네가 했어
nega haesseo
The English phrase "you did" can be translated into Korean as 네가 했어 (nega haesseo).
This phrase is used to make a statement identifying someone as the person who performed a specific action.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 했어 is the past tense, informal conjugation of the verb 하다, which means "to do".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a respectful and formal way to say "you did", you can use 하셨어요.
How do you pronounce it?
nega haesseo
Did you know?
- While 'you' is often translated as 네가, using this specific pronoun can actually sound confrontational or aggressive if used with someone of higher social standing.
- The verb 하다 in 했어 is one of the most flexible words in Korean. It can be attached to almost any noun to turn that noun into a verb, meaning 'you did' can actually mean 'you studied', 'you worked' or 'you cleaned'.
- In spoken Korean, people often pronounce 네가 as 니가 to distinguish it from 내가, which means 'I did'. This prevents confusion because the two words sound nearly identical in fast conversation.
Examples in context
- 김 선생님, 잘하셨어요.Mr. Kim, you did a great job.
- 진수야, 어제 축구에서 멋지게 골 넣었어!Jinsu, you scored an amazing goal in yesterday's soccer game!
- 지혜, 시험 잘 봤어?Ji Hye, did you do well on the exam?
- 이거 네가 했어?igeo nega haesseo?Did you do this?
- 그래, 네가 했어.geurae, nega haesseo.Yes, you did it.
- 정말 네가 했어?jeongmal nega haesseo?Did you really do it?
Example conversation
Seoyeon finds a broken vase in the living room.
- 서연 Seo-yeon현우야, 이거 네가 했어?Hyeonu-ya, igeo nega haesseo?Hyeonu, did you do this?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo아니, 나 아니야.ani, na aniya.No, it wasn't me.
- 서연 Seo-yeon거짓말 마. 네가 했어.geojitmal ma. nega haesseo.Don't lie. You did it.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo진짜 내가 안 했어.jinjja naega an haesseo.I really didn't do it.
