-게 되다 vs -아/어지다

Beginner · TOPIK I

-게 되다 means 'come to / end up (doing)' because of circumstances, mostly with verbs; -아/어지다 on adjectives means 'become' (a gradual change of state), and on verbs it usually makes a passive.

-게 되다An expression used to indicate that something will become the state or situation mentioned in the preceding statement.-아/어지다An expression used to indicate that someone or something gradually becomes the state mentioned in the preceding statement.

Rules of thumb

A situation changes, not by your own decision: verb + -게 되다 (회사 때문에 서울에 살게 됐어요 'I ended up living in Seoul because of work').
A state or quality changes: adjective + -아/어지다 (날씨가 따뜻해졌어요 'It has got warmer').
Contrast: 좋아지다 'get better' vs 좋아하게 되다 'come to like'.
Verb + -아/어지다 is usually passive (만들어지다 'be made', 지워지다 'be erased'), not 'become'.
-게 되다 is also a modest way to announce a decision: 이번에 결혼하게 됐어요 'I'm getting married'.

Example sentences

-게 되다
Because of my job, I ended up living in Seoul.
-아/어지다
Spring has come, so it's got warmer.
-게 되다
Watching dramas, I came to like Korean food.
-아/어지다
My Korean has improved a lot lately.
날씨가 따뜻하게 됐어요.
Incorrect
The weather became warm. [Unnatural: a change in an adjective's state is expressed with -a/eojida]

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