Let’s talk about the verb ‘다니다’.
Think of it as a combination of ‘go’ and ‘come’ in a single word. It’s not a one-time action; it describes the continuous movement of going back and forth between places.
In the beginning, you usually learn it as ‘going to a specific place on a regular basis.
- 저는 서울대학교에 다녀요. – I go to Seoul National University.
- 우리 언니 삼성에 다녀요. – My sister works at Samsung.
- 저 요즘 영어 학원에 다녀요. – I’m attending an English academy lately.
As a side note, just like you don’t use ‘the’ for familiar places in English—like ‘I go to school’ or ‘I came home’—in Korean, you can just drop the particle ‘-에’: ‘저 서울대 다녀요’ or ‘우리 언니 삼성 다녀요.’
다녀오다
We also have fixed greetings using this verb:
- 다녀오세요. – Goodbye / Please come back safely.
You say this when someone is leaving.
- 다녀오셨어요? – Welcome back!
You say this when someone returns. It’s similar to ‘Welcome back,’ but the nuance is more about acknowledging their safe return.
Here’s the really important part: When there’s no specific destination, ‘다니다’ is like ‘to get around’ or ‘to wander.’ It often attaches to other verbs to make them sound ‘tastier.’
Honestly, the sentence works without it, but it just doesn’t have that same native vibe!
따라다니다
‘따르다’ means to follow. By adding ‘다니다’, it becomes “따라다니다.”
- 너 왜 자꾸 나 따라다녀? – Why do you keep following me around?
It implies a continuous, non-stop action of following.
돌아다니다
‘돌다’ means to turn or change direction. Combined with ‘다니다’, it becomes “돌아다니다.”
- 오늘 그렇게 입고 돌아다닐 거예요? – Are you going to walk around like that today?
It captures the image of you going to a cafe, then a shop, then the subway—constantly moving from place to place.
There are so many compound verbs with ‘다니다’, but these are the most essential ones. I hope this helps you ‘get around’ your Korean studies a bit easier!