Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Korean 1 · expression

-자기에

-자기에: Because We Decided To — -자고 하기에 Shortened

Connective: reason clause from a quoted suggestion (-자) contracted with -기에 — because (we/they) said let’s…

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

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Verb stem + -자기에	-자기에	만나자기에 / 가자기에 / 먹자기에
Full paraphrase	-자고 하기에	만나자고 하기에 / 가자고 하기에

-자기에 means because (we / they) decided to… — a shortened -자고 하기에.

It packs a propositive quote (let’s…) into a reason: because the plan was to do X. Pair sense with -는다기에 (because they say / said that…).

Why this is hard

It looks like a mystery ending. Learners do not see 하자고 하다 inside. Once you expand it — 가자고 하기에 → 자기에 — the reason-from-proposal job clicks.

Without that story, people invent wrong meanings (“self” from 자기) and mistranslate.

What it does

You give a reason that started as a let’s decision.

같이 가자기에 기다렸어요.
일찍 만나자기에 나왔어요.
도와 주자기에 남았어요.
먹자기에 식당으로 갔어요.

Forms

Propositive stem material + -자기에 as the taught contraction of -자고 하기에.

When not to use it

Do not read 자기 as the pronoun “oneself” here.

Do not use it for plain because with no proposal behind it — pick -아서/어서 / -으니까.

Do not confuse it with -는다기에 (because [someone] says…).

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-는다기에	Reason from a statement/report, not a let’s plan.
-고자	Intention in order to; different shape.
-으니까	General spoken reason.

Ask: is the reason ‘because we decided to…’? If yes, -자기에. If someone merely said something, look at -는다기에.

Do not confuse it with

-는다기에

because they say… — the reported claim is the reason

-기에

because, so — the written reason, often with a judgment

-(으)니까

because (works before commands and suggestions)

-잖아(요)

you know — and why it can sound accusing

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -기에 앞서(서) before doing… — prior to the step you name -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 법하다 likely to… — a reasonable prediction -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another -으려나 보다 I guess they mean to… — reading someone's likely intention 를 가지고 with, using — taking that as the means or topic -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition 에도 불구하고 despite — in spite of that noun situation -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged -는데도 불구하고 even so — despite the whole preceding clause

Words used above

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-자기에-jagiebecause (we) decided to…

-자고 하기에-jago hagiefull form of -자기에

만나다mannadato meet

친구chingufriend

결정gyeoljeongdecision

Quick check

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

1. You put off a decision because the plan was ‘let’s meet a friend’ — a propositive as the reason. Which line?

2. Which line uses the short forms-table shape 가자기에 — not the full paraphrase?

3. Same stem 먹다 — you headed to the restaurant because of a let’s-eat plan, not because someone said they would eat. Which line?

Common questions

Dictionary?

Built path: -자고 「013」(quote of invitation -자) + -기에 「002」(cause/ground). Spoken/writing often contracts to -자기에.

Vs -는다기에?

Same family. -는다기에 quotes ‘they said…’; -자기에 quotes ‘let’s…’ as the reason.

Vs -니까 / -거든요?

-(으)니까 is a plain reason. -잖아요 checks shared knowledge. -자기에 names a decision/suggestion as the cause.

Full form?

만나자고 하기에 = 만나자기에. Teach both.