-던가
deonga
Grammar · 2 senses
Asking about the past
Examples
그 식당이 맛있던가?
Was that restaurant good?
뭐라고 하던가?
What did she say?
When you'd hear it
-던가 is mainly conversational and sounds casual, often used when asking someone to recall a past detail: “What did she say again?” It appears in everyday speech and dramas; the polite form -던가요 is more suitable with unfamiliar people or in the workplace.
What learners get wrong
This is not just a neutral past-tense question like -았/었어?; it often signals that the speaker is trying to remember or checking someone’s recollection. Compare 뭐라고 했어? (What did she say?) with 뭐라고 하던가? (What did she say again?).
Asking oneself about the past
Examples
내가 그랬던가?
Did I say that?
둘이 그렇게 친했던가?
Were they really that close?
혹시 내가 기분을 안 좋게 했던가 해서 걱정했지.
I was worried that maybe I had hurt your feelings.
When you'd hear it
Common in conversational speech when a speaker is trying to recall a past fact, often as a sentence ending in dramas and everyday conversation. It can also appear in reflective narration; polite speech uses forms such as 던가요.
What learners get wrong
Do not confuse -던가 with -든가: -던가 expresses the speaker’s uncertainty while recalling the past, whereas -든가 presents alternatives such as “or.”
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