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Оглавление2 Grammar Points
Agreement
First of all, most of the time you won’t need any special grammar lessons to agree with people in Korean. 응, 네, 예, 그래(요), 당연하죠, 그렇군요/그렇구나, eung, ne, ye, geu-rae(yo), dang-yeon-ha-jyo, geu-reo-kun-nyo/geu-reo-ku-na and 맞아(요) ma-ja(yo) are all very common ways of saying “Yeah, uh huh, you’re right, absolutely, I agree.”
However, should you want to agree in a slightly more spectacular fashion, see below:
민수가 오늘도 늦었어요?
Min-su-ga o-neul-do neu-jeo-seo-yo?
Was Minsu late today as well?
늦고 말고요. 민수는 일 때문에 정시에 오지 못 해요.
Neut-go mal-go-yo. Min-su-neun il ttae-mun-e jeong-si-e o-ji mot hae-yo.
Of course he was late. Because of his job, he can’t come on time.
Do people ever ask you questions with obvious answers? If so, you’ll want to know how to use this expression. It is used to express strong agreement with ~, which is really obvious and beyond doubt. This can be used when replying to a request (“Of course I’ll do it!”) or when confirming something you think is so obvious that it really doesn’t need confirmation.
HOW IT’S FORMED
고 말다 go malda is its own expression (see page 232) and it means that something that was expected finally happened. 고요 goyo is an expression used at the end of a sentence to add information. Neither of these expressions has much relevance to 고 말고요 go malgoyo, which always goes at the end of a sentence.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 ha-da | 하고 말고요 ha-go mal-go-yo했고 말고요 haet-go mal-go-yo | 하고 말고요 ha-go mal-go-yo | 하고 말고요 ha-go mal-go-yo할거고 말고요 hal-geo-go mal-go-yo |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 meok-da | 먹고 말고요 meok-go mal-go-yo먹었고 말고요 meo-geot-go mal-go-yo | 먹고 말고요 meok-go mal-go-yo | 먹고 말고요 meok-go mal-go-yo먹을거고 말고요 meo-geul-geo-go mal-go-yo |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 ye-ppeu-da | 예쁘고 말고요 ye-ppeu-go mal-go-yo예뻤고 말고요 ye-ppeot-go mal-go-yo | 예쁘고 말고요 ye-ppeu-go mal-goyo | 예쁘고 말고요 ye-ppeu-go mal-go-yo |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 jak-da | 작고 말고요 jak-go mal-go-yo작았고 말고요 ja-gat-go mal-go-yo | 작고 말고요 jak-go mal-go-yo | 작고 말고요 jak-go mal-go-yo |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 nam-ja | 남자이고 말고요 nam-ja-i-go mal-go-yo남자였고 말고요 nam-ja-yeot-go | 남자이고 말고요 nam-ja-i-go mal-goyo | 남자이고 말고요 nam-ja-i-go mal-go-yo남자일거고 말고요 nam-ja-il-geo-go mal-go-yo |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 mul | 물이고 말고요 mul-i-go mal-go-yo물이었고 말고요 mul-i-eot-go mal-go-yo | 물이고 말고요 mul-i-go mal-go-yo | 물이고 말고요 mul-i-go mal-go-yo물일거고 말고요 mu-lil-geo-go mal-go-yo |
TAKE NOTE
This expression is used only at the end of very short sentences. If you want to explain yourself further, start a new sentence and do so.
While you can use go 고 말고요 mal-go-yo with nouns, it’s not very common; people generally prefer one of the expressions listed at the beginning of this section.
고 말았다 Go ma-rat-da (see page 233) is not at all the same as 고 말고요. 고 말았다 means that something happened accidentally and/or unfortunately. Likewise, 고 말겠다 go mal-get-da (see page 232) is used to talk about definite plans—it has nothing to do with 고 말고요.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
일을 벌써 끝냈어요?
I-leul beol-sseo kkeun-nae-seo-yo?
Have you already finished your work?
끝냈고 말고요. 다섯시간 전에 그 일을 시작했어요.
Kkeun-naet-go mal-go-yo. Da-seot si-gan jeon-e geu i-leul si-jak-hae-seo-yo.
Of course I’ve finished. I started five hours ago.
__________
미스 코리아가 예쁜가요?
Miseu koriaga yeppeungayo?
Is Miss Korea beautiful?
예쁘고 말고요. 모델이잖아요.
Yeppeugo malgoyo. Moderijanayo.
Of course she’s beautiful! She’s a model.
Disagreement/Negatives
Why can’t we all just get along? Sometimes you need to object to or disagree with something someone else has said or to state that something is untrue. This section will show you how to do that.
First, however, let’s review basic negatives. The simplest way to negate something in Korean is to simply add 지 않다 ji anta to the end of the verb. This works with any kind of verb and after either a vowel or a consonant.
| 먹다 meokda | to eat | 먹지 않다 meokji anta | to not eat |
| 하다 hada | to do | 하지 않다 haji anta | to not do |
| 작다 jakda | to be small | 작지 않다 jakji anta | to not be small |
| 예쁘다 yeppeuda | to be pretty | 예쁘지 않다 yeppeuji anta | to not be pretty |
Another option is to put 안 an in front of the verb. This negates the verb. It’s not really used much in formal situations or in writing. In common, everyday speech, either 안 or 지 않다 ji anta is usually fine.
| 먹다 meokda | to eat | 안 먹다 an meokda | to not eat |
| 하다 hada | to do | 안 하다 an hada | to not do |
| 작다 jakda | to be small | 안 작다 an jakda | to not be small |
| 예쁘다 yeppeuda | to be pretty | 안 예쁘다 an yeppeuda | to not be pretty |
If what you’re talking about has to do with capability, 지 못하다 should be used. This is covered on page 297 in the section on Possibility.
Another expression which can also belong in this section is (으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ걸요. It’s often used for guesses as well, so it appears in that section on page 149. When used as a negative, it’s quite similar to 기는요.
What’s with All These 말s?
You’ll see a few expressions here and there that look kind of like this:
A(expression) 말 mal (expression) 하다 hada
In these cases the 말 is negating A, so the expression will have something to do with “A or not”. The table below summarizes and briefly explains these expressions; I hope it clears up any confusion.
| Expression | Page | Meaning | Example |
| ~(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다 (eu) r-rak mallak hada | ~ almost, but not quite, happened/is happening | 그 사고에서 죽을락 말락 했어요. Geu sagoeseo jugeullak mallak haesseoyo. I was hovering on the verge of death after that accident. | |
| ~다가 말다가 하다 daga maldaga hada | Doing ~ on and off | 운동을 하다가 말다가 하면 근육에 무리가갈 거예요. Undongeul hadaga maldaga hamyeon geunnyuge muriga gal geoyeyo. If you keep exercising on and off like that, it will be too stressful for your muscles. | |
| ~(으)ㄹ지 말지 하다 (eu)r-ji malji hada | I can’t decide whether to ~ or not. | 운동을 할지 말지 결정 못했어요. Undongeul halji malji gyeoljeong motaesseoyo. I couldn’t decide whether or not to exercise. | |
| ~(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다 (eu)r-kka malkka hada | I can’t decide whether to ~ or not. | 운동을 할까 말까 해요. undongeul halkka malkka haeyo. I can’t decide whether to exercise or not. | |
| ~는 둥 마는 둥 하다 neun dung maneun dung hada | ~ almost didn’t happen, but ultimately did | 비가 오는 둥 마는 둥 했어요. Biga oneun dung maneun dung haesseoyo. It rained just a little. | |
| A 거나 말거나 geona malgeona B | B, whether or not A. | 그녀가 예쁘거나 말거나, 저는그녀를사랑해요. Geunyeoga yeppeugeona malgeona jeoneun geunyeoreul saranghaeyo. Whether or not she’s beautiful, I love her. |
A: 오늘 늦었어요? Oneul neujeosseoyo? Were you late today?
B: 늦기는요. 정시에 왔어요. Neutgineunnyo. Jeongsie wasseoyo. Late? Not at all. I was on time.
This is a nice way to deny something, especially a compliment. It’s often used when you want to be modest such as when you say 안녕 하세요 annyeong haseyo to a Korean and are met with heaps of praise for your wonderful Korean abilities.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 하기는요 hagineunnyo 했기는요 haetgineunnyo | 하기는요 hagineunnyo |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹기는요 meokgineunnyo 먹었기는요 meogeotgineunnyo | 먹기는요 meokgineunnyo |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예쁘기는요 yeppeugineunnyo 예뻤기는요 yeppeotgineunnyo | 예쁘기는요 yeppeugineunnyo |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작기는요 jakgineunnyo 작았기는요 jagatgineunnyo | 작기는요 jakgineunnyo |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자였기는요 namjayeotgineunnyo | 남자기는요 namjagineunnyo |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이었기는요 murieotgineunnyo | 물이기는요 murigineunnyo |
TAKE NOTE
As this expression is used to deny something, it’s used only when you’re responding to something someone has already said. It’s normally used in a sentence by itself along with the part that you’re not accepting. Then, if you need to explain, start a new sentence.
Keep in mind that since it’s used to deny something, you need to add it to the opposite of whatever you think is the truth.
기는요 and (으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ걸요 (see page 149) are both used for similar purposes. They’re both gentle ways to contradict what was said. The main difference between them is that when you use 기는요 you have to state the thing you’re contradicting, whereas with 걸요 you say the opposite. So if someone says you speak Korean well and you don’t think you do (or you know you do, but you want to be modest), you can say 잘 하기는요 jal hagineunnyo.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
A: 한국은 10월이면 더워요? Hangukeun shiworinyeon deowoyo? Is Korea hot in October?
