LEARN + KOREAN / 32 of 125 TOPIK I

And Another Thing -고

You want to say two things about your plans: meet a friend and eat dinner. Or describe a café as small and quiet. -고 joins the clauses without requiring a reason, a contrast, or a strict sequence.

List Two Actions

Attach -고 directly to the action verb stem: 만나고, 먹고, 읽고. The clauses may have the same subject or different subjects. The last verb usually gives the tense for a simple list of planned or completed actions.

chingureul mannago jeonyeogeul meogeul geoyeyo.

I’ll meet a friend and have dinner.

jeoneun chaegeul ilgo dongsaengeun eumageul deureoyo.

I read a book, and my younger sibling listens to music.

Add Another Description

Adjectives also take -고 directly: 작고, 조용하고, 맵고. Nouns take -(이)고: 학생이고, 의사이고. A list can describe several features of one person or thing. For an explicit contrast use -지만.

i kapeneun jakgo joyonghaeyo.

This café is small and quiet.

i eumsigeun maepgo masisseoyo.

This food is spicy and tasty.

Hint · 힌트

-고 can describe actions in order, but does not by itself insist that the first is complete before the second starts. -(으)ㄴ 후에 and -고 나서 make that completion explicit. For a linked action such as going somewhere and doing something there, compare -아서/어서.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
만나다 mannada	to meet
저녁 jeonyeok	dinner or evening
읽다 ikda	to read
듣다 deutda	to listen
조용하다 joyonghada	to be quiet
맵다 maepda	to be spicy
음식 eumsik	food
요리 yori	cooking
재료 jaeryo	ingredients
채소 chaeso	vegetables
고기 gogi	meat
밥 bap	cooked rice or meal
국 guk	soup
빵 ppang	bread
우유 uyu	milk
물 mul	water
음료수 eumnyosu	drink
과일 gwail	fruit
사과 sagwa	apple
소금 sogeum	salt

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