13.5. Rhetorical Retorts in -잖아요

Recall the following exchange from this lesson’s conversation:

34. B. 네, 이번 구월에 쉰 살이 되실 거예요.
    Yes. He’ll be fifty years old this September.
    A. 아직 젊으시잖아요?!
    Oh, go on. He’s still young (don’t you think?).

In origin, this verb ending is a squished (contracted) long-form negative. Thus, the example above is obtained from the sentence below by adding a rhetorical twist to your intonation:

• 젊-으시-지 않아요?

Is he not young? (stupid question — of course he is!)

The squish process went like this: -지 않아요 > -쟎아요 > -잖아요. We regard this squished negative as a new and separate verb ending because it behaves differently from the negatives in -지. Like -지, this is a one-shape ending, and ㄹ-extending bases keep their ㄹ: 팔잖아요! But whereas negatives in -지 attach only to plain (and honorific) bases, the ending -잖아요 can attach to any base:
Plain Base

34. 34. A. 빨리 와요!
        Hurry up!
        B. 그런데 이게 무겁잖아요!
        But this thing is (so) heavy (isn’t it/can’t you see?)!
    35. A. 왜 이렇게 늦을까요?
        Why do you suppose he’s so late?
        B. 비가 오잖아요!
        But it’s raining (isn’t it/can’t you see?)!
    36. A. 이 음식이 왜 이렇게 맛없을까요?
        Why do you suppose this food is so tasteless?
        B. 영국음식이잖아요!
        But it’s English food (isn’t it/can’t you see?)!             
    37. 에릭: 외국 사람이 처음이세요?
    38. Is this your first time with a foreigner?
    39. 미스 곽: 네, 그래서 좀 이상해요.
    40. Yes, so it’s a bit strange.
    41. 에릭: 아이, 뭐가 이상해요? 나도 사람이잖아요?
    42. Go on, what’s so strange about it? Aren’t I a person, too?

Past Base

38. A. 오늘 박선생님을 만날 거예요.

                     I’ll probably meet Mr. Pak today.
B. 그런데, 벌써 떠나셨잖아요!
                     But he’s already left (hasn’t he/didn’t you know?)!

39. A. 오늘이 우리 한국말 시험이에요?
                    Is today our Korean language exam?
B. 어제였잖아요!
                    It was yesterday (wasn’t it/didn’t you know?)!

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