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🔗 Joining Your Sentences
Unit 19 of 30 in the Kaja Hangul course.
Every phrase below is shown in 한글 with a romanisation, what it actually means, and a recording you can play.
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The phrases
밥 먹고 커피 마셔요
bap meokgo keopi masyeoyo
I eat and then drink coffee
-고 just joins: 'and'. Drop 다, add 고. It never changes shape.
비가 와서 안 갔어요
biga waseo an gasseoyo
I didn't go because it rained
-아/어서 = 'because'. The reason comes FIRST in Korean, always.
배고픈데 뭐 먹을까요?
baegopeunde mwo meogeulkkayo?
I'm hungry — what shall we eat?
-는데 sets the scene for what follows. It is everywhere in speech and hard to translate exactly.
시간이 없으니까 빨리 가요
sigani eopseunikka ppalli gayo
Let's hurry, there's no time
-(으)니까 is 'because' too, but it leads into a suggestion or an order, where -아/어서 can't.
한국어는 어렵지만 재미있어요
hangugeoneun eoryeopjiman jaemiisseoyo
Korean is hard but fun
-지만 = 'but', joined straight onto the verb stem.
날씨가 좋으면 산책해요
nalssiga joeumyeon sanchaekaeyo
If the weather's nice, I go for a walk
-(으)면 = 'if / when'. 날씨 = weather.
먹으면서 이야기해요
meogeumyeonseo iyagihaeyo
Let's talk while we eat
-(으)면서 = 'while', for two things done at once by the same person.
일이 끝난 후에 만나요
iri kkeunnan hue mannayo
Let's meet after work
-(으)ㄴ 후에 = 'after'. 끝나다 = to finish (by itself).
자기 전에 책을 읽어요
jagi jeone chaegeul ilgeoyo
I read before I sleep
-기 전에 = 'before'. Note it takes 기, not the -(으)ㄴ that 후에 takes.
그래서 늦었어요
geuraeseo neujeosseoyo
That's why I was late
그래서 starts a new sentence with 'so'. Same 서 as -아/어서.
그런데 좀 비싸요
geureonde jom bissayo
But it's a bit expensive
그런데 (often shortened to 근데) is the spoken 'but' that starts a sentence.
그리고 또 뭐가 있어요?
geurigo tto mwoga isseoyo?
And what else is there?
그리고 = 'and' between sentences, where -고 joins inside one.
주말에 영화를 보거나 책을 읽어요
jumare yeonghwareul bogeona chaegeul ilgeoyo
At weekends I watch a film or read
-거나 joins two verbs. For two nouns you want (이)나 instead: 커피나 차.
비가 오기 때문에 안 가요
biga ogi ttaemune an gayo
I'm not going because it's raining
-기 때문에 = because. Stronger and more formal than -아/어서, and unlike 서 it can't be followed by a command or a suggestion.
Words introduced here
오다 — to come자다 — to sleep어렵다 — to be difficult비 — rain빨리 — quickly그리고 — and (between sentences)그래서 — so / therefore그런데 — but / by the way이야기하다 — to talk / chat자동차 — car바지 — trousers치마 — skirt셔츠 — shirt코트 — coat모자 — hat안경 — glasses시계 — watch / clock우산 — umbrella지갑 — wallet그래도 — even so그러니까 — so, that's why
A conversation using them: Sorry I'm late
Arriving late, and deciding what to do about dinner.
A
왜 늦었어요?
wae neujeosseoyo?
Why are you late?
B
비가 와서 늦었어요.
biga waseo neujeosseoyo
I was late because it rained.
A
괜찮아요. 배고픈데 뭐 먹을까요?
gwaenchanayo. baegopeunde mwo meogeulkkayo?
It's fine. I'm hungry — what shall we eat?
B
밥 먹고 커피 마셔요.
bap meokgo keopi masyeoyo
Let's eat, then have coffee.
A
시간이 없으니까 빨리 가요.
sigani eopseunikka ppalli gayo
There's no time, so let's hurry.
B
네, 가요.
ne, gayo
Right, let's go.
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The Korean here was written by a learner and is being checked by a native speaker — if something
reads wrong to you, it may well be.