늘이다 or 늘리다? Practise a Stretched Band and More Time
For a request for more time, practise 시간을 늘려 주세요. For stretching an elastic band, the useful contrast is 고무줄을 늘이다. Before choosing the spelling, name the thing that changes; English “make longer” does not settle the Korean verb by itself.
1. Start with the object, not the English translation
The National Institute of Korean Language’s consultation example distinguishes 늘이다, used for making something longer or extending a line, from 늘리다, used for increases such as size, quantity or time. An English speaker may describe both with “longer,” but a deadline is not an elastic band.
| Intended change | Practice expression | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| A band becomes longer | 고무줄을 늘이다 | Am I describing a stretch? |
| More study time | 공부 시간을 늘리다 | Is the amount of time increasing? |
| More seats | 좌석 수를 늘리다 | Is a number increasing? |
These are useful practice contrasts, not a claim that every possible length expression has only one acceptable construction. Read a fuller dictionary entry when the object or meaning changes.
Read the NIKL explanation in Korean
2. Build one polite request
Say: 시간을 조금 늘려 주세요. This asks for a little more time. Keep 조금 if you want the request to sound less open ended. If you need to be precise, replace the vague amount: 시간을 십 분 더 늘려 주세요. The ten minutes here is a language exercise, not an entitlement to a longer booking.
Notice 늘려 in the request. Start from 늘리다 and practise the whole phrase rather than treating 늘여 and 늘려 as interchangeable spellings. A listener still needs to agree to the requested change; a well formed sentence does not extend a ticket or deadline automatically.
3. Try the noun first, then the sentence
| Practice prompt | Sample answer | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You want more reading time | 독서 시간을 늘리고 싶어요. | The amount of time increases. |
| You describe stretching a band | 고무줄을 늘여 봤어요. | You describe lengthening the band. |
| Your group needs more seats | 좌석 수를 늘려 주세요. | The number changes. |
Cover the middle column and say what changes in your own words. Then make a sentence. These examples were written for practice. Change the amount or noun only after checking that the intended meaning still fits.
4. Keep a small correction note
Write three lines: the noun, the change you meant, and the complete corrected sentence. If you wrote 시간을 늘여 주세요, your note can say “time amount → 늘리다 → 시간을 늘려 주세요.” Keeping the noun in the note makes the correction easier to reuse than copying a lone verb.
Read the two requests aloud slowly. The aim is a clear distinction in meaning and spelling, not a rule that longer sentences are more polite. A short request with a specific amount is often easier to understand.
5. Two quick questions
Can I choose by sound alone? Check the base verb and the noun as well. Similar sounds can hide different spellings.
Does 늘리다 always mean a physical size? No. Time and number are useful nonphysical examples. Follow the meaning of the sentence.
Sources checked 17 October 2026: National Institute of Korean Language: 늘이다 and 늘리다.
The cover is an AI-generated illustration; the practice diagram was prepared separately.
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