1 · Linking clauses, first steps
And, and then: -고
the connective for listing and sequence
-고 joins two clauses as "and" or "and then", and it goes onto the stem without any change.
The ending -고 attaches straight to the stem of any verb or adjective, whatever sound the stem ends in: 가다 gives 가고, 먹다 gives 먹고, 크다 gives 크고. There is no vowel to choose, and because the ending begins with a consonant, irregular verbs stay regular in front of it: 듣고, 춥고, 모르고, 살고. With a noun, 이다 gives 학생이고. Note the sound: 좋고 is said [조코], because the h and the g merge into one breathy k.
The first meaning is a plain list: two facts side by side, "and". 이 식당은 싸고 맛있어요, “this restaurant is cheap and good”. The two clauses can have different subjects — 언니는 키가 크고 저는 작아요 — and their order could be swapped without changing the meaning.
The second meaning is a sequence: first this, then that. 밥을 먹고 커피를 마셔요 is “I eat and then have a coffee”, and here the order is the order of events. In a sequence, the tense goes on the last verb only: 숙제를 하고 잤어요, “I did my homework and went to bed”. Only when two finished facts are simply listed may the first verb take the past as well: 언니는 일했고 저는 쉬었어요.
English speakers tend to say two full sentences and glue them with 그리고: 밥을 먹어요 그리고 자요. But 그리고 starts a new sentence, after a full stop. Inside one sentence the first verb drops its -요 and takes -고. And one verb pair needs care: when you go somewhere and then do something there, Korean uses 가서, not 가고.
The form
| after a vowel | 가다 → 가고 |
| after a consonant | 먹다 → 먹고 |
| with a noun and 이다 | 학생이고 |
| two facts side by side | 싸고 맛있어요 |
| one action after the other | 먹고 자요 |
| past only at the end | 먹고 잤어요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
-고 goes straight onto the stem, with no vowel to choose and no irregular change.
이 방은 넓고 밝아요.This room is spacious and bright.
For two facts side by side, the subjects may differ and the order can be swapped.
언니는 키가 크고 저는 작아요.My older sister is tall and I am short.
For one action after another, the order of the clauses is the order of events.
손을 씻고 밥을 먹어요.I wash my hands and then eat.
Tense and politeness go on the last verb; in a sequence the first verb stays bare.
어제 친구를 만나고 집에 왔어요.Yesterday I met a friend and then came home.
When two finished facts are only listed, the first verb may take the past too.
주말에 언니는 일했고 저는 쉬었어요.At the weekend my sister worked and I rested.
A closer look
The same -고 in other patterns
Once you know -고, you will spot it inside several patterns built on it: -고 싶다 (want to), -고 있다 (be doing) and -고 나서 (after finishing). Even the sentence opener 그리고 ends in the same syllable.
-고 나서 is worth knowing early, because it makes the sequence explicit: the first action is completely over before the second begins. 숙제를 하고 나서 놀아요 is “I play after I have finished my homework”, with a little more weight on “finished” than plain 하고 has.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the first verb is a movement such as 가다 or 오다, and the second action happens at the place you arrived at
use -아서/어서 (가서, 와서), not -고.
도서관에 가서 공부했어요.I went to the library and studied there.
-아서/어서 ties the second action to the place reached; -고 only lists two events, so 도서관에 가고 공부했어요 sounds as if the studying happened somewhere else.
How to spot it
- -고
- -았고/었고
- -이고
Example sentences
이 식당은 음식이 싸고 맛있어요.The food at this restaurant is cheap and tasty.
저는 아침에 샤워를 하고 옷을 입어요.In the morning I shower and then get dressed.
형은 은행에서 일하고 누나는 학교에서 가르쳐요.My older brother works at a bank and my older sister teaches at a school.
숙제를 하고 잤어요.I did my homework and went to bed.
제 방은 작고 조용해요.My room is small and quiet.
버스에서 내리고 오 분쯤 걸었어요.I got off the bus and walked for about five minutes.
8 more example sentences
이 가방은 가볍고 튼튼해요.This bag is light and sturdy.
주말에는 청소를 하고 빨래를 해요.At the weekend I clean and do the laundry.
동생은 고등학생이고 저는 대학생이에요.My younger sibling is at secondary school and I am at university.
이를 닦고 세수를 했어요.I brushed my teeth and washed my face.
날씨가 따뜻하고 하늘이 맑아요.The weather is warm and the sky is clear.
아버지는 신문을 읽으시고 어머니는 음악을 들으세요.My father is reading the paper and my mother is listening to music.
수업이 끝나고 친구하고 점심을 먹었어요.After class I had lunch with a friend.
이 노래는 쉽고 재미있어요.This song is easy and fun.
Worth knowing (1)
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Riding, wearing, holding: a state that lasts
With verbs such as 타다 (ride), 입다 (wear), 쓰다 (put on glasses or a hat) and 들다 (hold), -고 says how the next action is done, because the first state carries on: 버스를 타고 가요 is “I go by bus”, 안경을 쓰고 책을 읽어요 “I read with my glasses on”.
저는 매일 지하철을 타고 출근해요.I go to work by underground every day.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
그리고 joins two sentences, so it stands after a full stop: 친구를 만나요. 그리고 영화를 봐요. Inside one sentence the first verb drops its -요 and takes -고 instead — and the sentence sounds far more natural for it.
The first verb drops its ending and takes -go; the last verb carries the tense and the politeness.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.