-군요

Build it

When to use it

The form splits by word class. Adjectives and 이다 take -군요: 좋군요, 학생이군요. Verbs take -는군요: 가는군요, 먹는군요. Verbs in the past revert to -군요, since the tense marker fills the slot: 갔군요.

Stems ending in ㄹ drop it before -는군요: 만들다 gives 만드는군요.

Where -네요 is a spontaneous reaction, -군요 sounds like a conclusion. 아, 그래서 늦었군요 — ah, so that’s why you were late. It is slightly more bookish, common in writing and in careful speech, and its casual form 구나 is what you hear among friends.

How to attach it

In use

1. 아, 그래서 안 오셨군요.

   Ah, so that’s why you didn’t come.

2. 한국어를 오래 공부하셨군요.

   So you’ve been studying Korean for a long time.

3. 여기가 그 유명한 카페군요.

   So this is that famous cafe.

4. 생각보다 어렵군요.

   It’s harder than I expected.

5. 벌써 시작했군요.

   So it’s already started.

6. 날씨가 정말 좋군요.

   The weather really is lovely.

Compared with

• -네요

  -네요 reacts to what is in front of you; -군요 reports a conclusion you have drawn. In everyday speech -네요 is far more frequent.

  비가 오네요. (looking outside)  /  비가 오는군요. (so that’s why everyone’s wet)

• -지요?

  -군요 registers new understanding; -지요? checks something already shared. They cannot be swapped.

  한국 사람이군요. (I see, you’re Korean)  /  한국 사람이죠? (you’re Korean, right?)

• -구나

  The casual counterpart, used with close friends or when talking to yourself. Adding 요 raises it back to the polite level.

  벌써 왔구나. (to a friend)  /  벌써 왔군요. (polite)

Watch out

• 한국어를 잘하군요.

  한국어를 잘하는군요.

  Present-tense verbs take -는군요. Only adjectives and past-tense verbs use the short -군요.

• 날씨가 좋는군요.

  날씨가 좋군요.

  좋다 is an adjective, so no -는. The split mirrors the modifier system: verbs take -는, adjectives do not.

• 매일 요리를 만들는군요.

  매일 요리를 만드는군요.

  Stems ending in ㄹ drop it before -는군요, exactly as they do before -는 and -네요.

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