Skip to content

Easy Korean - Level 3, Unit 24: Expressing Surprise or Impression (-네요)

When you notice something new, feel surprised, or are impressed by something you just realized, you can attach -네요 (-ne-yo) to the end of a verb or adjective.

When to use -네요

You use this when you want to express your immediate reaction or impression to something you are seeing, hearing, or experiencing in that exact moment.

  • (Looking at the window) "Oh, it's raining!" -> 비가 오네요!
  • (Tasting food) "Wow, this is delicious!" -> 이거 맛있네요!
  • (Meeting someone) "You speak Korean well!" -> 한국어를 잘하시네요!

Note: You would not use -네요 for simple facts you already knew.

How to Conjugate

This is one of the easiest grammar rules in Korean. Just drop '다' from the dictionary form and attach -네요.

  • 비싸다 (expensive) -> 비싸네요 (Wow, it's expensive!)
  • 크다 (big) -> 크네요 (Oh, it's big!)
  • 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹네요 (Oh, you are eating!)
  • 있다 (to exist) -> 있네요 (Oh, it's here!)

Exception: If the stem ends in ㄹ, you must drop the ㄹ before adding -네요. * 만들다 (to make) -> 만드 + 네요 = 만드네요 * 멀다 (to be far) -> 머 + 네요 = 머네요

Past Tense with -네요

You can also use this with the past tense marker (-았/었). You just attach -네요 to the past tense stem.

  • 가다 -> 갔 -> 갔네요 (Oh, they left!)
  • 먹다 -> 먹었 -> 먹었네요 (Oh, you already ate it!)
  • 머리를 잘랐다 -> 잘랐네요 (Oh, you cut your hair!)

Example Sentences

  1. 오늘 날씨가 정말 춥네요! (Wow, the weather is really cold today!)
  2. 한국어가 정말 어렵네요. (I'm realizing that Korean is really difficult.)
  3. 여기 사람 진짜 많네요. (Wow, there are really a lot of people here.)
  4. 벌써 밤이 됐네요. (Oh, it has already become night time.)