Question

마리아는 예쁜가요? Questions with -나/(으)ㄴ가? ending sound doubtful or dubious. The hearer gets an impression that the question related matter is somewhat important for the speaker. Compared to plain interrogatives, -나/(으)ㄴ가(요)? questions are both more soft and more likely to draw the hearer's attention. The ending corresponds to 'I wonder' used in English questions.The basic rule for choosing between the two forms states that -나 is used with adjective stems and -(으)ㄴ가 follows verb stems and the copula. However, there is a number of exceptions and uncertain cases.

Accepted Answer

Is Maria pretty?

Front	마리아는 예쁜가요?
Back	Is Maria pretty?
Notes	Questions with -나/(으)ㄴ가? ending sound doubtful or dubious. The hearer gets an impression that the question related matter is somewhat important for the speaker. Compared to plain interrogatives, -나/(으)ㄴ가(요)? questions are both more soft and more likely to draw the hearer's attention. The ending corresponds to 'I wonder' used in English questions. The basic rule for choosing between the two forms states that -나 is used with adjective stems and -(으)ㄴ가 follows verb stems and the copula. However, there is a number of exceptions and uncertain cases.

Questions Ending Stems 마리아는 예쁜가요 Maria Pretty 나/(으)ㄴ가