-었더니
-었더니: I Did It, and Then — Past Mark + 더니
Connective: past-marked situation followed by a related result or sequel (-었- + -더니).
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ/ㅗ stems | -았더니 | 가봤더니 / 알아봤더니 |
| Other stems | -었더니 | 먹었더니 / 전화했더니 |
-었더니 is the past-marked member of the -더니 family: you did (or something was)…, and then the sequel.
Curriculum gloss: the past version, with a different rule. Morphologically it is -었- + -더니 — 우리말샘 already allows -더니 after -었-. The “different rule” (often about who can be subject, or how the result reads) is classroom packaging, not a separate dictionary lemma. Learn it beside -더니; do not invent a fake universal law beyond what your course states.
What it does — past act, then sequel/result
병원에 가봤더니 휴일이었어요.
물을 줬더니 살이 났어요.
문을 열었더니 고양이가 들어왔어요.
검색해 봤더니 후기가 좋았어요.Discovery stories are common: I checked / I tried / I opened — and then I found…
Forms
| Harmony | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ/ㅗ stems | -았더니 | 알아봤더니 |
| other | -었더니 | 먹었더니, 전화했더니 |
Pair with -더니 — without overclaiming
| Form | Teaching focus |
|---|---|
| -더니 | past situation → follow-up; drills often keep one subject |
| -었더니 | past-marked chunk; drills often highlight result/discovery after an act |
If a textbook says subjects may differ here, believe the textbook for that drill set. If it does not, do not invent freedom.
Near neighbours
| Form | Job |
|---|---|
| -었더니 | past act → sequel/result |
| -더니 | past situation → follow-up |
| -아서/어서 | general cause |
| -는데 | background |
When to use
Use -었더니 when narrating after I did X, Y happened / I found Y.
Use -더니 when the first half is a past situation/observation without needing the isolated -었더니 drill rule.
Practice rule: if the story is “I did something, and as a result / I discovered,” start with -었더니 and check your course’s subject note.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 반려동물을 기르면 심리적으로 편안해져서 좋다고 하던데 (They say that having a pet is good because it makes you psychologically more comfortable.) — Intermediate Korean 2, Unit 5, on the theme of fauna and flora. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. Morphologically -었더니 is…
2. Why a separate page from -더니?
3. 알아봤더니 예약이 됐었어요-type lines often mean…
Common questions
Is the ‘different rule’ in 우리말샘?
Not as a separate headword law. It is classroom grammar built on -었- + -더니. Follow your course’s subject/result notes.
았더니 vs 었더니?
Same past harmony as elsewhere: ㅏ/ㅗ → -았더니; otherwise -었더니.
vs -었는데?
neunde1 backgrounds. -었더니 sequences into a sequel/result reading.
Must the speaker be the first subject?
Many textbook examples are first-person discovery stories. Treat that as a common pattern, not a universal law unless your course states one.
Seen in the wild
Lessons where this pattern showed up in real Korean — news, slang, drama lines.
