Essential Korean Grammar. Laura Kingdon
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.