B: 덥기는요. 10월에 시원해요. Deopgineunnyo. Shiwore siwonhaeyo. Hot? Not at all. It’s cool in October.
__________
A: 한국어를 아주 잘 하시네요! Hangukeoreul aju jal hasineyo! You speak Korean very well!
B: 잘 하기는요. Jal hagineunnyo. I really don’t.
A: 오늘 늦었어요? Oneul neujeosseoyo? Were you late today?
B: 늦기는커녕 8시에 왔어요. Neutgineunkeonyeong yeodeolsie waseoyo. Not only was I not late, but I was here at eight.
A isn’t actually the case. This is usually followed by B, an explanation of what exactly the case is. The expressions above are used in a sentence about something negative, and B is often something easier to accomplish than A but still impossible to achieve.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| All tenses | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 하기는커녕 hagineunkeonyeong |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹기는커녕 meokgineunkeonyeong |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예쁘기는 커녕 yeppeugineun keonyeong |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작기는커녕 jakgineunkeonyeong |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자는커녕 namjaneunkeonyeong |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물은커녕 mureunkeonyeong |
TAKE NOTE
It’s interchangeable with 은/는 말할 것 없다 eun/neun malhal geot eopda.
When speaking, 커녕 is usually dropped. For example, if you want to say 잘 하기는커녕, jal hagineun keonyeong the sentence simply becomes 잘 하기는.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
A: 한국은 10월이면 더워요? Hangukeun shiworimyeon deowoyo? Is Korea hot in October?
B: 덥기는커녕 시원해요. Deopgineunkeonyeong siwonhaeyo. Not at all. In fact, it’s cool.
__________
A: 한국어를 아주 잘 하시네요! Hangukeoreul aju jal hasineyo! You speak Korean very well!
B: 잘 하기는커녕 기본적인 표현 밖에 몰라요. Jal hagineunkeonyeong gibonjeogin pyohyeon bakke mollayo. Not only do I not speak it well, but I don’t know anything except basic expressions.
왜 과속해요? 일찍 가면 뭘 해요? 안전이 제일 중요하지요.
Wae gwasokaeyo? Iljjik gamyeon mwol haeyo? Anjeoni jeil jungyohajiyo.
Why are you speeding? What’s the point of getting there early? Safety is more important.
Ever had someone be amazed by something that really wasn’t a big deal? Ever want to bring them down a notch or two? Here’s how you can do that. This expression means “What’s the point of ~?” or “So what if ~?” and is usually followed by an explanation of what you think is more important. For instance, in the example sentence above, you use the expression 면 뭔 해요 to ask “What’s the point of speeding?” and then follow it with an explanation of what you think is more important—safety.
HOW IT’S FORMED
면 means “if” (see page 283); 뭘 is 무엇 mueot contracted with the object marker 를.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
This expression is attached to verbs just like the (으)면 with which it starts.
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했으면 뭘 해요? haesseumyeon mwol haeyo? | 하면 뭘 해요? hamyeon mwol haeyo? | 하면 뭘 해요? |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었으면 뭘 해요? meogeoseumyeon mwol haeyo? | 먹으면 뭘 해요? meogeumyeon mwol haeyo? | 먹으면 뭘 해요? |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤으면 뭘 해요? yeppeoseumyeon mwol haeyo? | 예쁘면 뭘 해요? yeppeumyeon mwol haeyo? | 예쁘면 뭘 해요? |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았으면 뭘 해요? jagaseumyeon mwol haeyo? | 작으면 뭘 해요? jageumyeon mwol haeyo? | 작으면 뭘 해요? |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자였으면 뭘 해요? namjayeosseumyeon mwol haeyo? | 남자이면 뭘 해요? namja-i-myeon mwol haeyo? | 남자이면 뭘 해요? |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이었으면 뭘 해요? murieoseumyeon mwol haeyo? | 물이면 뭘 해요? murimyeon mwol haeyo? | 물이면 뭘 해요? |
TAKE NOTE
The explanation for why ~ doesn’t matter often follows ~(으)면 뭘 해요? (eu)myeon mwol hae-yo? in a second sentence. It often ends with either 아/어/여야지요 (“you must~”; see page 202) or ㄴ/는데요; see page 69).
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
돈이 많이 모으면 뭘 해요? 건강이 제일 중요한데요.
Doni mani moeumyeon mwol haeyo? Geongangi jeil jungyohandeyo.
What’s the point of saving a lot of money? Health is the most important thing.
건강에 대해서 계속 걱정하면 뭘 해요? 한번 검진 받았으니까 걱정할 필요가 없어요.
Geongange daehaeseo gyesok geokjeonghamyeon mwol haeyo? Hanbeon geomjin badasseunikka geokjeonghal pillyoga eobseoyo.
What’s the point of constantly worrying about your health? If you’d just get a checkup, you won’t need to worry.
Asking Questions
어제 늦었나요? Eoje neujeonnayo? Were you late yesterday?
Let’s face it: life in Korea can be pretty confusing sometimes, and you’ll probably have a few questions about things. You can (and Koreans, more often that not, do) ask questions using standard verb forms like 해요? or 가세요?, but what fun is that? Here’s how to sound better when you’re actually clueless.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
If your question ends in an action verb like 가다 or 먹다 or with a past tense form, you can end it with 나요. If it ends in a descriptive verb like 예쁘다 or 똑똑하다 ttokttokhada, end with (으)ㄴ가요.
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했나요? haennayo? | 하나요? hanayo? | 할 건가요? hal geongayo? |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었나요? meogeonnayo? | 먹나요? meoknayo? | 먹을 건가요? meogeul geongayo? |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤나요? yeppeonnayo? | 예쁜가요? yeppeungayo? | 예쁠 건가요? yeppeul geongayo? |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았나요? jagannayo? | 작은가요? jageungayo? | 작을 건가요? jageul geongayo? |
TAKE NOTE
ㄴ가 and 나 reappear later on in expressions such as ㄴ가/나 봐 (see page 138), so they’re really useful to learn. They also appear at the end of 뭐 mwo, 언제 eonje, 누구 nugu, 무엇 mueot, and 어디 eodi.
In writing, you’ll often see these endings as 나? and (으)ㄴ가? such as in a newspaper interview where a reporter is asking questions:
| 뭔가 mwonga | Whatever it is/something | ||
| 언젠가 eonjenga | Whenever it is/sometime | 언제나 eonjena | any time |
| 누군가 nugunga | Whoever it is/someone | 누구나 nuguna | anyone |
| 무언가 mueonga | Whatever it is/something | 무엇이나 mueosina | anything |
| 어딘가 eodinga | Wherever it is/somewhere | 어디나 eodina | anywhere |
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
여자친구가 예쁜가요?
Yeojachinguga yeppeungayo?
Is your girlfriend beautiful?
아버지가 선생님인가요?
Abeojiga seonsaengnimingayo?
Is your father a teacher?
어디로 가야 하나요?
Eodiro gaya hanayo?
Where must I go?
쓰레기 봉투가 있나요?
Sseuregi bongtuga innayo?
Do you have trash bags?
어제 숙제를 했나요?
Eoje sukjereul haennayo?
Did you do your homework yesterday?
And: Basic Forms
These are all added to the ends of nouns and are fairly easy to use.
Somewhat counterintuitively, 와 goes with words ending in vowels and 과 goes with words ending in consonants. They both simply mean “and” and can also be used to mean “together with,” depending on the context. When used to mean “together with,” they are often paired with either 같이 gachi or 함께 hamkke, but you can leave these out, unless you really need to clarify the context.
매운 음식과 짠 음식을 좋아해요.
Maeun eumsikgwa jjan eumsigeul joahaeyo.
I like spicy foods and salty foods.
홍대와 이태원에 술집이 많아요.
Hongdaewa Itaewone suljibi manayo.
There are many bars in Hongdae and Itaewon.
친구와 같이 영화 봤어요.
Chinguwa gachi yeonghwa bwasseoyo.
I saw a movie with a friend.
These have exactly the same meaning as 와/과; in other words, “and” or “together with.” They are somewhat more colloquial, but otherwise the same. 이랑 is used after vowels and 랑 after consonants.
매운 음식이랑 짠 음식을 좋아해요.
Maeun eumsigirang jjan eumsigeul joahaeyo.
I like spicy foods and salty foods.
홍대랑 이태원에 술집이 많아요.
Hongdaerang Itaewone suljibi manayo.
There are many bars in Hongdae and Itaewon.
친구랑 같이 영화 봤어요.
Chingurang gachi yeonghwa bwasseoyo.
I saw a movie with a friend.
하고 is used the same way as 와/과 and 랑/이랑.
매운 음식하고 짠 음식을 좋아해요.
Maeun eumsikhago jjan eumsigeul joahaeyo.
I like spicy foods and salty foods.
홍대하고 이태원에 술집이 많아요.
Hongdaehago Itaewone suljibi manayo.
There are many bars in Hongdae and Itaewon.
친구하고 같이 영화 봤어요.
Chinguhago gachi yeonghwa bwasseoyo.
I saw a movie with a friend.
This is just another short, simple way to say “and.” You can use (이)며 as many times as you’d like in a sentence; just put it after each noun you want to list, including the last one. Since it follows nouns, there’s no need to worry about any kind of conjugation. I’ve changed the third example since 며 can’t be used to mean “together with,” but can be used for any kind of list. 며 follows nouns ending in vowels and 이며 follows nouns ending in consonants.
매운 음식이며 짠 음식이며 좋아해요.
Maeun eumsigimyeo jjan eumsigimyeo joahaeyo.
I like spicy foods and salty foods.
홍대며 이태원이며 갔어요.
Hongdaemyeo Itaewonimyeo gasseoyo.
