알고 있었나요
algo isseonnayo
The Korean phrase for "did you know" is 알고 있었나요 (algo isseonnayo).
A question used to ask if someone already had a specific piece of information.
Which one should you use?
While 알아요? means "do you know?" and focuses on current knowledge, 알고 있었나요? focuses on whether the person possessed the information in the past.
How does it change in a sentence?
Depending on the relationship with the listener, the form changes. Use 알고 있었니? when asking someone you are close to or someone younger than you. For general polite everyday use, 알고 있었어요? is standard. For formal contexts, use 아시나요? or the highly formal 알고 있었습니까?
How do you pronounce it?
algo isseonnayo
Did you know?
- Korean has a specific word 눈치 for the ability to gauge someone's mood, meaning you can 'know' what someone wants without them saying a word.
- If you want to ask 'did you know' to a superior, using the standard 알고 있었어요? can actually sound rude because it lacks the honorific marker for the listener.
- The word 'know' in 알고 comes from the verb 알다, which is also used in Korean to mean 'to be related to' or 'to have a connection with' someone.
Examples in context
- 알고 있었나요?Did you know it?This example shows how to use 알고 있었나요? in a question.Tatoeba #13115945 by atitarev, translation #8356599 by Ergulis
- 알고 있어? 지나가는 사람들이 너를 좋아한다는 걸.Did you know? People passing by like you.
- 그 소식 알고 있었나요?geu sosik algo isseotnayo?Did you know that news?
- 이 사실을 알고 있었나요?i sasireul algo isseotnayo?Did you know this fact?
Example conversation
Ji-eun asks Ji-hun about a change in their meeting time.
- 지은 Ji-eun회의 시간이 바뀐 거 알고 있었나요?hoe-ui sigani bakkin geo algo isseotnayo?Did you know the meeting time changed?
- 지훈 Ji-hun아니요, 전혀 몰랐어요.aniyo, jeonhyeo mollasseoyo.No, I had no idea.
- 지은 Ji-eun이메일로 공지했어요.imail-lo gongjihasseoyo.It was announced by email.
- 지훈 Ji-hun지금 바로 확인할게요.jigeum baro hwaginhaelgeyo.I will check it right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
