What does it mean word for word?
The component 끝났어요 is the past tense form of the verb 끝나다, which means "to end" or "to be finished".
Which one should you use?
While 다 끝났어요? is a standard polite way to ask if someone is finished, 다 끝났어? is a casual version. For more formal situations, you can use 다 하셨습니까? to ask if someone is finished or 다 끝내셨습니까? to specifically ask "Have you finished everything?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 다 끝났어요? uses the polite ending –어요. By dropping the –요 from the end, the phrase becomes 다 끝났어?, which is the informal (반말) form. For high formality, the –습니까 ending is used in 다 끝났습니까?
How do you pronounce it?
da kkeutnasseoyo?
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers might mistakenly use 끝냈어요 (an active verb meaning "to finish something") instead of 끝났어요 (an intransitive verb meaning "to be finished"), although both are grammatically possible depending on the subject.
Did you know?
- The phrase 다 끝났어요? often serves as a social cue in Korean restaurants for a server to remove plates from the table.
- In Korean, you can express completion without a subject, meaning 다 끝났어요? can translate as 'is it finished?' or 'are you finished?' depending entirely on the context.
- The word 다 has historical roots dating back to the 15th-century document 용비어천가, showing its ancient presence in the Korean language.
Examples in context
- 네, 다 했습니다.Yes, I have finished.
- 응, 다 끝났어.Yeah, I'm finished.
- 다 끝났어요?da kkeutnasseoyo?Are you finished?
- 숙제 다 끝났어요?sukje da kkeutnasseoyo?Are you finished with your homework?
Example conversation
Hyunwoo asks Minji if she has finished reading her book in a cafe.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지 씨, 다 끝났어요?Minji ssi, da kkeutnasseoyo?Minji, are you finished?
- 민지 Min-ji네, 이제 다 끝났어요.ne, ije da kkeutnasseoyo.Yes, I am finished now.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo그럼 이제 갈까요?geureom ije galkkayo?Then shall we go now?
- 민지 Min-ji좋아요, 가요!joayo, gayo!Good, let's go!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