I went to Hongdae and Itaewon.
민수며 가영이며 같이 영화 봤어요.
Minsumyeo Kayeongimyeo gachi yeonghwa bwasseoyo.
I saw a movie with Minsu and Kayoung.
This is not exactly a form of “and,” but I’m including it in this section anyway because it combines things in order to make a group and it’s very useful to know. It means “a group of ~” or “among ~” and is attached to the end of nouns.
친구끼리 chingukkiri a group of friends, among friends
우리끼리 urikkiri our group, among ourselves
학생끼리 haksaengkkiri a group of students, among students
우리끼리 먼저 갈게요. Urikkiri meonjeo galgeyo.
Our group will go first.
아이들끼리 놀고 있어요. A-i-deulkkiri nolgo isseoyo.
The children are playing amongst themselves.
And (So On, and So On...)
Sometimes two is not enough and you want to go on and on—how is this done in Korean?
This is much like “etc.” in English. It follows as many examples as you provide (at least two, but you can go on and on if you’d like and if you have patient listeners). After 등, you should go on to explain what A and B are examples of. 등 gets particles added to it just like any other nouns; if you’d normally use a particle after the noun, use it after 등 instead.
종이, 연필 등을 시험에 가지고 오세요.
Jongi, yeonpil deungeul siheome gajigo oseyo.
Bring paper, a pencil, etc. to the test.
그 슈퍼에서 물, 맥주, 사이다 등 음료를 팔아요.
Geu syupeoeseo mul, maekju, sa-ida deung eumnyoreul parayo.
That shop sells drinks like water, beer, cider, etc.
이 책을 한국어, 일본어 등의 언어로 읽을 수 있어요.
I chaegeul hangukeo, ilboneo deungui eoneoro ilgeul su isseoyo.
You can read this book in Korean, Japanese, etc.
This one is more like “like, for example.” You list your examples before it (A) and put the category they belong to (B) afterward.
종이, 연필 같은 학습준비물을 시험에 가지고 오세요.
Jongi, yeonpil gateun hakseupjunbimureul siheome gajigo oseyo.
Bring study materials like paper, a pencil, etc. to the test.
그 슈퍼에서 물, 맥주, 사이다 같은 음료를 팔아요.
Geu syupeoeseo mul, maekju, sa-ida gateun eumnyoreul parayo.
That shop sells drinks like water, beer, cider, etc.
이 책을 한국어, 일본어 같은 언어로 읽을 수 있어요.
I chaegeul hangukeo, ilboneo gateun eoneoro ilgeul su isseoyo.
You can read this book in languages like Korean, Japanese, etc.
This one is a little more complicated. It can be thought of as a slash. If only one example is listed, it becomes more like “and so on.” (으)ㄹ 겸 can be used after verbs or 겸 directly after nouns. There is also an expression, (으)ㄹ 겸 해서, which is used to focus on one cause out of many. This is covered on page 95.
아침 겸 점심을 먹었어요.
Achim gyeom jeomsimeul meogeosseoyo.
I ate brunch. (breakfast/lunch)
그는 기자 겸 사진사이에요.
Geuneun gija gyeom sajinsaieyo.
He is a journalist/photographer.
쇼핑도 하고 영화도 볼 겸, 명동에 갔어요.
Syopingdo hago yeonghwado bol gyeom, Myeongdonge gasseoyo.
I went to Myeongdong to go shopping and see a movie.
This is a way of listing examples. The 을/를 are object markers; see page 30. The category you’re giving examples of shouldn’t be too general: for instance, “action movies” is fine, but just “movies” is too broad a category.
카리비안의 해적을 비롯한 액션 영화를 봤어요.
Karibianui haejeogeul birotan aeksyeon yeonghwareul bwasseoyo.
I watched some action movies, including Pirates of the Caribbean.
비빔밥을 비롯한 한국 음식을 만들어 봤어요.
Bibimbapeul birotan hanguk eumsigeul mandeureo bwasseoyo.
I tried making some Korean food, including bibimbap.
보드카, 위스키, 소주를 비롯한 독한 술을 마셨어요.
Bodeuka, wiseuki, sojureul birotan dokhan sureul masyeosseoyo.
I drank strong alcohol, including beer, whiskey and soju.
Linking Sentences: And
Focus: 고
고 by itself is one way of saying “and.” You can also put it together with other expressions to get plenty of interesting and unexpected combinations. Here’s a quick list if you’re confused:
| Expression | Page | Meaning | Sample sentence |
| A고B | 51 | A and B | 민수가 정시에 오고 가영이 늦게 왔어요. Minsuga jeongsie ogo Kayeongi neutge wasseoyo. Minsu came on time and Kayoung was late. |
| ~고요 | 52 | ~, too | 민수가 늦어요. 음식도 가지고 오지 않고요. Minsuga neujeoyo. Eumsikdo gajigo oji ankoyo. Minsu’s late. He also didn’t bring any food. |
| ~고 있다 | 255 | Is ~ing | 그 아이가 놀고 있어요 Geu aiga nolgo isseoyo. The child is playing. |
| A고도B | 108 | Although A, B | 서두르고도 늦었어요. Seodureugodo neujeosseoyo. Although I hurried, I was late. |
| A고는B | – | Because of A, B (unexpectedly) happened | 그 책을 읽고는 성격이 달라졌어요. Geu chaegeul ilgoneun seonggyeogi dallajyeosseoyo. Since reading that book, his personality changed completely. |
| A고서B | 280 | A, then B | 지하철을 타고서 늦었어요. Jihacheoreul tagoseo neujeosseoyo. I took the subway and then I was late. |
| A고서는B | 281 | While A, B (can’t happen) | 신발을 신고서는 집에 들어올 수 없어요. Sinbareul singoseoneun jibe deureool su eobseoyo. You can’t come in the house while wearing your shoes. |
| A고서야B | 301 | A, then B | 우리가 지하철을 타고서야 정시에 올 수 있었어요. Uriga jihacheoreul tagoseoya jeongsie ol su isseosseoyo. We took the subway, and then we were able to arrive on time (at least partly because of taking the subway). |
| A고 나서B | 272 | A and then B | 저녁을 먹고 나서 담배를 피웠어요. Jeonyeogeul meokgo naseo dambaereul piwosseoyo. I ate dinner and then had a cigarette. |
| A고자B | 229 | I plan to A, so B | 늦지 않게 오고자 집에서 일찍 출발했어요. Neutji anke ogoja jibeseo iljjik chulbalhaesseoyo. I left the house early so as not to be late. |
| A고 보니 (까)B | 282 | I did A and then discovered that B | 지하철에 타고 보니 택시보다 더 느렸어요. Jihacheore tago boni taeksiboda deo neuryeosseoyo. I took the subway, but found it was slower than a taxi. |
| A고 해서B | 294 | A, so B | 열쇠를 일어버리고 해서 늦게 왔어요. Yeolsoereul ireobeorigo haeseo neutge wasseoyo. I lost my keys (among other things), so I arrived late. |
| ~고 말고(요) go malgo(yo) | 37 | Of course, ~ | 늦고 말고요. 민수는 일 때문에 정시에 오지 못 해요. Neutgo malgoyo. Minsuneun il ttaemune jeongsie oji mot haeyo. Of course he was late. Because of his job, he can’t come on time. |
| ~고 말겠다 go malgetda | 232 | I (definitely) plan to ~ | 이번에는 꼭 정시에 오고 말겠어요. Ibeoneneun kkok jeongsie ogo malgesseoyo. This time I’m definitely going to come on time. |
| ~고 말았다 go maratda | 233 | (Unfortunately), ~ happened. | 정시에 온다는 것이 결국 늦게 오고 말았어요. Jeongsie ondaneun geosi gyeolguk neutge ogo marasseoyo. I meant to come on time, but (unfortunately) I ended up being late. |
| ~고는/곤 하다 goneun/gon hada | 349 | Habitually do ~ | 민수가 대학교 때 자주 수업에 늦게 오곤 했어요. Minsuga daehakgyo ttae jaju sueobe neutge ogon haesseoyo. During university, Minsu was habitually late for class. |
And: Putting Things Together
The Basics:
민수가 정시에 오고 가영이 늦게 왔어요.
Minsuga jeongsie ogo Kayeongi neutge wasseoyo.
Minsu came on time and Kayoung was late.
고 is the workhorse when it comes to combining things in Korean. However, it’s a bit of a prima donna, and you can’t just stick it in any sentence and expect it to do its job. See the “Take note” section below on how to properly use 고.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| All tenses | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 hada | 하고 hago |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 meokda | 먹고 meokgo |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 yeppeuda | 예쁘고 yeppeugo |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 jakda | 작고 jakgo |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 namja | 남자이고 namjaigo |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 mul | 물이고 muligo |
TAKE NOTE
First of all, the subjects of both clauses, A and B, must be the same you’re using one of these three verbs to end A: 가다, 오다 or 일어나다 ireonada. In these cases you should use 어서 instead of 고. You can use 가다, 오다 or 일어나다 with 고 if the subjects of both clauses are different from each other.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
영화를 보고 쇼핑을 하러 강남에 갔어요.
Yeonghwareul bogo syopingeul hareo Gangname gasseoyo.
I went to Gangnam to see a movie and go shopping.
그 수업이 재미없고 어려워요.
Geu sueobi jaemieopgo eoryeowoyo.
That class is boring and difficult.
내일 한국어 공부하고 책을 읽을 거예요.
Naeil hangukeo gongbuhago chaegeul ilgeul geoyeyo.
Tomorrow I’m going to study Korean and read a book.
민수가 가고 가영이 왔어요.
Minsuga gago Kayeongi wasseoyo.
Minsu left and Kayoung came.
