-아/어 두다 · 놓다
-a/eo du-da · no-ta · literally “Do and put down”
Situation: Your Korean host texts: 방 청소해 놨어요. 문은 열어 둘게요.
✕ What AI tells you
Glosses it as 'I cleaned and put down the room. I'll open and place the door.'
Why it fails: 놓다 and 두다 ('put') after a verb mean the action is done ahead of time and the result stays in place. Your host is saying 'The room's ready, and I'll leave the door open for you.'
✓ What Koreans actually say
Verb + 아/어 두다/놓다 = do it in advance, or leave it in that state. 놓다 is more casual, 두다 slightly neater; both are common.
제가 식당 예약해 둘게요.
je-ga sik-dang ye-ya-kae dul-ge-yo
'I'll book the restaurant ahead' — sounds organized and considerate
물 사 놨어?
mul sa na-sseo
'Did you get water (so we have it)?'
창문 좀 열어 놔 주세요.
chang-mun jom yeo-reo nwa ju-se-yo
'Please leave the window open'
Cultural nuance, in depth
English often needs 'already' or 'ahead' to say this; Korean builds it into the verb. Compare 예약했어요 ('I booked it') with 예약해 놨어요 ('I've booked it, so it's taken care of'). The second sounds more thoughtful, which is why it's common when doing something for someone else.
- #double-verbs
- #grammar
- #planning
More on daily life
- Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 내다
-a/eo nae-da · “Do and put out”
AI gets it wrong:했어 just states who did it. 내다 after a verb adds 'all the way through, despite difficulty'. 해냈어요 is the triumphant 'I did it!' Koreans actually say.Say instead:선생님, 저 해냈어요!See why → - Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 대다
-a/eo dae-da · “Do and touch”
AI gets it wrong:대다 after a verb means doing it over and over, too much — and the speaker is annoyed. The dog didn't just bark; it wouldn't stop barking all night.Say instead:애가 장난감 사 달라고 졸라 대요.See why → - Daily Lifev0.4
-아/어 버리다
-a/eo beo-ri-da · “Do something and throw it away”
AI gets it wrong:After another verb, 버리다 stops meaning 'throw away'. It says the action is finished completely and can't be undone — and it adds a feeling: regret ('oops'), relief ('finally'), or coldness ('just gone').Say instead:케이크를 다 먹어 버렸어.See why →