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

-라2

-라②: Plain Statement — -라 After 이다-Type Stems

Ending: plain statement — -라 after 이다-type stems.

Before this, make sure you know: 이다 , -다④

How to form it

When Form Example
After 이다 / noun+이다 N이라 / N라 학생이라 / 의사라 / 친구라
Plain report …이라. 그는 학생이라. / 여기는 서울이라.

-라② is the plain ‘is’ statement after 이다-type stems — 학생이라.

Not every -라 you know. Not a bark command. Not automatic quotation.

Why this is hard

-라 appears in commands, quotations, and plain 이다 reports. Learners glue one reading to all. This curriculum slot is plain statement on the 이다 seat.

What it does

그는 학생이라.
여기는 서울이라.
그게 문제라.
나는 외국인이라.

The line reports identity/state in plain style.

Forms

Batchim nouns N이라; vowel-final N라.

학생 → 학생이라
의사 → 의사라
친구 → 친구라

When not to use it

Do not use it as a soft café copula — -예요.

Do not use it as a command ending.

Do not force quotation colour onto every -이라.

Neighbours — and why they differ

FormWhy it is not this slot
-다Broad plain declarative.
이라고Quotation / framing family.
Command -라Orders — different job.

Ask: am I plainly stating N이다? If yes, -라②. If ordering, stay off this page.

If the noun is the whole predicate, you are in 이다 territory — that is why this coat exists beside broad -다.

Do not confuse it with

-다④

plain statement — the -다 of newspaper and written report

이라고

quoting a noun, or naming something

-어라

the blunt command — friends, anger, and sports crowds

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 -그려 you know / indeed — particle stressing the point to the listener -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 -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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-이라-iraplain ‘is’ statement
-라-raafter vowel-final nouns
서술seosulstatement
이다idato be
명령myeongnyeongcommand — other -라 jobs

Quick check

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

1. You are plainly stating that he is a student. Not a quote, and not an order to come. Which line?

2. The plain report is that this place is Seoul. You are not quoting the name. Which line?

3. You are stating a vowel-final noun as identity, in the plain coat. Not broad -다 on a verb. Which line?

Common questions

Job?

Plain declarative after 이다-type stems — N이라 / N라.

Vs -다?

-다 is the broad plain ending. This page stays on 이다-family -라.

Vs 이라고?

이라고 often quotes or frames. -라② can simply state.

Register?

Plain / written report — not café -예요 by default.