-은 지

Korean Etymology ko -은 realis/past adnominal marker which 지 dependent noun. Pronunciation 은지 Suffix since, (from the time) that...; followed by a statement or question about the temporal duration. ko 쌀 한 톨-도 못 먹-은 지 어언 사흘-이 되었다. Somehow, it has been four days since I last ate even a grain of rice. Somehow, it has become four days that I was unable to eat even a grain of rice. ko 모친-께서 돌아-가신 지 몇 년-이 되었습니까? How many years has it been since your mother passed away? ko 탈레반-이 정권-을 잡-은 지 벌써 이틀-이다. It is already two days since the Taliban took power. ko 물-을 안 준 지 너무 오래 됐다. It's been too long since I last watered [the plants]. Usage notes Do not confuse with ko -은지. To express English "since [one] last [VERB]ed", Korean negates the verb, as seen in the examples above.