IITOPIK 3-4

V-아지다/어지다

gets …ed, ends up in a …ed state

Adding -아/어지다 to a verb turns the action into a state that has already been brought about, without naming who did it. Korean builds most passives with 이, 히, 리 and 기; verbs those endings don't fit take this route instead, like 정하다 → 정해지다 and 만들다 → 만들어지다. The focus is the outcome, not the doer.

접속 conjugation

  • Stems whose vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ take -아지다, the rest -어지다, and 하다 becomes 해지다: 나누다 → 나눠지다 / 만들다 → 만들어지다 / 정하다 → 정해지다
  • For things already settled, pair it with the past: 일정이 정해졌습니다 / 파일이 지워졌어요
  • To name the doer, use N에 의해: 이 안은 전임자에 의해 만들어졌습니다

예문

EXAMPLES
다음 달 일정은 지난주에 이미 정해졌습니다.
Next month's schedule was settled last week.from 2026.09.18 Fri the examples
비율은 작년에 이미 정해졌습니다. 현장이 육십, 본사가 사십입니다.
The ratio was settled last year: sixty on operations, forty on head office.from 2026.09.18 Fri the business dialogue
사진이 실수로 다 지워졌어요.
The photos all got deleted by accident.from 2026.09.19 Sat the examples
이 빵은 우리 동네에서만 만들어져요.
This bread is only made in our neighbourhood.from 2026.09.19 Sat the examples
그러니까. 버릴 것하고 남길 것은 어제 이미 나눠졌잖아. 베개는 버리고 이불만 새 상자에 넣자.
Exactly. What goes and what stays was sorted out yesterday. Bin the pillows and box up just the duvets.from 2026.09.19 Sat the everyday dialogue
Don't stack -아/어지다 on a verb that already has an 이/히/리/기 passive; that is a double passive (✗ 읽혀지다 / ○ 읽히다). And on an adjective, -아/어지다 means "become" (좋아지다 = get better), which is a different thing.

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