Note that in the last example I used 가다 but changed the subject. If Minsu left and then went to see a movie, you would say 민수가 가서 영화를 봤어요 Minsuga gaseo yeonghwareul bwasseoyo.
In all the variations of 고 (고요, 고도, 고서, etc.), the same rules apply: same subjects and no 가다, 오다, or 일어나다 unless the subject of the sentence is different.
민수가 항상 늦어요. 음식도 가지고 오지 않고요.
Minsuga hangsang neujeoyo. Eumsikdo gajigo oji ankoyo.
Minsu is always late. He also never brings any food.
Sometimes you say something and then remember something else you wanted to say. In this case, you can add a second sentence using 고요.
HOW IT’S FORMED
고 plus the polite ending 요. Of course, if you want to use this in 반말, you can; just drop the 요.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
It’s added to the verb at the end of a second sentence, the one where you mention your afterthought.
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했고요 | 하고요 | 할 거고요 |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었고요 | 먹고요 | 먹을 거고요 |
TAKE NOTE
You don’t have to bother conjugating this expression in the past or future tenses if you don’t want to; Koreans often don’t. See the last example below.
If you have an object in the second clause (like “Korean” and “a book” in the example below) you should add 도 (too) at the end of it instead of 을/를. It sounds more natural that way.
It may or may not be strictly correct, but I’ve often heard Koreans use this expression even if the afterthought comes long afterward or is implied. For instance, a teacher will tell her students to “그림 그리세요 geurim geuriseyo” (draw a picture) and then five minutes later, “색칠도 하고요 saekchil do hagoyo” (also, color it).
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
그 수업이 재미없어요. 어렵고요.
Geu sueobi jaemieobseoyo. Eoryeopgoyo.
That class is boring. It’s also difficult.
내일 한국어 공부할 거예요. 책도 읽을 거고요.
Naeil hanguleo gongbuhal geoyeyo. Chaekdo ilgeul geogoyo.
내일 한국어 공부할 거예요. 책도 읽고요.
Naeil hangukeo gongbuhal geoyeyo. Chaekdo ilkgoyo.
Tomorrow I’m going to study Korean. I’m also going to read a book.
민수가 늦은 데다가 음식도 가지고 오지 않았어요.
Minsuga neujeun dedaga eumsikdo gajigo oji anasseoyo.
Minsu was late. He also didn’t bring any food.
These expressions are for those who like to cook. They can be used to add one thing to another thing. 에다(가) can be used with nouns to mean “adding one thing to another thing” or “putting something in a specific location.”
HOW IT’S FORMED
다가 is a very versatile expression which is explained in detail on page 268. The 에 and (으)ㄴ/는 데 before it simply mark the thing to which something else is being added: there’s no other meaning behind it. The 가 part of 다가 is optional.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
The difference between the two noun forms is that while 물인 데다가 murin dedaga means “It’s water, and on top of that…,” 물에다가 muredaga means to add something to the water.
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 한 데다가 han dedaga | 하는 데다가 haneun dedaga | 하는 데다가 |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹은 데다가 meogeun dedaga | 먹는 데다가 meokneun dedaga | 먹는 데다가 |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예쁜 데다가 yeppeun dedaga | 예쁜 데다가 | 예쁜 데다가 |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작은 데다가 jageun dedaga | 작은 데다가 | 작은 데다가 |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자인 데다가 namjain dedaga 남자에다가 namja-e-daga | 남자인 데다가 남자에다가 | 남자인 데다가 남자에다가 |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물인 데다가 murin dedaga 물에다가 muredaga | 물인 데다가 물에다가 | 물인 데다가 물에다가 |
TAKE NOTE
The subjects of both clauses should be the same.
The expressions here and (으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라/더러 (eu)r ppunman anira/deoreo have similar meanings, but they are used in different situations. See page 55 for when the 뿐 expressions can and can’t be used.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
■ A ㄴ/은/는 데다(가) n/eun/neun deda(ga) B
맛있어 보이는 데다가 냄새도 좋아요.
Masisseo boineun dedaga naemsaedo joayo.
It not only looks delicious, but it smells good too.
그는 축구를 잘 하는 데다가 농구도 잘 해요.
Geuneun chukgureul jal haneun dedaga nonggudo jal haeyo.
He is not only good at soccer, but also at basketball.
■ A 에다(가) eda(ga) B
열에다가 스물을 더하면 서른이에요.
Yeoredaga seumureul deohamyeon seoreun-i-e-yo.
Ten plus twenty is thirty.
그것을 트럭에다가 실었어요.
Geugeoseul teureogedaga sireo-sseoyo.
He put it in the truck.
큰 그릇에다 밀가루와 물을 넣으세요.
Keun geureuseda milgaruwa mureul neo-eu-seyo.
Put flour and water into a big bowl.
민수가 늦었을 뿐만 아니라 음식도 가지고 오지 않았어요.
Minsuga neujeosseul ppunman anira eumsikdo gajigo oji anasseoyo.
민수가 늦었을 뿐더러 음식도 가지고 오지 않았어요.
Minsuga neujeosseul ppundeoreo eumsikdo gajigo oji anasseoyo.
Minsu was late. He also didn’t bring any food.
(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 is a very common expression which is quite simple to use, and it essentially means “not just A, but also B”. (으)ㄹ 뿐더러 is less common than ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 and not really used these days except by older people, but you may as well learn them together since they’re similarly formed and have exactly the same meaning.
HOW IT’S FORMED
We’re going to discuss 뿐 later on, on page 337. It’s an expression used to limit something: to say that there was only one instance of it. 만 is another limiting expression which means “only.” 아니라 is an expression on its own (see page 118) which negates what’s before it and asserts what’s after it.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했을 뿐만 아니라 haesseul ppunman anira했을 뿐더러 haesseul ppundeoreo | 할 뿐만 아니라 hal ppunman anira할 뿐더러 hal ppundeoreo | 할 뿐만 아니라할 뿐더러 |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었을 뿐만 아니라 meogeosseul ppunman anira먹었을 뿐더러 meogeosseul ppundeoreo | 먹을 뿐만 아니라 meogeul ppunman anira먹을 뿐더러 meogeul ppundeoreo | 먹을 뿐만 아니라먹을 뿐더러 |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤을 뿐만 아니라 yeppeosseul ppunman anira예뻤을 뿐더러 yeppeosseul ppundeoreo | 예쁠 뿐만 아니라 yeppeul ppunman anira예쁠 뿐더러 yeppeul ppundeoreo | 예쁠 뿐만 아니라예쁠 뿐더러 |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았을 뿐만 아니라 jagasseul ppunman anira작았을 뿐더러 jagasseul ppundeoreo | 작을 뿐만 아니라 jageul ppunman anira작을 뿐더러 jageul ppundeoreo | 작을 뿐만 아니라작을 뿐더러 |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자 뿐만 아니라 namja ppunman anira | 남자 뿐만 아니라 | 남자 뿐만 아니라 |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물 뿐만 아니라 mul ppunman anira | 물 뿐만 아니라 | 물 뿐만 아니라 |
TAKE NOTE
(으)ㄹ 뿐더러 (eu)r ppundeoreo is not used after nouns.
Since these expressions are used for adding two things together, you can’t have a positive statement in A and a negative one in B. Your expressions must either be both positive or both negative. In fact, 뿐더러 can’t be used with positive statements at all.
그 애는 예쁠 뿐만 아니라 공부도 잘해요.
Geu aeneun yeppeul ppunman anira gongbudo jalhaeyo. (acceptable)
That child is not only pretty, but she also studies well.
그 애는 공부를 못할 뿐만 아니라 놀기도 못해요.
Geu aeneun gongbureul mothal ppunman anira nolgido mothaeyo. (acceptable)
Not only does that child not study well, but he can’t even play.
그 애는 예쁠 뿐더러 착해요.
Geu aeneun yeppeul ppundeoreo chakhaeyo. (ungrammatical)
That child is both pretty and kind.
그 애는 공부를 잘할 뿐더러 놀기도 잘해요.
Geu aeneun gongbureul jalhal ppundeoreo nolgido jalhaeyo. (ungrammatical)
That child not only studies well, but also plays well.
그 애는 공부를 못 할 뿐더러 예쁘지도 않아요.
Geu aeneun gongbureul mothal ppundeoreo yeppeujido anayo. (acceptable)
Not only does that child not study well, she’s not even pretty.
There is commonly a 도 after the noun in clause B, and that 도 means “too.” See the examples below.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
맛있어 보일 뿐만 아니라 냄새도 좋아요.
Mas-isseo bo-il ppunman anira naemsaedo joayo.
맛있어 보일 뿐더러 냄새도 좋아요.
Mas-isseo bo-il ppundeoreo naemsaedo joayo.
It not only looks delicious, but it smells good too.
그는 축구 뿐만 아니라 농구도 잘 해요.
Geuneun chukgu ppunman anira nonggudo jal haeyo.
축구를 잘 할 뿐더러 농구도 잘 해요.
Chukgureul jal hal ppundeoreo nonggudo jal haeyo.
He is not only good at soccer, but also at basketball.
민수가 물은 물론 음식도 가지고 오지 않았어요.
Minsuga mureun mullon eumsikdo gajigo oji anasseoyo.
Minsu didn’t bring any water or food.
물론 means “of course,” but not here. Taken as a whole, this phrase is yet another way to express “not just A, but also B.” In other words, it’s very much like (으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 (eu)r ppunman anira, but much less common.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| All tenses | ||
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자는 물론 namjaneun mullon |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물은 물론 mureun mullon |
TAKE NOTE
Don’t confuse 물은 with 물론 (“of course”). 물론 by itself is more commonly found at the beginning or sometimes at the end of sentences, and is an adverb that stands on its own. You can tell them apart by the (으)ㄴ/는 before 물론 in this expression and by context.
