-았/었더니

Build it

When to use it

The vowel follows the -았/었- rule: 갔더니, 먹었더니, 했더니.

The first clause is your own past action, and the second is what resulted or what you discovered: 가게에 갔더니 문을 닫았더라고요.

Two flavours run through it. Discovery: you did something and found a situation waiting. Consequence: your action produced an effect, often on your body — 많이 먹었더니 배가 아파요.

Because the subject is you, swapping it for someone else is the classic error. 동생이 갔더니 is wrong unless you are quoting their own account.

How to attach it

In use

1. 가게에 갔더니 벌써 문을 닫았어요.

   I went to the shop and found it already closed.

2. 아침을 많이 먹었더니 배가 불러요.

   I ate a big breakfast, and now I’m full.

3. 전화를 했더니 안 받더라고요.

   I called, and there was no answer.

4. 어제 늦게 잤더니 오늘 너무 피곤해요.

   I went to bed late yesterday, so I’m exhausted today.

5. 직접 만들었더니 생각보다 맛있었어요.

   I made it myself, and it turned out better than expected.

6. 창문을 열었더니 시원한 바람이 들어왔어요.

   I opened the window and cool air came in.

Compared with

• -더니

  The pair divides by subject. -더니 for what you watched someone else do; -았/었더니 for what you did yourself.

  동생이 공부하더니 합격했어요.  /  제가 공부했더니 합격했어요.

• -(으)니까

  -(으)니까 can also mark discovery on doing something, and the two overlap. -았/었더니 is more strongly tied to a past action of your own.

  가 보니까 문을 닫았어요.  /  갔더니 문을 닫았어요.

• -아서/어서

  -아서 states a cause plainly; -았/었더니 frames it as something you did and then observed the outcome of.

  많이 먹어서 배가 아파요. (because I ate)  /  많이 먹었더니 배가 아파요. (I ate, and now)

Watch out

• 동생이 가게에 갔더니 문을 닫았어요.

  동생이 가게에 갔는데 문을 닫았대요.

  -았/었더니 reports your own action. For what someone else did, use -는데 with a reported ending.

• 가게에 가더니 문을 닫았어요. — about yourself

  가게에 갔더니 문을 닫았어요.

  Without the past marker, the ending points at someone else’s action that you observed.

• 공부하었더니 합격했어요.

  공부했더니 합격했어요.

  하다 becomes 했 here, exactly as in the ordinary past tense.

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