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Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Korean 2 · final ending

-그려

-그려: You Know / Indeed — Stressing the Point

Ending/particle colour: you know / indeed — stressing the point to the listener.

Before this, make sure you know: -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When Form Example
After finite / fixed phrases …그려 그렇지그려 / 맞아요그려
After plain ends in older speech …다그려 / …지그려 그렇다그려 / 알지그려

-그려 stresses the point to the listener — indeed / you know.

It is confirmation colour, not a new predicate meaning.

Why this is hard

It looks near -구려 exclamation/command family. Spelling differs (그려 vs 구려), and the job here is listener-directed stress, often on agreement phrases like 그렇지그려.

What it does

그렇지그려.
맞아요그려.
쉽지 않다그려.
그래도 가야지그려.

The ending nudges: I’m pressing this point to you.

Forms

Attaches after finished phrases and some plain ends in older or folksy speech: …그려, …다그려, …지그려.

When not to use it

Do not use it as default polite -요 — -요.

Do not mash it with -는구려 exclamation.

Do not drop it into formal writing for decoration.

Neighbours — and why they differ

FormWhy it is not this slot
-요General politeness.
-네Discovery/exclamation.
-는구려Mild archaic remark on a scene.

Ask: am I stressing the point to you? If yes, -그려. If blank polite, stay with -요.

Do not confuse it with

요

additive politeness particle (the universal honorific buffer)

-네 / -네요

noticing something out loud — mild surprise, said to yourself and to others

-는구려

how…! — a mild, slightly archaic exclamation

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 종결어미 (final ending) — Advanced Korean 2, Unit 3, on the theme of final ending. These come with it:

-는구려 how…! — a mild, slightly archaic exclamation -는구먼 oh, so it is… — noticing a newly realised fact -으리라 I shall… / it will… — resolve, or speculation about the situation -으오 …o — the old polite ending of formal speech -으니4 how dare… / some…! — blaming or scolding with -으니 -거들랑2 you should know… — telling the listener something they do not know (종결) -게3 do it — the 하게체 command -게4 mind you / see here — drawing the point back into view -구려2 do it, won't you — a soft command -네1 plain statement — the 하게체 -네 that just reports -는구만 so it is… — noticing a newly realised fact (casual) -는가2 the question is… — raising the issue rather than asking casually -나2 …? — a bare question to yourself or someone close -던2 was it…? — asking about what you experienced before -던가1 was it…, from experience? — past question from what you lived -던가2 was it…, I wonder? — past question as a guess -라2 plain statement — -라 after 이다-type stems -으리오 how could it…? — rhetorical pushback, often with lament -소 …so — the old polite style of shopkeepers and elders

Words used above

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-그려-geuryeoyou know / indeed
그렇지그려geureochi geuryeothat’s right, you know
그래도geuraedostill / even so

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. A friend just agreed with you and you want to press that agreement home — 'right, you know' — not leave a blank polite yes. Which line does it?

2. 알다 in older speech: which shape attaches -그려 after a plain end, as the forms table shows?

3. Rain is falling and you remark on the scene — not press an agreement. Which line fits the scene-exclamation neighbour, not -그려?

Common questions

Job?

Push the point toward the listener — indeed / you know / that’s so.

Vs plain -요?

-요 is general politeness. -그려 adds insistence/confirmation colour.

Register?

Can feel older, folksy, or regional. Not every soft agreement needs it.

Vs -는구려?

-는구려 exclaims about a scene. -그려 stresses agreement or the point itself.