This is interchangeable with 뿐만 아니라 ppunman anira and 뿐더러 ppundeoreo (see page 55), but it’s fairly uncommon.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
맛있어 보이는 것은 물론 냄새도 좋아요.
Mas-isseo bo-i-neun geoseun mullon naemsaedo joayo.
It not only looks delicious, but smells good too.
그는 축구는 물론 농구도 잘 해요.
Guneun chukguneun mullon nonggudo jal haeyo.
He is not only good at soccer, but also at basketball.
그는 축구 말고 농구도 잘 해요.
Geuneun chukgu malgo nonggudo jal haeyo.
그는 축구 외에 농구 잘 해요.
Geuneun chukgu oe-e nonggu jal haeyo.
He is not only good at soccer, but also at basketball.
I’m putting these two together because they’re quite similar. A말고 B and A외에B mean “not just A, but B.”
HOW IT’S FORMED
말다 is a verb that means “to not be,” and appears in many other expressions such as 할까 말까 (to do it or not to do it). 외 means “outside” and so 외에 refers to the something outside another thing. An equivalent English expression would be, “other than” or “aside from that.” The person in the example sentences above is good at soccer (and other than/aside from that) basketball. 도 is used here as an intensifier; see above for how it alters the expression.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 한 것(이) 말고(도) han geos(i) malgo(do)한 것(이) 외에(도) han geos(i) oe-e(do) | 하는 것(이) 말고(도) haneun geos(i) malgo(do)하는 것(이) 외에(도) haneun geos(i) oe-e(do) | 하는 것(이) 말고(도) 할 것(이) 말고(도) hal geos(i) malgo(do)하는 것(이) 외에(도) 할 것(이) 외에(도) hal geos(i) oe-e(do) |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹은 것(이) 말고(도) meogeun geos(i) malgo(do)먹은 것(이) 외에(도) meogeun geos(i) oe-e(do) | 먹는 것(이) 말고(도) meokneun geos(i) malgo(do)먹는 것(이) 외에(도) meokneun geos(i) oe-e(do) | 먹는 것(이) 말고(도) 먹을 것(이) 말고(도) meogeul geos(i) malgo(do)먹는 것(이) 외에(도) 먹을 것(이) 외에(도) meogeul geos(i) oe-e(do) |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예쁜 것(이) 말고(도) yeppeun geos(i) malgo(do)예쁜 것(이) 외에(도) yeppeun geos(i) oe-e(do) | 예쁜 것(이) 말고(도) 예쁜 것(이) 외에(도) | 예쁜 것(이) 말고(도) 예쁜 것(이) 외에(도) |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작은 것(이) 말고(도) jageun geos(i) malgo(do)작은 것(이) 외에(도) jageun geos(i) oe-e(do) | 작은 것(이) 말고(도) 작은 것(이) 외에(도) | 작은 것(이) 말고(도) 작은 것(이) 외에(도) |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자 말고(도) namja malgo(do)남자 외에(도) namja oe-e(do) | 남자 말고(도) 남자 외에(도) | 남자 말고(도) 남자 외에(도) |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물 말고(도) mul malgo(do)물 외에(도) mul oe-e(do) | 물 말고(도) 물 외에(도) | 물 말고(도) 물 외에(도) |
TAKE NOTE
If you put 도 on the end, the expression changes a little. In this case your B clause should be something very general and broader than your A clause.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
■ A말고/외에 B
민수가 똑똑하는 것이 말고 잘 생긴 것이에요.
Minsuga ttokttokhaneun geosi malgo jal saenggin geosieyo.
민수가 똑똑하는 것이 외에 잘 생긴 것이에요.
Minsuga ttokttokhaneun geosi oe-e jal saenggin geosieyo.
Minsu is not just smart, but he is also handsome.
맛있어 보인 것이 말고 냄새도 좋은 것이에요.
Mas-isseo boin geosi malgo naemsaedo joeun geosieyo.
맛있어 보인 것이 외에 냄새도 좋은 것이에요.
Mas-isseo boin geosi oe-e naemsaedo joeun geosieyo.
It not only looks delicious, but it smells good too.
■ A말고도/외에도 B
민수가 똑똑하는 것이 말고도 좋은 점이 많아요.
Minsuga ttokttokhaneun geosi malgodo joeun jeomi manayo.
민수가 똑똑하는 것이 외에도 좋은 점이 많아요.
Minsuga ttokttokhaneun geosi oe-e-do joeun jeomi manayo.
Minsu is not just smart, but he has many good qualities too.
맛있어 보인 것이 말고도 음식이 많아요.
Mas-isseo boin geosi malgodo eumsigi manayo.
맛있어 보인 것이 외에도 음식이 많아요.
Mas-isseo boin geosi oe-e-do eumsigi manayo.
It not only looks delicious, but there’s also lots of it.
그는 축구 말고도 스포츠를 다 잘 해요.
Geuneun chukgu malgodo seupo-cheureul da jal haeyo.
그는 축구 외에도 스포츠를 다 잘 해요.
Geuneun chukgu oe-e-do seupo-cheureul da jal haeyo.
He is not only good at soccer, but also at all sports.
Linking Sentences: Or
This is the most easy, simple, basic way to say “or” in Korean. It goes between two nouns and means “A or B.”
커피나 차
keopina cha
coffee or tea
지하철이나 택시
jihacheolina taeksi
subway or taxi
야구나 축구를 할까요?
Yaguna chukgureul halkkayo?
Shall we play baseball or soccer?
가영이나 혜진을 만났어요?
Kayoungina Hyejineul mannasseoyo?
Did you meet Kayoung or Hyejin?
“스타 워즈”나 “스타 트렉” 을 보고 싶어요.
Seuta Wojeuna Seuta Teurekeul bogo sipeoyo.
I want to watch Star Wars or Star Trek.
If you just use (이)나 by itself after a noun without another noun, it means “or something.” You can also use (이)나마 (i)nama, which has the same meaning and implies that whatever is being offered isn’t the best choice, but it’ll do.
커피나 마실래요?
Keopina masillaeyo?
Shall we drink some coffee or something?
책이나 읽고 싶어요.
Chaegina ilggo sipeoyo.
I want to read a book or something.
책이 없으니까 민수 책이나마 보세요.
Chaegi eobseunikka Minsu chaeginama boseyo.
Since you have no book, you can look at Minsu’s.
김 선생님을 찾지 못하면 이메일이나마 쓰세요.
Kim seonsaengnimeul chatji mothamyeon imeilinama sseuseyo.
If you can’t find Mr. Kim, you can send an email or something.
Here are some commonly used expressions with (이)나:
누구나
nuguna
anyone
언제나
eonjena
any time
어디서나
eodiseona
anywhere (used only with 가다, 오다 and other verbs of motion)
어디에서나
eodi-e-seona
anywhere
무엇이나
mueosina
anything
아무거나
amugeona
anything
누구나 갈 수 있어요.
Nuguna gal su isseoyo.
Anyone can go.
언제나 할 수 있어요.
Eonjena hal su isseoyo.
We can do it any time.
어디서나 하면 돼요.
Eodiseona hamyeon dwaeyo.
We can do it anywhere.
어디에서나 하면 돼요.
Eodi-e-seona hamyeon dwaeyo.
We can do it anywhere.
아무거나 주세요.
Amugeona juseyo.
Just give me anything.
This is the most basic way to say “or” when you’re talking about verbs. Put it after each of two verbs to mean “A or B.” You don’t need any past tense markers on your verbs; the verb at the end of your sentence tells people all they need to know about when it happened. What you’re really doing here is changing a verb into a noun using (으)ㄴ/는 것, adding 이나 (see page 60), and then shrinking the whole expression to 거나.
수영하거나 자전거를 타거나
suyeonghageona jajeongeoreul tageona
go swimming or go biking
영화를 보거나 쇼핑을 하거나
yeonghwareul bogeona syopingeul hageona
see a movie or go shopping
커피를 마시거나 식사를 하거나 할까요?
Keopireul masigeona siksareul hageona halkkayo?
Shall we drink coffee or eat dinner?
지금 은행에 가거나 내일 인터넷 뱅킹을 하거나 해야 해요.
Jigeum eunhaenge gageona naeil inteonet baengkingeul hageona haeya haeyo.
I have to either go to the bank now or log on to online banking tomorrow.
You can use A거나 말거나 geona malgeona B to say that whether or not you do A, B will happen.
서두르거나 말거나 늦을 거예요.
Seodureugeona malgeona neujeul geoyeyo.
Whether you hurry or not, you’ll be late.
아이들이 듣거나 말거나 선생님은 계속 말했어요.
A-i-deuri deutgeona malgeona seonsaengnimeun gyesok malhaesseoyo.
Whether or not the children were listening, the teacher kept talking.
그녀가 예쁘거나 말거나, 저는 그녀를사랑해요.
Geunyeoga yeppeugeona malgeona, jeoneun geunyeoreulsaranghaeyo.
Whether or not she’s beautiful, I love her.
This can best be translated as “or something” as in “Do you want to get some coffee or something?” It implies that “something” is not necessarily the first choice, but it will do.
커피라도 먹을래요?
Keopirado meogeullaeyo?
Do you want to get some coffee or something? (I don’t really care if we get coffee or something else.)
이번 주말에 부산이라도 갈까요?
Ibeon jumare Busanirado galkkayo?
Shall we go to Busan or something this weekend? (I’m not that excited about Busan, but I’d like to go somewhere.)
이거라도 주세요.
Igeorado juseyo.
Just give me this one. (It’s not my first choice, but it’ll do.)
