Elementary - Grade 4

Lesson 3: Basic Sentence Connectors

(...고, ...지만, 그래서)

Connecting Your Ideas

You can make full sentences, but you can't have a real conversation yet! To do that, you need "connectors."

These words and endings allow you to string ideas together to say "I did this *and* this," "I did this, *but*..." or "I did this, *so*..."

The 3 Basic Connectors

Let's learn the three most common ones.

-고 (go) - "and" / "and then"

Attach this directly to the verb/adjective stem (after dropping 다) to connect two related actions or states.

밥을 먹어요 + 학교에 가요

밥을 먹고 학교에 가요.

"I eat and go to school."

-지만 (jiman) - "but"

Attach this to the verb/adjective stem to show a contrast.

비가 와요 + 학교에 가요

비가 오지만 학교에 가요.

"It's raining, but I'm going to school."

그래서 (geuraeseo) - "So" / "Therefore"

This is a separate word that *starts* a new sentence, showing a cause-and-effect relationship.

비가 와요. + 집에 있어요.

비가 와요. 그래서 집에 있어요.

"It's raining. So, I'm at home."

Quick Tip: -고 (go) vs. 그리고 (geurigo)

  • Use -고 (go) to connect two *verbs* or *clauses* into one sentence:
    "저는 학생이고, 제인은 의사예요." (I am a student, *and* Jane is a doctor.)
  • Use 그리고 (geurigo) to connect two separate *sentences*:
    "저는 학생이에요. 그리고 제인은 의사예요." (I am a student. *And,* Jane is a doctor.)

Building Longer Sentences

  • 어제 공부하고, 잤어요.

    "Yesterday, I studied and slept."

  • 이 빵은 맛있지만, 비싸요.

    "This bread is delicious, but it's expensive."

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