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Breakdown of yeohaengi gidaryeojyeoyo.
~이~i
subject particle
여행yeohaeng
trip
기다려지다gidaryeojida
to look forward to
Questions & Answers about yeohaengi gidaryeojyeoyo.
Why is 여행 marked with 이 instead of 를, and what’s its role in 여행이 기다려져요?
In 여행이 기다려져요, 여행 is the grammatical subject—the thing “becoming awaited.” Korean uses 이/가 for subjects and 를/을 for objects. Since the trip itself is in the state of being anticipated (not being acted upon), it takes 이.
What does 기다려져요 mean? Is it the passive of 기다리다?
기다려져요 comes from 기다리다 + -어지다. The suffix -어지다 means “to become,” so 기다려지다 literally means “to become waited for.” Idiomatically, it means to be anticipated or to look forward to. It isn’t a true passive like in English.
How is 기다려요 different from 기다려져요?
- 기다려요 (from 기다리다) means “I wait.”
- 기다려져요 (from 기다려지다) means “I’m looking forward to it” (literally “it becomes awaited”).
You can’t say 여행이 기다려요, because that would mean “the trip waits,” which doesn’t convey anticipation.
Why isn’t 저는 (I) included? Who is waiting?
Korean often omits pronouns when they’re clear from context. Here, the speaker (“I”) is implied. If you want to be explicit, you could say 저는 여행이 기다려져요, but everyday speech drops 저는.
What’s the most natural English translation of 여행이 기다려져요?
The natural equivalent is I’m looking forward to the trip. A more literal, word-for-word version would be The trip becomes anticipated, but English speakers prefer the idiomatic form.
Can I use 여행이 기대돼요 instead? Are they the same?
Yes. 기대되다 also means to be anticipated/to look forward to.
- 여행이 기대돼요 is very common in conversation.
- Nuance: 기다려져요 highlights the feeling of waiting; 기대돼요 focuses on expectation and excitement.
How can I express stronger excitement?
Add adverbs or colloquial endings:
- 여행이 정말 기다려져요. (I’m really looking forward to the trip.)
- 여행이 너무 기대돼요. (I’m so excited for the trip.)
- Colloquial: 기대돼서 죽겠어요. (I’m dying of excitement.)
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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.
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