It can also be used after question words like 누구, 언제, nugu, eonje, or 어디 eodi or after 아무 amu to mean “any.”
누구라도
nugurado
anyone
아무라도
amurado
anyone
언제라도
eonjerado
any time
어디라도
eodirado
anywhere (used only with 가다, 오다 and other verbs of motion)
어디에서라도
eodieseorado
anywhere
무엇이라도
mueosirado
whatever
아무거라도
amugeorado
anything
누구라도 갈 수 있어요.
Nugurado gal su isseoyo.
Anyone can go.
언제라도 할 수 있어요.
Eonjerado hal su isseoyo.
We can do it any time.
어디에서라도 하면 돼요.
Eodi-e-seorado hamyeon dwaeyo.
We can do it anywhere.
아무라도 주세요.
Amurado juseyo
Just give me anything.
무엇이라도 주세요.
Mueosirado juseyo.
Just give me whatever.
This goes after nouns or verbs and means that either A or B is fine. It’s the same as 거나. When used after verbs, it is always in the form A든지 B든지 and can be used after 았/었/였 if your sentence is in the past tense. After nouns, you should use (이)든지: 남자든지 여자든지 namjadeunji yeojadeunji or 물이든지 불이든지 murideunji burideunji.
You can also shorten the entire expression to A든 B든 or use A든지 안 A든지, A든지 말든지, or A든지 못 A든지.
커피를 마시든지 식사를 하든지 할까요?
Keopireul masideunji siksareul hadeunji halkkayo?
커피를 마시든 식사를 하든 할까요?
Keopireul masideun siksareul hadeun halkkayo?
Shall we drink coffee or eat dinner?
커피든지 차든지 마실래요?
Keopideunji chadeunji masillaeyo?
Let’s drink some coffee or tea.
비싸든지 싸든지 사야 돼요.
Bissadeunji ssadeunji saya dwaeyo.
싸든지 말든지 사야 돼요.
Ssadeunji maldeunji saya dwaeyo.
I have to buy it no matter how much it costs. (whether it’s cheap or expensive)
네가 가든지 못 가든지, 내 친구는 나와 있을 거예요.
Nega gadeunji mot gadeunji, nae chinguneun nawa isseul geoyeyo.
Whether or not you can go, my friend will be with me.
Just like 거나 and 라도, 든지 can be added to the end of question words or 아무 to form words that mean “any.”
누구든지
nugudeunji
anyone
언제든지
eonjedeunji
any time
어디든지
eodideunji
anywhere (used only with 가다, 오다 and other verbs of motion)
어디에서든지
eodieseodeunji
anywhere
무엇이든지
mueosideunji
anything
누구든지 갈 수 있어요.
Nugudeunji gal su isseoyo.
Anyone can go.
언제든지 할 수 있어요.
Eonjedeunji hal su isseoyo.
We can do it any time.
어디에서든지 하면 돼요.
Eodieseodeunji hamyeon dwaeyo.
We can do it anywhere.
무엇이든지 주세요.
Mueosideunji juseyo.
Just give me whatever.
This is almost exactly the same as 거나 above, but it’s used in situations where A and B are either examples or are about important issues, or are examples used while talking about an important issue. So you can use it to talk about how to solve the city’s traffic problem, for example, but it would be strange to use it to talk about your weekend plans. You could, however, use it to give examples of things you normally do on the weekend.
Add an indirect speech particle (see page 304) to 거나, and repeat the particle plus 거나 after every example.
수영한다거나 자전거를 탄다거나
suyeonghandageona jajeongeoreul tandageona
go swimming or go biking
영화라거나 쇼핑이라거나
yeonghwarageona syopingirageona
a movie or shopping
소설이란다거나 만화란다거나 책을 다른 종류를 다 좋아해요.
Soseorirandageona manhwarandageona chaegeul dareun jongnyureul da joahaeyo.
I like all kinds of books like novels or comic books.
패스트 푸드를 끊는다거나 운동을 더 열심히 한다거나 하면 콜레스케롤 수치를 낮출 수 있어요.
Paeseuteu pudeureul kkeunneundageona undongeul deo yeolsimhi handageona hamyeon kolleseuterol suchi reul natchul su isseoyo.
If you quit eating fast food or if you exercise more, you can lower your cholesterol.
You may recognize 라, 는다, ㄴ다, and 다 as indirect speech endings. In this case they aren’t used to talk about something someone else said. However, they still attach to words the same way: (이)라든가 after nouns, 는/ㄴ다든가 after action verbs, and 다든가 after descriptive verbs. (See page 304 for more on indirect speech endings.)
라든가 and its companions mean “or” and are used to talk about two choices. In the case of (이)라든가, B is normally followed by an explanation of how exactly A and B are similar: “비빔밥이라든가 냉면이라든가 한국 음식 같은 Bibimbapiradeunga naengmyeoniradeunga hanguk eumsig gateun” (“Korean foods like bibimbap or naengmyeon”) 는다든가, ㄴ다든가 and 다든가, on the other hand, are usually followed by 하다, which can then be conjugated however you’d like.
While (이)라든가 is normally used only after A, 는다든가/ㄴ다든가/다든가 follows both A and B.
비빔밥이라든가 불고기 같은 대표적인 한국 음식을 먹어 보세요.
Bibimbapiradeunga bulgogi gateun daepyojeogin hanguk eumsigeul meogeo boseyo.
Please try a representative (famous) Korean food like bibimbap or bulgogi.
커피라든가 차 같은 따뜻한 것을 마시고 싶어요.
Keopiradeunga cha gateun ttatteuthan geoseul masigo sipeoyo.
I want to drink something warm like coffee or tea.
스트레스가 쌓일 때 산책이라든가 수영이라든가 운동을 해요.
Seuteuleseuga ssahil ttae sanchaegiradeunga suyeongiradeunga undongeul haeyo.
When I’m stressed, I like to do some exercise like walking or swimming.
스트레스가 쌓일 때 산책을 한다든가 음악을 듣는다든가 해요.
Seuteuleseuga ssahil ttae sanchaegeul handadeunga eumageul deunneundadeunga haeyo.
When I’m stressed, I like to take a walk or listen to music.
방학 때 여행을 간다든가 친구와 논다든가 하고 싶어요.
Banghak ttae yeohaengeul gandadeunga chinguwa nondadeunga hago sipeoyo.
During vacation I want to travel or hang out with friends.
This is a shorter version of 거나, but it’s used to mean “whether you do A or B.” A and B should be opposites and 건 should follow each of them.
지하철을 타건 택시를 타건 늦을 거예요.
Jihacheoreul tageon taeksireul tageon neujeul geoyeyo.
Whether you take the subway or a taxi, you’ll be late.
한국어를 잘 하건 못 하건 최선을 다 해야 돼요.
Hangukeoreul jal hageon mot hageon choeseoneul da haeya dwaeyo.
Whether you’re good at Korean or not, you must do your best.
돈이 있건 없건 더 어려운 사람을 도와 주었으면 좋겠어요.
Doni itgeon eobsgeon deo eoryeoun sarameul dowa jueosseumyeon jokesseoyo.
Whether you have money or not, you should help those who need it.
Linking Sentences—Cause and Effect: The Big Three
There are three extremely common expressions that all essentially mean “so,” and they are used in a few ways. The big three are ㄴ/는데, 아/어/여서 n/neunde, a/eo/yeoseo, and (으)니까 (eu)nikka. You’ll see them used in three ways. One is in the middle of a sentence, one is at the end, and the other is roughly at the beginning tagging along with 그렇다 geureota. Let’s start by talking about each expression and when to use it.
차가 막혀서 늦었어요.
Chaga makyeoseo neujeosseoyo.
There was a lot of traffic, so I was late.
This expression essentially means “so” and is extremely important. Not only is it used all the time, but it also forms the basis for many other expressions you’ll want to learn.
HOW IT’S FORMED
아/어/여서 is an expression all on its own; (이)라서 is a combination of the indirect speech particle (이)라 and 아서.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| All tenses | ||
| Action or descriptive verbs with 오 or 아 | 작다 | 작아서 jagaseo |
| Action or descriptive verbs with 어, 우, 으 or 이 | 먹다 | 먹어서 meogeoseo |
| 하다 | 하다 | 해서 haeseo |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자라서 namjaraseo |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이라서 muriraseo |
TAKE NOTE
This can be used only in statements (no questions, suggestions, or commands). In other words, if your B clause is a question, suggestion or command, you should use a different expression. (으)니(까) is a good one; see page 67.
It’s also used to replace 고 (see page 51) in expressions where 고 follows a verb that means “to come” or “to go” (오다, 가다, 들어오다, etc…) See the example below about shopping and Dongdaemun.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
■ 아/어/여서
아침을 안 먹어서 지금 배고파요.
Achimeul an meogeoseo jigeum baegopayo.
I didn’t eat breakfast, so I’m hungry.
공부를 열심히 해서 시험에 100점을 받았어요.
Gongbureul yeolsimhi haeseo siheome baekjeomeul badasseoyo.
I studied hard, so I got 100 on the test.
동대문에 가서 쇼핑을 할 거예요.
Dongdaemune gaseo syopingeul hal geoyeyo.
I’m going to Dongdaemun, so I can go shopping.
■ (이)라서
저는 외국인이라서 한국어를 잘 못 해요.
Jeoneun oeguginiraseo hangukeoreul jal mot haeyo.
I’m a foreigner, so I don’t speak Korean well.
오늘 생일이라서 케이크 먹을 거예요.
Oneul saengiriraseo keikeu meogeul geoyeyo.
Today’s my birthday, so I’m going to eat cake.
차가 람보르기니라서 아주 비싸요.
Chaga Ramboreuginiraseo aju bissayo.
