Korean Meeting Phrases: -다시피, -는지, -나(요)

Speaking up in a Korean meeting leans on three patterns: -다시피 to anchor a shared fact (아시다시피 일정이 빠듯합니다 — as you know, the schedule is tight), -는지/-(으)ㄴ지/-(으)ㄹ지 to embed a question (예산이 충분한지 모르겠어요 — I’m not sure whether the budget is enough; 언제 시작할지 정해야 해요 — we must decide when to start), and -나(요)?/-(으)ㄴ가(요)? to soften a question (동의하시나요? — do you agree?; 가능한가요? — is it possible?). Together they let you raise a point, check a fact, and ask the room — politely.

The meeting room is where the business-email register gets spoken aloud, and where the careful reporting of workplace updates turns into live discussion. Start with the vocabulary that fills every agenda.

Ten words for meetings

These run the flow of any Korean meeting.

As you know — -다시피

To anchor a point in something the listener already knows, attach -다시피 to a knowing or perceiving verb — 알다, 보다, 듣다, 말하다.

The honorific 시 is built right in: 알다 → 아시다시피, 보다 → 보시다시피. Use -다시피 to ground a claim in common knowledge before you build on it — a polite, professional way to open.

Whether / when — -는지 / -(으)ㄴ지 / -(으)ㄹ지

To fold a question into a larger sentence, use the -는지 family. The ending tracks tense and word class, and it feeds verbs like 모르다, 확인하다, 정하다.

Present action verbs take -는지 (되는지), adjectives and 이다 take -(으)ㄴ지 (충분한지), and anything future or undecided takes -(으)ㄹ지 (시작할지, 갈지 말지). Pair them with question words — 언제, 누가, 어떻게 — for the wh-versions.

A softer question — -나(요)? / -(으)ㄴ가(요)?

To ask a room politely and a little less directly, end a verb with -나(요)? and an adjective or 이다 with -(으)ㄴ가(요)?

It sounds gentler than plain -아/어요? — that’s exactly why it suits meetings and service. The same shape also embeds: 이게 맞나 모르겠어요 = I’m not sure if this is right. Verb → -나(요)?, adjective/이다 → -(으)ㄴ가(요)?.

A short meeting exchange

Raising a point and asking the room — every grammar point, live:

Watch them work together: 아시다시피/보시다시피 anchor the facts, 충분한지/시작할지 embed the open questions, and 괜찮은가요/생각하시나요 ask the room gently. That’s how a Korean meeting actually sounds.

FAQ

How is -다시피 different from -듯이? -다시피 attaches only to knowing/perceiving verbs (알다, 보다, 듣다, 말하다) and means ‘as (you) know / see / heard’ — it points to something the listener already shares: 아시다시피 예산이 부족합니다 = as you know, the budget is short; 보시다시피 자료가 많습니다 = as you can see, there’s a lot of material; 말씀드렸다시피 = as I mentioned. -듯이 means ‘just as / like’ for comparisons and works with many verbs: 물 흐르듯이 = like water flowing. In meetings you reach for -다시피 to ground a point in shared knowledge before making your case.

When do I use -는지 vs -(으)ㄴ지 vs -(으)ㄹ지? All three turn a question into an embedded clause (‘whether / wh-’) that feeds verbs like 모르다, 확인하다, 정하다, 궁금하다. The ending tracks tense and word class: present verb → -는지 (되는지 모르겠어요 = whether it works), adjective/이다 → -(으)ㄴ지 (충분한지 = whether it’s enough), future or ‘not yet decided’ → -(으)ㄹ지 (시작할지 = when to start, 갈지 말지 = whether to go or not). Pair them with question words too: 언제 시작할지, 누가 맡을지, 어떻게 할지. They’re the backbone of careful meeting talk: 가능한지 확인해 주세요 = please check whether it’s possible.

Is -나요? more polite than -아요? And what about -ㄴ가요? -나(요)? is a softer, more tentative polite question than -아/어요? — it sounds less direct and more considerate, which is why it’s common in meetings and customer service: 동의하시나요? = do you agree?; 의견 있으신가요? = do you have any thoughts? Verbs take -나요? (가시나요?, 되나요?); adjectives and 이다 take -(으)ㄴ가요? (가능한가요?, 괜찮은가요?, 맞은가요? → 맞나요? for the verb 맞다). Plain -아/어요? is perfectly polite but more direct; -나요?/-ㄴ가요? add a gentle, softening tone that suits asking a roomful of colleagues.

Next: causative verbs — 사동. Previous: business email — -고자, -기에. Full path: curriculum hub.