-데
-데: I Found (Firsthand) — Bringing Past Experience Here
Ending: report a fact learned by direct past experience into the current speaking scene.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / adjective / 이다 | -데 | 좋데 / 많데 / 학생이데 |
| After -었- / -겠- | -었데 / -겠데 | 갔데 / 어렵겠데 |
-데 brings a firsthand past experience into the present scene — I found / I noticed….
It sits in the -더- family of witnessed or recalled knowing. This slot is the connective/scene-setting use that feeds what you say next.
Why this is hard
English has no neat twin. Learners confuse -데 with -는데 (background) because both can soften into “so…”. The -더- piece is the clue: you are importing something you personally registered before.
It also neighbours report endings like -더라고. Same sensory family; different finishing shapes.
What it does
You set a witnessed fact as the runway for the next move — often a question, suggestion, or comment.
어제 가 봤데 문이 닫혀 있었어.
먹어 봤데 꽤 맵더라고.
만나 봤데 정말 친절해.
들어 봤데 그 말이 맞더라.(Exact pairing varies by speech style; keep the firsthand flavour.)
Forms
Stem + -데 in the witnessed/connective classroom pattern (related to -더-).
When not to use it
Do not use it for secondhand rumour you never experienced — pick a hearsay tool instead.
Do not swap it blindly with -는데; background -는데 does not require firsthand recall.
Do not treat every -데 spelling as this grammar (other -데 forms exist in Korean).
Neighbours — and why they differ
| Form | Why it is not this slot |
|---|---|
| -는데 | Soft background; not specifically witnessed recall. |
| -더라고 | Report ending I saw that… (+요 often). |
| -던 | Past modifier with lingering sense; adnominal, not this runway. |
Ask: am I bringing something I personally found into this scene? If yes, -데. If you only need soft background, -는데 may be enough.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 종결어미 (final ending) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 3, on the theme of final ending. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. You went yesterday and you are bringing that firsthand finding into this scene. Which line?
2. You tried the food and you are setting that finding down for what you say next. Which line?
3. You met them and you are carrying that firsthand meeting into the present scene.
Common questions
Dictionary?
우리말샘 -데 「007」: bring a fact learned by direct past experience into the present speaking scene.
Vs -는데?
-는데 is background connective. -데 is an ending of firsthand report.
Vs -던데?
-던데 often invites reaction. -데 is closer to planting the finding in the scene.
Register?
Spoken report feel. Not formal essay default.