Korean: Reporting Questions with -냐고 묻다 and -어디냐고 묻다
Learn to report yes/no and where-questions in Korean using -냐고 묻다 and question word + -냐고 묻다, with casual and polite forms.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Korean, when you report a question someone asked, you do not use the same ending as a reported statement. Reported statements use -다고 하다, but reported questions use -냐고 하다 or -냐고 묻다. This lesson teaches two common patterns: reporting a yes/no question ('He asked if I was ready') and reporting a where-question ('She asked where I lived'). You will learn the casual form -냐고 and the polite form -냐고요, plus how to attach question words like 어디 before the ending.
By the end, you can…
- report a yes/no question using -냐고 묻다.
- report a where-question using 어디 + -냐고 묻다.
- distinguish reported questions from reported statements.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
준비됐냐고 물었어요.
He asked if I was ready.
jun-bi-dwaen-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yo
Casual reported yes/no question. Use with friends or people younger than you. The original question was 준비됐어? ('Are you ready?').
어디 사냐고 물었어요.
She asked where I live.
eo-di sa-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yo
Reported where-question. The question word 어디 comes before -냐고. The original question was 어디 사세요? or 어디 살아? ('Where do you live?').
뭐 하냐고 물었어요.
They asked what I was doing.
mwo ha-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yo
Reported what-question. 뭐 replaces the thing being asked about. The original question was 뭐 해? ('What are you doing?').
준비됐냐고요?
Did you ask if I was ready?
jun-bi-dwaen-nya-go-yo
Polite echo question. Adding -요 makes the reported question polite. Used when checking what someone just asked.
어디 사냐고 물어봤어요.
I asked where he lives.
eo-di sa-nya-go mu-reo-bwa-sseo-yo
Use 물어보다 when you are the one asking. It is slightly softer than 묻다.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For a yes/no question, take the plain-style question form and add -냐고 하다 or -냐고 묻다. 준비됐어? ('Are you ready?') becomes 준비됐냐고 물었어요 ('He asked if I was ready'). For a question word, keep the question word in place: 어디 사세요? ('Where do you live?') becomes 어디 사냐고 물었어요 ('She asked where I live'). The verb before -냐고 stays in the plain form, not the polite -요 form.
When to use it
Use -냐고 묻다 when you are reporting a question to someone else. Use -냐고 하다 when you are summarizing what someone asked without focusing on the act of asking. In polite conversation, add -요 to the whole reported question: 준비됐냐고요? This is common when checking what someone just asked. Do not use -다고 for questions; that would turn the question into a statement.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
민수가 뭐라고 했어요?
What did Minsu say?min-su-ga mwo-ra-go hae-sseo-yo?준비됐냐고 물었어요.
He asked if I was ready.jun-bi-dwaen-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yo어디 사냐고도 물었어요?
Did he also ask where I live?eo-di sa-nya-go-do mu-reo-sseo-yo?네, 어디 사냐고 물었어요.
Yes, he asked where I live.ne, eo-di sa-nya-go mu-reo-sseo-yoA little context goes a long way
Korean has different levels of politeness. The plain form -냐고 is common in casual speech, but in formal situations you may hear -냐고요 or a more indirect question. When reporting to someone older or in a workplace, it is safer to use the polite -요 form or soften the report with -다고 들었어요 if you are not certain.
One thing to watch for
Using -다고 instead of -냐고 for questions: 준비됐다고 물었어요.
Try this instead: Use -냐고 for reported questions: 준비됐냐고 물었어요. -다고 reports a statement, so 준비됐다고 물었어요 would mean 'He asked, saying I was ready,' which is not what you want.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you report 'She asked if I was busy' in casual Korean?
Show a sample answer
바쁘냐고 물었어요.
Take the plain question form 바쁘냐? and add -고 물었어요. 바쁘다고 would report a statement, not a question.
2How do you report 'He asked where I work' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
어디서 일하냐고 물었어요.
Keep the question word 어디서 before the plain form 일하냐 and add -고 물었어요. To make it polite, you can say 어디서 일하냐고요? when checking what someone asked.
3What is the difference between -냐고 하다 and -다고 하다?
Show a sample answer
-냐고 하다 reports a question; -다고 하다 reports a statement.
-냐고 is for questions like 준비됐냐고 했어요 ('He asked if I was ready'). -다고 is for statements like 준비됐다고 했어요 ('He said I was ready').
Report questions with -냐고, not -다고. Keep the question word before -냐고, and add -요 for politeness.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Korean into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr