From sentences to speech
Everything so far produces single sentences. Real Korean chains clauses: I was tired, so I went home early, but I could not sleep. Korean builds these chains by replacing the final ending of every clause except the last with a connector attached straight to the verb stem. Only the final verb carries tense and politeness for the whole sentence in most patterns.
Four connectors cover the core: 고 for listing, 아서/어서 for cause and tight sequence, 지만 for contrast, and (으)면 for conditions. Master these four and your Korean stops sounding like flashcards.
-고: and, and then
Attach 고 directly to the stem, no vowel matching needed: 먹고, 가고, 읽고, 싸고. It lists actions in sequence or qualities in parallel. The 고 clause borrows its tense from the final verb, so 어제 밥을 먹고 잤어요 puts both eating and sleeping in the past with a single past marker.
| 아침에 일어나고 커피를 마셔요. | I get up in the morning and drink coffee. a-chi-me i-reo-na-go keo-pi-reul ma-syeo-yo |
| 이 식당은 싸고 맛있어요. | This restaurant is cheap and delicious. i sik-dang-eun ssa-go ma-si-sseo-yo, parallel qualities |
-아서/어서: because, and so, and then
This connector uses the familiar vowel rule: 아서 after ㅏ or ㅗ, 어서 otherwise, 해서 for 하다 verbs. It has two jobs. First, cause: 비가 와서 집에 있었어요, it rained so I stayed home. Second, tight sequence, where the first action sets up the second with the same subject: 친구를 만나서 영화를 봤어요, I met a friend and then watched a movie with that friend.
One iron rule: no past marker before 서. Even in a past-tense sentence, the 아서/어서 clause stays bare: 아파서 못 갔어요, never 아팠어서. The final verb carries all the tense.
| 비가 와서 집에 있었어요. | It rained, so I stayed home. bi-ga wa-seo ji-be i-sseo-sseo-yo, cause |
| 친구를 만나서 영화를 봤어요. | I met a friend and then watched a movie. chin-gu-reul man-na-seo yeong-hwa-reul bwa-sseo-yo, tight sequence |
| 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요. | I was tired, so I slept early. pi-gon-hae-seo il-jjik ja-sseo-yo, 하다 verb gives 해서 |
Choosing between 고 and 아서 for 'and then': use 아서 when the first action feeds directly into the second (meet a friend, watch a movie together). Use 고 for a plain list of separate events (ate, then slept).
-지만: but
Attach 지만 to any stem: 비싸지만, 어렵지만. Unlike 아서, it happily accepts a past marker when the first clause is itself past: 갔지만, went but. It is the workhorse of contrast at every register.
| 한국어는 어렵지만 재미있어요. | Korean is difficult but fun. han-gu-geo-neun eo-ryeop-ji-man jae-mi-i-sseo-yo |
| 어제 갔지만 친구가 없었어요. | I went yesterday, but my friend was not there. eo-je gat-ji-man chin-gu-ga eop-seo-sseo-yo, past marker allowed before 지만 |
-(으)면: if, when
The condition connector follows the consonant rule you know from 으세요: 으면 after a consonant stem, 면 after a vowel stem. 먹으면, if you eat; 가면, if you go. It covers both English 'if' and habitual 'when': 봄이 오면 꽃이 펴요 reads naturally as 'when spring comes, flowers bloom'.
| 시간이 있으면 전화하세요. | If you have time, please call. si-ga-ni i-sseu-myeon jeon-hwa-ha-se-yo |
| 봄이 오면 꽃이 펴요. | When spring comes, flowers bloom. bo-mi o-myeon kko-chi pyeo-yo |
The system at a glance
Each connector also has a sentence-starting cousin for linking across a full stop: 그리고 (geu-ri-go, and), 그래서 (geu-rae-seo, so), 그렇지만 (geu-reo-chi-man) or 하지만 (ha-ji-man) for but, 그러면 (geu-reo-myeon, in that case). Use the connectors inside sentences and the cousins to open new ones, and your paragraphs start to breathe like real Korean.
| Connector | Meaning | Attachment | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -고 | and, and then (list) | stem + 고 | 싸고 맛있어요 |
| -아서/어서 | because; and then (tight) | vowel rule, no past marker | 비가 와서 |
| -지만 | but | stem + 지만, past allowed | 어렵지만 |
| -(으)면 | if, when | 으면 / 면 by final letter | 시간이 있으면 |
| 일이 많았어요. 그래서 늦게 집에 갔어요. | I had a lot of work. So I went home late. i-ri ma-na-sseo-yo. geu-rae-seo neut-ge ji-be ga-sseo-yo |
Pronunciation corner
Connectors are unstressed glue. Say them quickly and evenly, and let the content words carry the sentence.
| -고 (go) | [ɡo] | a light 'go' with a soft g, since it follows a voiced sound |
| -지만 (jiman) | [tɕi.man] | jee-mahn, quick and flat, no stress on either syllable |
| -으면 (eumyeon) | [ɯ.mjʌn] | eu-myun: flat-lipped eu, then myun in one beat |
| 맛있어요 (masisseoyo) | [ma.ɕi.s͈ʌ.jo] | ma-shi-ssuh-yo, with both links made and a tight double s |
Practice drill
Build the requested connected form, or fix the sentence. Give exactly the form asked for.
Combine with -고: 싸다 + 맛있어요Show answer
싸고 맛있어요고 attaches straight to the stem
Cause form of 비가 오다Show answer
비가 와서오 + 아서 contracts to 와서
먹다 + -(으)면Show answer
먹으면으면 after a consonant stem
가다 + -지만Show answer
가지만
Fix the error: 어제 아팠어서 못 갔어요.Show answer
어제 아파서 못 갔어요.no past marker before 서; the final verb carries the tense
Cause form of 하다Show answer
해서
읽다 + -고Show answer
읽고
오다 + -(으)면Show answer
오면면 after a vowel stem
Frequently asked questions
When do I use -고 versus -아서/어서 for 'and then'?
Use 아서/어서 when the first action leads into the second with the same subject, like meeting a friend and then watching a movie together. Use 고 for a neutral list of events that simply happen in order.
Why can I say 갔지만 but never 갔어서?
That is simply how the connectors work: 지만 accepts a past marker, 아서/어서 rejects one. In an 아서/어서 sentence the final verb carries the tense for the whole chain, so the meaning stays clearly past anyway.
Does -(으)면 mean 'if' or 'when'?
Both, and context decides. 시간이 있으면 leans toward 'if you have time', while 봄이 오면 states a regular 'when'. Korean does not force the English distinction, so translate by sense.
Can I stack connectors in one sentence?
Yes, and natural speech does: 아침에 일어나서 씻고 학교에 가요 (a-chi-me i-reo-na-seo ssit-go hak-gyo-e ga-yo), I get up, wash, and go to school. Keep chains to two or three clauses at this level so the tense logic stays clean.