Literary Surprise: -다니 (How Could, I'm Surprised That)

At its heart, -다니 is a contraction. It comes from -다고 하니. That literally means "Since [someone] said that..." But over time, it became its own thing. Now, it serves as a way to quote a fact and then immediately react to it. You are basically saying, "The fact that [X] is true is surprising!" You can use it in the middle of a sentence to connect two thoughts. Or, you can end a sentence with -다니요 to make it a polite exclamation. When you use it, you are highlighting a specific piece of information. That information is usually something unexpected. It could be good news, bad news, or just weird news. It is like a grammar magnifying glass for your shock.

1. 1Setting up this pattern is like building with LEGO blocks. You just need to know the category of the word.
2. 2For Verbs in the present tense: Add -다니 to the stem. If there is a final consonant (batchim), it remains 먹다 -> 먹다니.
3. 3For Adjectives: Just add -다니 to the stem. 춥다 -> 춥다니.
4. 4For Nouns: Use -(이)라니. If the noun ends in a vowel, use -라니. If it ends in a consonant, use -이라니. 친구 -> 친구라니. 선물 -> 선물이라니.
5. 5For Past Tense: Use -았다니 or -었다니. 갔다니 (That you went?!).
6. 6For Future/Guessing: Use -겠다니. 하겠다니 (That you will do it?!).
7. 7Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. Just remember that adjectives and verbs are treated quite similarly here. It is much simpler than some other patterns you have learned.

Use -다니 when the world surprises you.

• Ordering Food: You find out a tiny cupcake costs 15 dollars. 컵케이크가 15달러라니요! (15 dollars for a cupcake?!).
• Weather: It is snowing in the middle of July. 여름에 눈이 오다니 믿을 수 없어요. (I can't believe it's snowing in summer.).
• Job Interviews: You hear a friend got a job at a dream company. 그 회사에 합격했다니 정말 축하해! (I heard you got into that company, that's amazing!).
• Asking Directions: Someone tells you the subway station is a 40-minute walk. 걸어서 40분이라니 너무 멀어요. (40 minutes on foot?! That's way too far.).
• Personal Feats: Your friend who hates exercise just ran a marathon. 마라톤을 완주했다니 대단해! (You finished a marathon?! That's incredible!).

Don't use this for boring, everyday facts. If you say "The sky is blue" using -다니, people will think you have never seen the sky before. It requires a trigger of surprise.

• Avoid using it for things you already knew for a long time.
• Don't use it in very formal, dry reports where emotion is discouraged.
• Think of it like a grammar traffic light. If the light is green (normal info), keep -다니 in your pocket. If the light is flashing red (shocking info), let it out! Also, avoid using it to describe your own planned, non-surprising actions. You wouldn't say "I am surprised that I am eating bread" unless you have a very strange relationship with bread.

One big mistake is forgetting the -(이)라니 for nouns. Beginners often try to stick -다니 directly onto a noun. That sounds like a glitch in the Matrix to Koreans. Another slip-up is using it for purely neutral observations. If you just want to say "I see it is raining," use -네요. If you use -다니, you are implying the rain is shocking. Maybe it's raining frogs? Then -다니 is perfect. Also, be careful with the tense. If someone *already* did something, make sure to use the past tense form. Saying 결혼하다니 (that you marry) sounds like a general fact, while 결혼했다니 (that you got married) reacts to the actual event.

How does this differ from -네요?

• -네요: This is for immediate discovery. You look outside, see rain, and say 비가 오네요. You are just noticing it.
• -다니: This is for reacting to a fact or report. You hear the forecast says a hurricane is coming. You say 태풍이 오다니요! You are reacting to the shocking news.

What about -군요?

• -군요: This is more logic-based. "Ah, so that's how it is." It is calmer. -다니 is much more emotional. It's the difference between saying "I see" and saying "No way!"