Yes/No Question Endings — I can use common yes/no question endings and intonation patterns at an introductory level in supported contexts.

Historical Context & Motivation

Korean is one of the world's most systematically organized languages, and its question-forming structures reflect centuries of cultural and linguistic evolution. Unlike English, which often rearranges words to form a question ("You are happy" becomes "Are you happy?"), Korean signals questions primarily through verb endings attached to the end of a sentence. This means the word order stays essentially the same — the magic happens at the very last syllable. Understanding this system is your gateway to real conversation, because yes/no questions are the most common type of question in everyday Korean.

So here's the key question this lesson addresses: How do you turn any Korean sentence into a yes/no question? The answer lies in mastering a small set of sentence-ending particles and understanding how rising intonation works in Korean. Once you learn these patterns, you can ask hundreds of questions using vocabulary you already know.

Core Principles & Definitions

Before diving into specific endings, you need to grasp a few foundational ideas about how Korean questions work. Korean is a verb-final language, meaning the verb (or adjective acting as a verb) always comes at the end of the sentence. This is where question markers attach, making Korean questions structurally predictable once you know the pattern.

Visual Explanation — Statement vs. Question

Look at the top two rows in the diagram. The words 학생이에요 ("am a student") are identical in both the statement and the question — the only difference is the punctuation mark and, crucially, whether your voice goes down or up at the end. This is why intonation is so important at the -요 level. Now look at the bottom row. At the formal polite level, the ending actually changes its form: -ㅂ니다 (statement) becomes -ㅂ니까 (question). This gives you two clear tools for making questions — sometimes you change the ending, and sometimes you change your pitch.

How Yes/No Question Endings Work

The Two Main Question-Ending Systems

At the introductory level, you'll use two primary systems for forming yes/no questions. The first is the polite informal level (-아/어요), which is the most common style in everyday Korean conversation. In this system, you conjugate the verb normally and add -요 at the end. To make it a question, you simply raise your intonation at the end — the written form is identical to the statement form, except for a question mark in writing.

The second system is the formal polite level (-ㅂ니다 / -습니다), used in news broadcasts, business meetings, and when speaking to people significantly older or in positions of authority. In this system, the ending actually changes form to signal a question.

Intonation Patterns

Korean yes/no question intonation follows a predictable pattern. Statements end with a falling pitch (↘), while yes/no questions end with a rising pitch (↗). This is similar to English, so if you already raise your voice at the end of "Is that yours?" in English, you have a head start. The rise typically begins on the last syllable of the sentence and goes up noticeably — don't be shy about it. A clear rise helps your listener immediately understand that you're asking a question, especially at the -요 level where the ending doesn't change.

Detailed Breakdown of Common Question Endings

Notice that all three paths in the flowchart involve rising intonation. No matter which speech level you choose, your voice should go up at the end of a yes/no question. The key difference is whether the grammatical ending also changes. At the formal level, it changes from -다 to -까, which provides a clear written and spoken signal. At the polite informal and casual levels, the ending stays the same and you rely entirely on pitch.

Worked Example — Forming a Yes/No Question

Let's walk through forming yes/no questions using the verb 먹다 (to eat). We'll create both a polite informal question and a formal polite question.

Comparing Question Endings — Strengths & Limitations

Connection to Advanced Question Patterns

Once you've mastered basic yes/no question endings, you'll encounter more nuanced question forms as you advance. Korean has a rich array of question-related grammar that builds directly on what you've learned here. Understanding the basic endings now creates a strong foundation for these more complex patterns.

One particularly interesting pattern to look forward to is the tag question ending -지요 (shortened to -죠). This ending works like "right?" or "isn't it?" in English and is incredibly common in natural conversation. It still follows the same verb-final pattern you've learned, so transitioning to it will feel natural. Similarly, once you learn past and future tense conjugation, you can apply the exact same question-ending rules — just attach -요? or -ㅂ니까? to the tense-conjugated verb.

Practice Problems

Lesson Summary