Korean -은 지 and -은 적이 있다: Your Time and Tales in Korea
Korean -은 지 counts how long it's been since something happened (온 지 1년 됐어요 — it's been a year), and -은 적이 있다 means you've done it before.
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean -은 지 counts how long it’s been since something happened — 한국에 온 지 1년 됐어요 (it’s been a year since I came to Korea) — while -은 적이 있다 says you’ve done something at least once before: 제주도에 가 본 적이 있어요 (I’ve been to Jeju). One measures the time behind you, the other the experiences behind you — and together they let you tell the story of your life in Korea.
In the last lesson you learned to voice a worry. Now you’ll zoom out and talk about the bigger picture — how long you’ve been somewhere, and what you’ve lived through since. This is the language of catching up over coffee about your time abroad.
Ten words for life in Korea
These are the words that come up whenever you talk about settling in and looking back.
-은 지: how long has it been?
When you want to say how much time has passed since something started, reach for -(으)ㄴ 지 plus a length of time and 됐어요 or 지났어요. Attach -ㄴ after a vowel (오다 → 온), -은 after a consonant (먹다 → 먹은).
한국에 온 지 1년 됐어요 = it’s been a year since I came to Korea 한국어를 배운 지 6개월 됐어요 = it’s been 6 months since I started learning Korean 밥을 먹은 지 두 시간 지났어요 = two hours have passed since I ate 이 회사에 다닌 지 얼마 안 됐어요 = I haven’t worked at this company for long
The frame is fixed: an event in the past (온, 배운, 먹은), then how long, then 되다 or 지나다. Use 얼마 안 됐어요 for “not long at all,” and 얼마나 됐어요? to ask “how long has it been?” Note this 지 is a little noun meaning “the time since” — it has nothing to do with the 지 in 가지 마세요.
How do you say you’ve done something before?
For experience — that you’ve done a thing at least once — Korean uses -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 (have done) and -(으)ㄴ 적이 없다 (have never done). Most of the time it teams up with -어 보다 (to try), giving the everyday shape -어 본 적이 있다.
제주도에 가 본 적이 있어요 = I’ve been to Jeju 한국 음식을 만들어 본 적이 있어요 = I’ve tried making Korean food 한복을 입어 본 적이 없어요 = I’ve never worn hanbok 그 영화를 본 적이 있어요? = have you seen that movie?
You first met -어 보다 back in trying clothes on; here it carries over naturally — 가 보다 (try going) becomes 가 본 적이 있어요 (have been). To answer, just swap 있어요 for 없어요: 아니요, 아직 없어요 (no, not yet). This is how you trade travel stories, food adventures, and firsts.
Trading stories over coffee
Watch both patterns work in one quick catch-up — every line is a tool from this lesson:
See how the two split the work: -은 지 handles “how long” (온 지 1년 됐어요), and -은 적이 있다 handles “ever before” (입어 본 적 있어요?). In speech you’ll often hear 적이 trimmed to just 적 (입어 본 적 있어요?) — same meaning, lighter feel.
FAQ
What is the difference between -은 지 and -은 적이 있다? -은 지 measures how much TIME has passed since an event: 한국에 온 지 1년 됐어요 = it’s been a year since I came to Korea. It always pairs with a duration plus 되다/지나다. -은 적이 있다 marks EXPERIENCE — that something happened at least once: 한국에 가 본 적이 있어요 = I’ve been to Korea before. One counts elapsed time; the other says “I’ve done this.”
Is the 지 in -은 지 the same as in -지 마세요? No — they only look alike. The 지 in 온 지 1년 is a bound noun meaning “the time since,” and it’s followed by a duration: 배운 지 6개월 됐어요. The 지 in 가지 마세요 (don’t go) or 가지요? (you’re going, right?) is a verb-ending particle. Same syllable, completely different jobs — context and what follows make it clear.
Do I always need -어 보다 with -은 적이 있다? Not always, but very often. -은 적이 있다 attaches to any verb stem: 그 영화를 본 적이 있어요 = I’ve seen that movie. But for experiences you actively tried, Koreans usually fold in -어 보다 (to try): 먹어 본 적이 있어요 = I’ve tried eating it. So 가 본 적이, 입어 본 적이, 만들어 본 적이 are the natural, everyday shapes.
Next: making travel plans — 제주도에 가기로 했어요 and -기로 하다. Previous: worries and comfort — -을까 봐. Full path: curriculum hub.