# Adding 나 after a verb root



## AccioJo

Why do Koreans add 나 and 니 sometimes after the verb root?Like:

맛있어요?     -     맛있나요?
And I can't think of an example with 니 right now but I'm sure i've seen it .. And If you could give me examples of other particles like these attached at the end of a verb root I would be very thankful ,because I've seen a lot and I can't find a site with a good explanation .. Also I've seen 음 being added .. Like in 했음 ..
너무 고마워요!


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## Sunbee

Hi!
It's a little bit delicate to explain but I'll give it a try.
It may be something like 맛있어요? 맛있나요? 맛있니?
Here are more examples: 왔어요? 왔나요? 왔니? 했어요? 했나요? 했니? 있어요? 있나요? 있니? 그랬어요? 그랬나요? 그랬니? ...

'-니?' is an informal expression used to very close people or younger people.

And except that case '-어요? and -나요?' are used.
'-나요?' is used by females a lot more .
'-어요?' is used by males a lot more.

It's something like delicate feeling, and so these usages are not fixed. '-나요?' is sometimes used by males and vice versa.


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## AccioJo

So it's has no actual meaning ,it's just to make it more feminine?
Sorry for asking another question ,but I guess it's similar ..
Then what does 음 mean at the end of a verb?


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## Sunbee

Yes, its meaning is the same. 
It's more about the feeling that '나요?' and '어요?' gives differently.

The word ended by verb root '음' and 'ㅁ' makes a noun like verb-ing in English.
But usually they don't mix with any other words. So they don't make complete sentences and rarely used except when grammer books put examples about words. 
Blogs sometimes explain something shortly to use it mixing with other words.

Here are some examples about '-음' and 'ㅁ'. 
맛있었음. 좋아했음. 사랑했음. 싫어했음. 갔음. 왔음. ... (the past)
맛있음. 좋아함. 사랑함. 싫어함. 감. 옴. ... (the present)

Suppose there is a food picture in some web page.
You may see a subtitle '이거 맛있음(this is delicious)' below the picture.
The usage like this is informal.


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## AccioJo

Thank you for clearing that up!I guess that I just won't use this but atleast when I see it somewhere I'll know that Im not missing the point of the sentence and it's just a particle  너무 감사합니다!


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## wildsunflower

Often, young people end their sentences with ~음, when they have to use ~다 or ~요. This is not an informal usage of ~음, but a misuse.


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