The car is a Lamborghini, so it’s very expensive.
차가 막혔으니까 늦었어요.
Chaga makyeosseunikka neujeosseoyo.
Traffic was heavy, so I was late.
This is another common and versatile way to say “so.”
HOW IT’S FORMED
You will see this expression written two ways: 니 and 니까. They mean exactly the same thing, but 니 is only used formally or in writing.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했으니까 haesseunikka | 하니까 hanikka | 하니까 할 거니까 hal geonikka |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었으니까 meogeosseunikka | 먹으니까 meogeunikka | 먹으니까 먹을 거니까 meogeul geonikka |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤으니까 yeppeosseunikka | 예쁘니까 yeppeunikka | 예쁘니까 예쁠 거니까 yeppeul geonikka |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았으니까 jagasseunikka | 작으니까 jageunikka | 작으니까 작을 거니까 jageul geonikka |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자였으니까 namjayeosseunikka | 남자이니까 namjainikka | 남자이니까 남자일 거니까 namjail geonikka |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이었으니까 murieosseunikka | 물이니까 mulinikka | 물이니까 물 일거니까 mul ilgeonikka |
TAKE NOTE
니(까) can be used in any kind of sentence and in any tense, though it isn’t usually used when you’re talking about yourself. If you feel narcissistic at the moment, you’d be better off using 어서.
Be aware that there is another expression, 니, which is used in 반말 at the end of questions: 점심을 먹었니? That’s different. This 니 is in the middle of a sentence.
Also, 습니까 is not the same 니까 used here. 습니까 is the super-polite ending for a question (see page 15). That 니까 always goes after 습, while this one never does.
있다 and 없다 can be conjugated either as 있니(까) inni(kka) and 없니(까) eobsni(kka) or 있으니(까) isseuni(kka) and 없으니(까) eobseuni(kka). Koreans do it both ways, so just use whichever you think sounds better.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
어머니의 생신이니까 파티에 갈 수 없어요.
Eomeoniui saengsininikka patie gal su eobseoyo.
It’s my mother’s birthday, so I can’t go to the party.
이 신발은 너무 작으니까 큰 것으로 바꿔 주세요.
I sinbareun neomu jageunikka keun geoseuro bakkwo juseyo.
These shoes are too small, so could you please change it to a bigger size?
이 회의가 아주 중요한데 민수가 늦었어요.
I hoeuiga aju jungyohande Minsuga neujeosseoyo.
This meeting is very important, but Minsu was late.
(으)ㄴ/는데 functions much like an English semicolon. Clause A explains the background for clause B, which can be a statement, question, suggestion or command: this expression works with any kind of sentence. It can also be used to contrast two situations. It doesn’t always mean “so,” but it is often used that way and functions similarly to the expressions above, so I’ve put it in this section.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
ㄴ/은데 n/eunde is used after descriptive verbs and 는데 neunde after action verbs or past tense forms. If you want to use this expression after a noun, add 이 to the end of the noun and then conjugate it as if it were a descriptive verb.
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했는데 haenneunde | 하는데 haneunde | 할 건데 hal geonde |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었는데 meogeonneunde | 먹는데 meokneunde | 먹을 건데 meogeul geonde |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤는데 yeppeonneunde | 예쁜데 yeppeunde | 예쁠 건데 yeppeul geonde |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았는데 jaganneunde | 작은데 jageunde | 작을 건데 jageul geonde |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자였는데 namjayeonneunde | 남자인데 namjainde | 남자일 건데 namjail geonde |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이었는데 murieonneunde | 물인데 murinde | 물일 건데 muril geonde |
TAKE NOTE
There is another expression, (으)ㄴ/는 데, which is totally different and has to do with intentions. It’s covered on page 170. You can tell it apart from (으)ㄴ/는데 by the space in the middle, but sometimes this space is omitted, so look for context.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
어머니의 생신인데 무슨 선물이 좋을까요?
Eomeoniui saengsininde museun seonmuri joeulkkayo?
It’s my mother’s birthday; what kind of present would be good?
자고 있었는데 갑자기 전화가 왔어요.
Jago isseonneunde gapjagi jeonhwaga wasseoyo.
I was sleeping when the phone suddenly rang.
Ending sentences with 어서, and 니까 (and 거든!) Speaking
These mean essentially the same thing when used at the end of a sentence. You can use them to explain the reason for an action. It’s much like answering a question in English with “Because.” They’re more or less all interchangeable, but 서요 is quite uncommon while you’ll hear the others all the time. 거든 is also usually used for commonplace situations about daily life, while the other two can be (but are not always) somewhat more formal.
거든 itself, in the middle of a sentence, has a slightly different meaning than 아/어/여서 and 니까; see pages 66, 67 and 285. Here however, they are the same.
A: 왜 비빔밥을 또 시켰어요? Wae bibimbapbeul tto sikyeosseoyo? Why did you order bibimbap again?
B: 맛있으니까요. Masisseunikkayo. Because it’s delicious.
__________
A: 왜 비빔밥을 또 시켰어요? Why did you order bibimbap again?
B: 맛있거든요. Masissgeodeunyo. Because it’s delicious.
__________
A: 왜 비빔밥을 또 시켰어요? Why did you order bibimbap again?
B: 맛있어서요. Masisseoseoyo. Because it’s delicious.
새로운 코트를 샀어요. 요즘 날씨가 추워지니까요.
Saeloun koteureul sasseoyo. Yojeum nalssiga chuwojinikkayo.
I bought a new coat. It’s because the weather is getting colder nowadays.
새로운 코트를 샀어요. 요즘 날씨가 추워지거든요.
Yojeum nalssiga chuwojigeodeunyo.
I bought a new coat. It’s because the weather is getting colder nowadays.
새로운 코트를 샀어요. 요즘 날씨가 추워져서요.
Yojeum nalssiga chuwojyeoseoyo.
I bought a new coat. It’s because the weather is getting colder nowadays.
오늘 피곤해요. 어젯밤에 일이 너무 많아서 별로 못 잤으니까요.
Oneul pigonhaeyo. Eojetbame iri neomu manaseo byeollo mot jasseunikkayo.
Today I’m tired. It’s because last night I had too much work, so I hardly slept.
오늘 피곤해요. 어젯밤에 일이 너무 많아서 별로 못 잤거든요.
Oneul pigonhaeyo. Eojetbame iri neomu manaseo byeollo mot jatgeodeunyo.
Today I’m tired. It’s because last night I had too much work, so I hardly slept.
Another important note about 거든: it has a second use which means “of course” and is used to explain something really obvious to people. When you use it in this way the intonation is different (and it’s almost always in 반말). If you’re using 거든 in the first way, to explain a reason, the intonation should go down at the end as if stating a fact. In the second way, it goes up and the emphasis tends to be on 거든 rather than on the rest of the sentence. It shouldn’t be too hard to tell which 거든 Koreans are using: apart from the context, the intonation they use in the second is exactly how it sounds—someone who’s been wrongly accused and is annoyed about it.
숙제를 했거든.
Sukjereul haetgeodeun.
Of course I did my homework!
아침을 먹었거든.
Achimeul meogeotgeodeun.
Of course I ate breakfast!
남자친구가 있거든.
Namjachinguga itgeodeun.
Of course I have a boyfriend!
Ending sentences with (으)ㄴ/는데요 (eu)n/neundeyo Speaking
You can think of this ending as an ellipsis (...). It implies there’s more to the story than what’s just been said, as if you started a sentence that was going to have a second part, but then stopped before you got there. After (으)ㄴ/는데고 you can start a new sentence to explain yourself or if the second part of the story is mutually understood, just stop at 데요. I have heard (으)ㄴ/는데요 used as a more polite version of the second 거든 above.
Please also note that 는데, 는 데, and 는대 are all different. Isn’t grammar fun?! I’ll cover 는 데 on page 170 and 는대 along with the other indirect speech forms on page 304.
A: 소개팅 할래요? Sogaeting hallaeyo? Want to try 소개팅? (a kind of arranged dating)
B: 아니요. 나 남자친구 있는데요. Aniyo. Na namjachingu inneundeyo. No. I already have a boyfriend. (so I don’t need another date)
__________
A: 숙제 했어요? 보여 주세요. Sukje haesseoyo? Boyeo juseyo. Did you do your homework? Show me.
B: 숙제 했는데요… 집에 두고 왔어요. Sukje haenneundeyo...jibe dugo wasseoyo. I did it, but I left it at home.
A: 너, 오늘도 숙제 안 했지? Neo, oneuldo sukje an haetji? You, you also didn’t do your homework today, right?
B: 오늘은 숙제 했는데요. Oneuleun sukje haenneundeyo. I did my homework today. (so why are you accusing me of not having done it?)
Starting sentences with 는데, 어서, and 니까 Speaking = Writing
You’re in the middle of a lengthy explanation of the whys and hows of what happened. Naturally, sometimes you’ll want to pause for breath (or to give your listeners a chance to catch their breath). So how can you do that while explaning things in Korean? 그렇다 geureota is here to help.
I’ll discuss all the forms of 그렇다 further on page 377 along with other ways of putting an argument together, but let’s put it in here also since it’s used very commonly with the verb forms we’re learning. In this section, we will finish one statement and then explain further with:
그래서
geuraeseo
and, so, then, thereupon
그러니까
geureonikka
so, therefore, for that reason
그런데
geureonde
now, by the way, but, and (depending on the context)
Let’s see some examples.
아침을 안 먹었어요. 그래서 배고파요.
Achimeul an meogeosseoyo. Geuraeseo baegopayo.
I didn’t eat breakfast, so I’m hungry.
공부를 열심히 했어요. 그래서 시험에 100점을 받았어요.
