3 · Helping verbs and modal patterns
Ready in advance: -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다
preparation and a lasting result
Do something now so that its result is there later — or leave something in the state you put it in.
The main verb takes -아/어 and 놓다, "to put down", or 두다, "to put, to keep", follows: 사 놓다, 열어 놓다, 해 두다. 놓다 is regular, but in speech 놓아 contracts to 놔: 놔요, 놨어요. 두다 contracts in the same way: 둬요, 뒀어요.
The pattern says that an action is done for the sake of its result, which then stays. 표를 사 놨어요 is not just "I bought the tickets" but "I have the tickets — I bought them in advance". 창문을 열어 놨어요 is "I opened the window and left it open". The adverb 미리, "in advance", goes with it naturally.
The two helping verbs are close to interchangeable. 놓다 is the everyday spoken choice; 두다 leans towards keeping something for later, which is why it is usual with memory and notes: 기억해 두세요, "keep that in mind"; 적어 두세요, "make a note of it".
English expresses all this with "have it ready", "leave it on", "get it in" or simply a perfect tense, so English speakers tend to forget the pattern and use the plain past, which loses the point that the result is still there. Do not confuse it with -아/어 있다: 문이 열려 있어요 describes a state with nobody involved, while 문을 열어 놨어요 says that somebody opened it on purpose.
The form
| last vowel a or o | 사다 → 사 놓아요 / 사 놔요 |
| other vowels | 열다 → 열어 놓아요 / 열어 놔요 |
| 하다 verbs | 하다 → 해 놓아요 / 해 놔요 |
| past, spoken | 해 놨어요 |
| with 두다 | 적어 두세요 |
| the state, no doer | 문이 열려 있어요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
-아/어 놓다 means doing something now so that the result is ready later.
손님이 오시기 전에 음식을 만들어 놨어요.I made the food before the guests arrived.
It also means leaving something in a state on purpose.
방이 더워서 창문을 열어 놨어요.The room was hot, so I left the window open.
-아/어 두다 means much the same and suits keeping something for later.
중요한 내용은 공책에 적어 두세요.Write the important points down in your notebook.
In speech 놓아 contracts to 놔: 놓았어요 becomes 놨어요.
표는 제가 미리 예매해 놨어요.I have booked the tickets in advance.
A closer look
놓다, 두다 and -아/어 있다
Three sentences about one open window show the difference. 창문을 열었어요: "I opened the window" — an event. 창문을 열어 놨어요: "I opened the window and left it like that" — an event with a lasting purpose. 창문이 열려 있어요: "the window is open" — a state, with no mention of who did it.
The prepared result often feeds straight into the next step: 밥을 해 놓고 나갔어요, "I made the rice and went out (so it was ready)". The result is what the second clause relies on, and that is the whole point of the pattern.
How to spot it
- -아/어 놓다
- -아/어 두다
- 미리
- 놨어요
Example sentences
여행 가기 전에 호텔을 예약해 놓았어요.I booked the hotel before going on the trip.
나가기 전에 에어컨을 꺼 놓으세요.Switch the air conditioning off before you go out.
시험 전에 단어를 미리 외워 두면 좋아요.It's a good idea to learn the vocabulary in advance, before the exam.
냉장고에 수박을 넣어 놨으니까 시원할 거예요.I've put the watermelon in the fridge, so it'll be cold.
누가 불을 켜 놨어요?Who left the light on?
이 번호를 저장해 두세요.Save this number.
8 more example sentences
내일 아침에 먹을 빵을 사 놨어요.I've bought bread for tomorrow's breakfast.
회의 자료는 책상 위에 복사해 놓았습니다.The meeting papers are copied and on your desk.
여름옷은 상자에 넣어 두었어요.I have put the summer clothes away in a box.
비밀번호는 다른 곳에 적어 두는 게 좋아요.It's a good idea to write your password down somewhere else.
문을 열어 놓고 나가면 안 돼요.You mustn't go out and leave the door open.
밥은 해 놨으니까 반찬만 만들면 돼요.The rice is done, so we only need to make the side dishes.
제 말을 잘 기억해 두세요.Remember what I said.
친구가 오기 전에 방을 깨끗하게 청소해 놨어요.I cleaned my room before my friend came.
Worth knowing (1)
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놔요 and 놓아요
Both spellings are standard. In speech 놓아 nearly always becomes 놔: 놔요, 놨어요, 놔 주세요. The contracted form drops the final h from the spelling as well as from the sound.
가방은 여기에 놔 주세요.Please put your bag here.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
-아/어 놓다 describes what somebody did, so the window is an object with 을. A window that simply stands open, with no doer in sight, is 창문이 열려 있어요.
Nota and duda: do it now, and the result is waiting later.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.