LEARN + KOREAN / 27 of 125 TOPIK I
Because -아서/어서
a
The bus arrived late, so you were late too: 버스가 늦게 와서 지각했어요. Attach -아서/어서 to the reason, then give the result. Stems with ㅏ or ㅗ take -아서; most others take -어서. This ending can also connect actions in sequence, so context matters.
biga waseo usaneul sasseoyo.
It rained, so I bought an umbrella.
jom bissaseo an sasseoyo.
It was a bit expensive, so I didn't buy it.
pigonhaeseo achime neutge ireonasseoyo.
I was tired, so I woke up late in the morning.
Hint · 힌트
If you can already conjugate a verb into -아요/-어요, you already know whether it takes -아서 or -어서, same split, same logic. There’s no separate rule to learn here, just the familiar one applied to a new ending.
iri manaseo hoesae isseoyo.
I have a lot of work, so I'm at the office.
chingu saengirieoseo chingu jibe gayo.
Because it's my friend's birthday, I'm going to their house.
hanguk chinguga isseoseo hangugeoreul gongbuhaeyo.
I study Korean because I have a Korean friend.
nalssiga joaseo sanchaekhareo gayo.
The weather is good, so I'm going for a walk.
keopireul mani masyeoseo jameul mot jayo.
I drank a lot of coffee, so I can't sleep.
Hint · 힌트
For a reason leading into a request or suggestion, use -(으)니까: 추우니까 창문을 닫으세요. The reason use of -아서/어서 normally does not serve that job. Its sequence use can occur in instructions, as in 가서 확인하세요, “Go and check.”
Vocabulary
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
usan | umbrella |
pigonhada | to be tired |
ireonada | to wake up, to get up |
jam | sleep |
iyu | reason |
wonin | cause |
gyeolgwa | result |
geuraeseo | so, therefore |
waenyahamyeon | because (sentence-opening) |
pinggye | excuse |
machim | as it happens, conveniently |
eojjeol su eopsi | unavoidably, having no choice |
hapil | of all times or things (why now, why this) |
deokbune | thanks to |
ttaemune | because of |
tat | fault, blame |
gyegi | occasion, motive |
sanghwang | situation |
jogeon | condition |
geungeo | basis, grounds |
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