Gongbureul yeolsimhi haesseoyo. Geuraeseo siheome baekjeomeul badasseoyo.
I studied hard, so I got 100 on the test.
비가 오고 있어요. 그러니까 우산을 가지고 오세요.
Biga ogo isseoyo. Geureonikka usaneul gajigo oseyo.
It’s raining, so please bring an umbrella.
어머니 생신이에요. 그러니까 파티에 갈 수 없어요.
Eomeoni saengsinieyo. Geureonikka patie gal su eobseoyo.
It’s my mother’s birthday, so I can’t go to the party.
이 신발을 너무 작아요. 그러니까 큰 것으로 바꾸어 주세요.
I sinbareul neomu jagayo. Geureonikka keun geoseuro bakkueo juseyo.
These shoes are too small, so could you change it to a bigger size?
친구가 많아요. 그런데 슬퍼요.
Chinguga manayo. Geureonde seulpeoyo.
I have many friends. But I’m sad.
피곤해요. 그런데 파티에 가고 싶어요.
Pigonhaeyo. Geureonde patie gago sipeoyo.
I’m tired. But I want to go to the party.
그는 한국사람 이에요. 그런데 한국음식을 못 먹어요.
Geuneun hanguksaram ieyo. Geureonde hangukeumsigeul mot meogeoyo.
He is a Korean. But he cannot eat Korean food.
Linking Sentences—Cause and Effect: More Ways to Say “So”
There are a couple of other useful expressions you can use to say that one thing resulted in another.
민수가 늦게 오기에 잠시 인터넷 하고 있어요.
Minsuga neutge ogie jamsi inteonet hago isseoyo.
Since Minsu is coming late, I’m using the internet for a while.
기에 and 길래 mean exactly the same thing, but 기에 is the written form of this expression and 길래 is the spoken or colloquial form. They mean “Since A, then B.” A is a situation that you have observed. As a result of seeing and judging A, you have done, are doing, or are recommending B. You can also use this expression to ask the reason or background for a decision.
The second, similar meaning is a little more difficult to explain in English, but I think you can probably figure it out. It’s pretty simple and is similar to 때문에 ttaemune (“because of”), which I’ll cover on page 78.
When you add 는, the meaning of the expression changes a little. If you add the 는 for emphasis, your second clause should be something negative: something is B to A. If I were to translate “Too Legit to Quit” into Korean, it would be done using 기에는.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했기에(는) haetgie(neun)했길래 haetgillae | 하기에(는) hagie(neun)하길래 hagillae | 하기에(는) 하길래 |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었기에(는) meogeotgie(neun)먹었길래 meogeotgillae | 먹기에(는) meokgie(neun)먹길래 meokgillae | 먹기에(는) 먹길래 |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤기에(는) yeppeotgie(neun)예뻤길래 yeppeotgillae | 예쁘기에(는) yeppeugie(neun)예쁘길래 yeppeugillae | 예쁘기에(는) 예쁘길래 |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았기에(는) jagatgie(neun)작았길래 jagatgillae | 작기에(는) jaggie(neun)작길래 jaggillae | 작기에(는) 작길래 |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자이었기에(는) namjaieotgie(neun)남자이었길래 namjaieotgillae | 남자기에(는) namjagie(neun)남자길래 namjagillae | 남자기에(는) 남자길래 |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이었기에(는) murieotgie(neun)물이었길래 murieotgillae | 물이기에(는) murigie(neun)물이길래 murigillae | 물이기에(는) 물이길래 |
TAKE NOTE
기에 and 길래 can be used only with statements—not commands, questions, or suggestions. The subject of the first clause shouldn’t be the speaker, and the subjects of both clauses should be different. Also, with 기에 and 길래 (but not 기에는), the first clause must be some new knowledge that was discovered by the speaker.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
차가 많이 막히길래, 늦게 출발했어요.
Chaga mani makigillae, neutge chulbalhaesseoyo.
차가 많이 막히기에, 늦게 출발했어요.
Chaga mani makigie, neutge chulbalhaesseoyo.
Since traffic was heavy, I left late.
맛있길래 다시 시켰어요.
Masitgillae dasi sikyeosseoyo.
맛있기에 다시 시켰어요.
Masitgie dasi sikyeosseoyo.
Since it was delicious, I ordered it again.
청바지가 싸길래 샀어요.
Cheongbajiga ssagillae sasseoyo.
청바지가 싸기에 샀어요.
Cheongbajiga ssagie sasseoyo.
Since the jeans were cheap, I bought them.
Here are some examples with 기에는. Note that the B clause is always a negative thing.
이 책을 학생이 읽기에는 너무 어려워요.
I chaegeul haksaengi ilkgieneun neomu eoryeowoyo.
This book is too difficult for students to read.
라지 피자를 혼자 먹기에는 너무 많아요.
Lagi pijareul honja meokgieneun neomu manayo.
A large pizza is too much to eat alone.
그 차를 공무원이 사기에는 너무 비싸요.
Geu chareul gongmuwoni sagieneun neomu bissayo.
That car is too expensive for a public servant to buy.
열쇠를 찾느라고 집에서 늦게 출발했어요.
Yeolsoereul chatneulago jibeseo neutge chulbalhaesseoyo.
I left the house late because I was looking for my keys.
Be careful about using 느라고 neurago because there are rules about where and when it can be used. It is the prima donna of the Korean grammar world, and is extraordinarily picky about where it can be used properly. That said, if you learn how to use it, you can legitimately feel really cool and smart.
You can also use this expression to mean “in order to.” In this case, you did clause B on purpose in order to bring about clause A. In this case B doesn’t have to be negative (although it often is).
HOW IT’S FORMED
This expression is normally written and said as 느라고, but 느라 neura is also possible.
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| All tenses | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 하느라고 haneurago |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹느라고 meokneurago |
TAKE NOTE
This is somewhat tricky because it can be used only under very specific conditions. First of all, just like 고, the subjects of clause A and clause B must be identical. The first clause needs to end in an action verb: something is being done or has been done. It must be an action—not a condition like catching a cold, even though most of the time that 걸리다 geollida is considered to be an action verb—and it must have been done by an agent, not an inanimate object. That something takes or took a long time. As a result of this lengthy action in clause A, clause B unfortunately happened or became impossible. Clause A is stated in the present, not the past, and clause B must be something that has already happened or is happening now: this sentence structure can’t be used to predict the future, however certain you may be about it.
To sum up:
A: An action, not a condition, done by an agent, taking place over a long time.
B: Same subject as A, something bad, not in the future.
Here are some examples:
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
■ “B because of A”
컴퓨터 게임을 하느라고 늦게 잤어요.
Keompyuteo geimeul haneurago neutge jasseoyo.
I didn’t get to sleep until late because I was playing a computer game.
그 일을 하느라고 바빴어요.
Geu ireul haneurago bappasseoyo.
I was busy because I was doing that work.
■ “B in order to A”
고향에 갔다 오느라고 돈을 많이 썼어요.
Gohyange gatda oneurago doneul mani sseosseoyo.
I spent a lot of money in order to visit my home.
부산에 가느라고 숙제를 안 했어요.
Busane ganeurago sukjereul an haesseoyo.
I didn’t do my homework because I went to Busan.
친구를 만나느라고 천안까지 갔어요.
Chingureul mannaneurago Cheonankkaji gasseoyo.
I went to Cheonan in order to meet my friend.
늦었으니만큼 제값을 다 안 내도 돼요.
Neujeosseunimankeum jegabseul da an naedo dwaeyo.
Since you were late, you don’t have to pay the full price.
This would translate easily as “inasmuch as” in formal English.
HOW IT’S FORMED
This is a combination of (으)니(까) (“so”; see page 67) and 만큼 (“as much as”; see page 126).
HOW IT’S CONJUGATED
| Past | Present | Future | ||
| Action verbs ending in a vowel | 하다 | 했으니만큼 haesseunimankeum | 하니만큼 hanimankeum | 하겠으니만큼 hagesseunimankeum |
| Action verbs ending in a consonant | 먹다 | 먹었으니만큼 meogeosseunimankeum | 먹으니만큼 meogeunimankeum | 먹겠으니만큼 yeppeugesseunimankeum |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a vowel | 예쁘다 | 예뻤으니만큼 yeppeosseunimankeum | 예쁘니만큼 yeppeunimankeum | 예쁘겠으니만큼 yeppeugesseunimankeum |
| Descriptive verbs (adjectives) ending in a consonant | 작다 | 작았으니만큼 jagasseunimankeum | 작으니만큼 jageunimankeum | 작겠으니만큼 jakgesseunimankeum |
| Nouns ending in a vowel | 남자 | 남자였으니만큼 namjayeosseunimankeum | 남자이니만큼 namjainimankeum | 남자이겠으니만큼 namjaigesseunimankeum |
| Nouns ending in a consonant | 물 | 물이었으니만큼 murieosseunimankeum | 물이니만큼 murinimankeum | 물이겠으니만큼 murigesseunimankeum |
TAKE NOTE
만큼 all by itself is used for comparisons: it means “as much as”; (으)니만큼 isn’t really the same expression.
The subject of the sentence normally isn’t the speaker.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
공부를 열심히 했으니만큼 시험을 잘 볼 거예요.
Gongbureul yeolsimhi haesseunimankeum siheomeul jal bol geoyeyo.
Since you studied hard, I’m sure you’ll do well on the test.
오늘 휴일이니만큼 일 하지 마세요.
Oneul hyuirinimankeum il haji maseyo.
Since today’s a holiday, please don’t work.
날씨가 추우니만큼 등산 가지 말아요.
Nalssiga chuunimankeum deungsan gaji marayo.
Since it’s cold, let’s not go hiking.
