📘 Grammar 45: How to Use ~더라고요 – Sharing Your Experience in Korean

📘 How to Use ~더라고요 – Sharing Your Experience in Korean

Want to say “I saw that it was fun,” “He seemed tired,” or “I tried the food and it was spicy” in Korean?

Then it’s time to learn ~더라고요, a very expressive grammar pattern used to talk about your personal experience or discovery.

This structure is commonly used to share things you’ve seen, heard, or felt for yourself—often in a friendly or conversational tone.

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📌 What Does ~더라고요 Mean?

~더라고요 is used when the speaker is describing something they personally experienced or observed in the past.

It can be translated as:

• “I saw that…”
• “I found that…”
• “It seemed like…”

Structure:

• Verb/Adjective stem + ~더라고요

It’s often used in storytelling or when reporting something new or surprising.

📘 Example Sentences

• 그 영화 재미있더라고요 – I watched that movie and it was fun
  geu yeong-hwa jae-mi-it-deo-ra-go-yo
• 한국 음식 맵더라고요 – I tried Korean food, and it was spicy
  han-guk eum-sik maep-deo-ra-go-yo
• 그 사람 아주 친절하더라고요 – That person was very kind (I met them)
  geu sa-ram a-ju chin-jeol-ha-deo-ra-go-yo
• 생각보다 어렵더라고요 – It was harder than I thought
  saeng-gak-bo-da eo-ryeop-deo-ra-go-yo

📊 Grammar Table – ~더라고요 Forms

Verb/Type	Form	Meaning	Romanization
Action Verb	가더라고요	I saw (someone) go	ga-deo-ra-go-yo
Descriptive Verb	예쁘더라고요	I found it pretty	yep-peu-deo-ra-go-yo
Past	봤더라고요	I saw it (already)	bwat-deo-ra-go-yo
Negative	안 하더라고요	I saw (he) didn’t do it	an ha-deo-ra-go-yo

💡 When to Use ~더라고요

• ✔️ When you personally observed or experienced something
• ✔️ When sharing stories or discoveries with others
• ✔️ Common in conversations with friends or peers

Example:

• 처음 먹어봤는데 맵더라고요 – I tried it for the first time, and it was spicy
• 생각보다 사람이 많더라고요 – There were more people than I expected

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 했더라요 → ✅ 했더라고요
• ❌ 재밌다더라고요 → ✅ 재미있더라고요
• Do not use this grammar if you only heard it from someone else (use ~대요 instead)

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “I found it delicious”?
   a) 맛있어요
   b) 맛있더라고요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 맛있더라고요

2. Translate: “I saw that it was difficult.”
   a) 어려워요
   b) 어렵더라고요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 어렵더라고요

3. Which is correct to say “He was kind (from experience)”?
   a) 친절했어요
   b) 친절하더라고요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 친절하더라고요

✅ Conclusion

Now you can express what you’ve personally experienced or discovered using ~더라고요.

• Use it to share your feelings after trying, seeing, or hearing something directly
• Perfect for storytelling and honest conversation
• Different from quoting someone else

Try using:

• “I met her, and she was nice” → 만났는데 친절하더라고요
• “I studied, and it was harder than I thought” → 공부했는데 어렵더라고요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~대요 – Quoting Someone in Korean
Learn how to say “They said it’s good,” “I heard she’s coming,” and more!

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Related Keywords:
learn korean, korean grammar, 더라고요, korean experience expressions, korean storytelling grammar, romanized korean