지다 is a versatile passive/change-of-state construction that works with many more verbs than the -이/히/리/기 passive. It expresses both passive actions and changes of state.
What is -아/어지다?
Formation
Verb stem + -아/어지다:
- Same vowel harmony as regular conjugation
- Add -아지다 after ㅏ/ㅗ stems
- Add -어지다 after other vowels
- 하다 → 해지다
Two Main Meanings
1. Passive meaning (be done):
- Something is done by someone/something
- Similar to English passive voice
2. Change of state (become):
- Something changes condition
- Similar to "become" or "get"
Context determines which meaning
Formation Rules
After ㅏ/ㅗ Stems: -아지다
Vowel harmony:
- 맑다 (clear) → 맑아지다 (become clear)
- 좋다 (good) → 좋아지다 (become good)
- 작다 (small) → 작아지다 (become small)
- 밝다 (bright) → 밝아지다 (become bright)
After Other Vowels: -어지다
All other vowel stems:
- 크다 (big) → 커지다 (become big)
- 먹다 (eat) → 먹어지다 (be eaten, can eat)
- 깨다 (break) → 깨어지다 (be broken)
- 쓰다 (write) → 써지다 (be written)
- 예쁘다 (pretty) → 예뻐지다 (become pretty)
하다 Verbs: -해지다
하다 becomes 해지다:
- 깨끗하다 (clean) → 깨끗해지다 (become clean)
- 행복하다 (happy) → 행복해지다 (become happy)
- 유명하다 (famous) → 유명해지다 (become famous)
- 시작하다 (start) → 시작되다 (be started - uses 되다 instead)
Note: Some 하다 verbs use -되다 instead (covered later)
As Change of State (Become)
With Adjectives
Becoming a certain way:
Size changes:
- 크다 → 커지다 (become big, grow)
- 작다 → 작아지다 (become small, shrink)
- 길다 → 길어지다 (become long)
- 짧다 → 짧아지다 (become short)
Quality changes:
- 좋다 → 좋아지다 (become good, improve)
- 나쁘다 → 나빠지다 (become bad, worsen)
- 예쁘다 → 예뻐지다 (become pretty)
- 더럽다 → 더러워지다 (become dirty)
Condition changes:
- 춥다 → 추워지다 (become cold)
- 덥다 → 더워지다 (become hot)
- 밝다 → 밝아지다 (become bright)
- 어둡다 → 어두워지다 (become dark)
Common Examples
Weather and temperature:
- 날씨가 추워졌어요 (The weather got cold)
- 더워질 거예요 (It will get hot)
- 날씨가 좋아졌어요 (Weather got better)
Personal change:
- 한국어가 잘해졌어요 (My Korean got better)
- 키가 커졌어요 (Height grew / I got taller)
- 예뻐졌어요 (You became prettier)
Time and light:
- 날이 밝아졌어요 (It became daylight)
- 어두워졌어요 (It got dark)
- 늦어졌어요 (It got late)
As Passive Meaning
With Action Verbs
Something is done (passive):
Breaking/Damage:
- 깨다 → 깨어지다 (be broken - glass, etc.)
- 부서지다 (be broken - in pieces)
- 찢다 → 찢어지다 (be torn)
Creation/Completion:
- 만들다 → 만들어지다 (be made)
- 쓰다 → 써지다 (be written)
- 끝나다 → 끝나지다 (be finished - less common, use 끝나다)
Miscellaneous:
- 먹다 → 먹어지다 (be eaten, can eat)
- 마시다 → 마셔지다 (be drunk, can drink)
- 보다 → 보여지다 (be seen - but prefer 보이다)
Common Examples
Objects being acted upon:
- 컵이 깨어졌어요 (Cup was broken)
- 종이가 찢어졌어요 (Paper was torn)
- 문제가 해결됐어요 (Problem was solved - uses 되다)
Actions becoming possible:
- 이제 먹어져요 (Now I can eat it)
- 안 먹어져요 (Can't eat it / Don't feel like eating)
Note: With some verbs, -아/어지다 implies ability or inclination
Special Uses with Possibility
Can/Can't Implications
Often implies ability or desire:
Eating/Drinking:
- 밥이 먹어져요 (I can eat / I feel like eating)
- 밥이 안 먹어져요 (I can't eat / Don't feel like eating)
- 술이 마셔져요 (I can drink / Feel like drinking)
Doing/Happening:
- 일이 잘 돼요 (Work goes well)
- 일이 안 돼요 (Work doesn't go well / Can't do it)
Note: This nuance is unique to Korean
With Time Expressions
Gradual Change
점점 (gradually):
- 점점 추워졌어요 (It gradually got cold)
- 점점 좋아졌어요 (It gradually got better)
- 점점 어려워졌어요 (It gradually became difficult)
Sudden Change
갑자기 (suddenly):
- 갑자기 추워졌어요 (It suddenly got cold)
- 갑자기 어두워졌어요 (It suddenly got dark)
Already Changed
벌써/이미 (already):
- 벌써 늦어졌어요 (It already got late)
- 이미 끝났어요 (It already finished)
Conjugation
Present Tense
-아/어지다 + present ending:
- 커져요 (becomes big, grows)
- 좋아져요 (becomes good)
- 깨어져요 (breaks, is broken)
- 추워져요 (gets cold)
Past Tense
-아/어졌어요:
- 커졌어요 (became big, grew)
- 좋아졌어요 (became good, improved)
- 깨어졌어요 (was broken)
- 추워졌어요 (got cold)
Future Tense
-아/어질 거예요:
- 커질 거예요 (will become big)
- 좋아질 거예요 (will become good)
- 깨어질 거예요 (will be broken)
- 추워질 거예요 (will get cold)
Comparison with Other Forms
-아/어지다 vs -이/히/리/기
-이/히/리/기 passive:
- Limited to specific verbs
- True passive forms
- Example: 팔다 → 팔리다 (be sold)
-아/어지다:
- Works with many verbs
- Change of state + passive
- Example: 팔다 → 팔아지다 (less common)
Generally: Use -이/히/리/기 when available
-아/어지다 vs 되다
되다 (become, be done):
- More general
- Often with 하다 verbs
- Example: 시작하다 → 시작되다
-아/어지다:
- More specific change
- Natural progression
- Example: 크다 → 커지다
Sometimes interchangeable, slight nuance difference
Common Expressions
Positive Changes
Getting better:
- 건강해졌어요 (Became healthy)
- 좋아졌어요 (Got better, improved)
- 행복해졌어요 (Became happy)
- 똑똑해졌어요 (Became smart)
Negative Changes
Getting worse:
- 나빠졌어요 (Got worse)
- 어려워졌어요 (Became difficult)
- 복잡해졌어요 (Became complicated)
- 더러워졌어요 (Got dirty)
Weather
Seasonal changes:
- 추워졌어요 (Got cold)
- 더워졌어요 (Got hot)
- 따뜻해졌어요 (Got warm)
- 시원해졌어요 (Got cool)
Time
Time progression:
- 늦어졌어요 (Got late)
- 밝아졌어요 (Got bright / daybreak)
- 어두워졌어요 (Got dark)
Example Sentences
Change of State
- 한국어가 잘해졌어요 (My Korean improved)
- 날씨가 좋아졌어요 (Weather got better)
- 키가 커졌어요 (I grew taller)
- 방이 깨끗해졌어요 (Room became clean)
- 시험이 어려워졌어요 (Test became difficult)
Passive Meaning
- 컵이 깨어졌어요 (Cup was broken)
- 종이가 찢어졌어요 (Paper was torn)
- 문제가 해결됐어요 (Problem was solved)
- 건물이 지어졌어요 (Building was built)
With Possibility
- 밥이 안 먹어져요 (I can't eat / Don't feel like eating)
- 잘 안 써져요 (It doesn't write well / Can't write it)
- 술이 마셔져요 (I can drink / Feel like drinking)
Time Changes
- 벌써 늦어졌어요 (It already got late)
- 점점 추워졌어요 (It gradually got cold)
- 갑자기 어두워졌어요 (It suddenly got dark)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Weather
A: 날씨가 많이 추워졌네요.
(The weather got really cold.)
B: 네, 겨울이 다가왔어요.
(Yes, winter is approaching.)
A: 곧 눈도 올 거예요.
(It will snow soon too.)
Dialogue 2: Personal Change
A: 한국어가 많이 늘었어요!
(Your Korean improved a lot!)
B: 정말요? 감사합니다. 열심히 공부했어요.
(Really? Thank you. I studied hard.)
A: 발음도 좋아졌어요.
(Your pronunciation also got better.)
Dialogue 3: Broken Item
A: 컵이 깨어졌어요.
(The cup broke.)
B: 어떻게 깨졌어요?
(How did it break?)
A: 떨어뜨렸어요.
(I dropped it.)
Dialogue 4: Can't Eat
A: 밥 먹을래요?
(Do you want to eat?)
B: 아니요, 배가 불러서 안 먹어져요.
(No, I'm full so I can't eat.)
A: 그럼 나중에 먹어요.
(Then eat later.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 좋하지다
Wrong formation
✅ Correct: 좋아지다
Follow vowel harmony rules
❌ Awkward: 팔아지다 (when 팔리다 exists)
Using -아/어지다 when specific passive exists
✅ Correct: 팔리다
Use -이/히/리/기 passive when available
❌ Incorrect: 시작해지다
Wrong form for 하다 verb
✅ Correct: 시작되다
Many 하다 verbs use -되다
Quick Reference Table
| Type | Verb | -아/어지다 Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective | 크다 | 커지다 | become big |
| Adjective | 좋다 | 좋아지다 | become good |
| Adjective | 춥다 | 추워지다 | become cold |
| Verb | 깨다 | 깨어지다 | be broken |
| Verb | 먹다 | 먹어지다 | be eaten, can eat |
| 하다 | 깨끗하다 | 깨끗해지다 | become clean |
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Two meanings: Change of state (become) and passive (be done)
- ✅ Very productive: Works with most adjectives and many verbs
- ✅ Formation: Verb + -아/어지다 (follow vowel harmony)
- ✅ Common with adjectives: Expressing changes (커지다, 좋아지다)
- ✅ Possibility nuance: Can imply ability or desire (먹어지다)
- ✅ Time expressions: 점점 (gradually), 갑자기 (suddenly)
- ✅ Prefer specific passives: Use -이/히/리/기 when available
- ✅ Very natural: Essential for describing changes
-아/어지다 is one of the most useful patterns in Korean for expressing changes and passive meanings. Master this with common adjectives first (크다 → 커지다, 좋다 → 좋아지다, 춥다 → 추워지다), then expand to verbs. It's essential for natural Korean expression!