-잖아요
you know, as you’re aware
Reminds the listener of something they already know. Useful and very common — but it carries an edge, and pointing it at the wrong person is a genuine misstep.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Attach -잖아요 to any stem — no vowel rule, ㄹ stays, and tense goes in front: 갔잖아요, 좋았잖아요.
It points at shared knowledge and asks the listener to bring it back to mind: 어제 말했잖아요 (I told you yesterday, remember). Because of that, it cannot introduce new information. If the listener could not already know it, the ending is wrong.
The edge comes from the reminding. Depending on tone, it ranges from friendly to distinctly impatient, and aimed upward it sounds like you are correcting your boss. With someone senior, restate the fact plainly or use -지요? instead.
One spelling note: it is 잖아요, never 자나요.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Any verb or adjective | -잖아요 | 있다 → 있잖아요 |
| ㄹ stems keep the ㄹ | -잖아요 | 만들다 → 만들잖아요 |
| Past | -았/었잖아요 | 갔잖아요 |
| 이다 | -(이)잖아요 | 학생이잖아요 |
| Casual | -잖아 | 있잖아 |
| Not for | new information | use -거든요 instead |
In use
어제 제가 말했잖아요.
I told you yesterday, remember.
오늘 일요일이잖아요. 은행 문 닫았어요.
It’s Sunday, remember — the bank is closed.
그 사람 한국어 잘하잖아요.
He speaks Korean well, as you know.
저 매운 거 못 먹잖아요.
You know I can’t eat spicy food.
지난주에 같이 갔잖아요.
We went there together last week, remember?
있잖아요, 부탁이 하나 있는데요.
You know what — I have a favour to ask.
Compared with
-지요?
Both rest on shared knowledge, but -지요? invites agreement while -잖아요 asserts it. -지요? is the safer choice with anyone senior.
비가 오지요? (it’s raining, right?) / 비가 오잖아요. (it’s raining, as you can see)
-거든요
Exact opposites in terms of information. -거든요 supplies a reason the listener did not know; -잖아요 recalls one they did.
오늘 바쁘거든요. (the thing is, I’m busy) / 오늘 바쁘잖아요. (I’m busy today, remember)
-(으)ㄴ/는데
-는데 opens a topic gently; -잖아요 pushes a known fact back at the listener. In a request, -는데 is much softer.
시간 없는데요. (I’m short on time…) / 시간 없잖아요. (we have no time, obviously)
Watch out
부장님, 회의가 세 시잖아요.
부장님, 회의가 세 시입니다.
Reminding someone senior of a fact sounds like a correction. State it plainly, or soften it with -지요?
제가 어제 부산에 갔잖아요. — when the listener did not know
제가 어제 부산에 갔거든요.
-잖아요 requires shared knowledge. For information that is new to the listener, use -거든요.
어제 말했자나요.
어제 말했잖아요.
The spelling is 잖아요. 자나요 reflects the pronunciation but is not standard.
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