고서, 고서야, 고도, 고 보다: more from ~고
By Daniel Buckley · 13 minute read · TOPIK 4
Vocabulary
- 이해하다 - to understand
- 잃어버리다 - to lose
- 소중하다 - to be precious
- 사과하다 - to apologise
- 답장 - a reply
- 따지다 - to press a point, to pick at
- 일단 - first, for now
- 심심하다 - to be bored
Every Korean drama has an 알고 보니 moment. 알고 보니 그 사람이 범인이었어요: it turned out he did it. That's a ~고 you've known since Level 1, with something extra on it.
~고 joins well to other small words, and the small word usually tells you the meaning. Add 서 and you stress the order of events. Add 야 on top of that for "only then", or add 도 to ~고 for "and still". The three after that use 보다, 들다 and 하다.
고서: done, and then
고서 goes on a verb stem and says the first action was complete before the next one began. In plain storytelling it's very close to 고 나서, so the two often swap.
숙제를 하고서 놀았어요.
I did my homework and then played.
불을 끄고서 잤어요.
I turned the light off and then went to sleep.
약을 먹고서 좀 나아졌어요.
I took some medicine and felt a bit better.
It also turns up in reproachful questions. You did A, and B is what you do next, after all that? The edge comes from the sentence as a whole, and 고서 sets up the first action for it.
아침을 그렇게 많이 먹고서 또 먹어요?
You had that huge breakfast and you're eating again?
사람을 때리고서 사과도 안 했어요?
You hit someone and didn't even apologise?
고서야: only after
Add 야 and you get "only then", the same idea as the 야 in 아/어야 하다. B came late, and it took A to bring it about. English needs "only after" or "not until", and often moves the words around to fit.
설명을 세 번 듣고서야 이해했어요.
I only understood after hearing the explanation three times.
직접 보고서야 믿었어요.
I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself.
새벽 세 시가 되고서야 일이 끝났어요.
The work didn't finish until three in the morning.
잃어버리고서야 소중함을 알았어요.
I only saw how precious it was once I'd lost it.
With a negative in the first half, the meaning shifts to "unless". The second half is usually a rhetorical question or a statement that the thing is impossible: without A, how could B be?
직접 보지 않고서야 어떻게 믿어요?
How can you believe it unless you've seen it yourself?
미리 알지 않고서야 이렇게 빨리 올 수 없어요.
He couldn't have got here this fast unless he knew in advance.
바보가 아니고서야 그런 말을 할 리가 없어요.
Only a fool would say something like that.
고도: and still
고도 says A is a done fact, and B happened regardless. The two clauses usually share a subject. A ought to have changed things and didn't, as in 알고도, knowing and doing it anyway.
Pick a verb
알다알알고도
그 사람은 다 알고도 아무 말도 안 했어요.
He knew everything and still said nothing.
저를 보고도 인사를 안 했어요.
She saw me and still didn't say hello.
메시지를 받고도 답장을 안 했어요.
He got my message and still didn't reply.
밥을 두 그릇이나 먹고도 배가 고파요.
I've had two bowls of rice and I'm still hungry.
경기에서 지고도 다들 웃고 있었어요.
They lost the game and they were still all smiling.
Set it beside ~아/어도. 많이 먹어도 배가 고파요 is a general truth or a what-if: however much I eat, I'm hungry. 많이 먹고도 배가 고파요 usually points at a particular meal that has already gone down.
※ On adjectives in writing, 고도 is something else: 높고도 푸른 하늘, a sky both high and blue. That's a literary "and also", with no "still" in it.
고 보다: did it, then saw
고 보니(까) says you finished doing something, and only then saw how things stood. You weren't testing anything. The realisation arrived after the act. 알고 보니 and 듣고 보니 are so common they work like set phrases.
알고 보니 그 사람이 제 친구 동생이었어요.
It turned out he was my friend's younger brother.
듣고 보니 맞는 말이네요.
Now that I've heard it, you've got a point.
가방을 사고 보니까 집에 똑같은 게 있었어요.
After I'd bought the bag, I realised I already had the same one at home.
말을 하고 보니까 제가 너무 심했어요.
Once I'd said it, I realised I'd gone too far.
Three endings with 보니까 now sit close together. 아/어 보니까 is a deliberate try. 다 보니까 is something repeated until a change crept up. 고 보니까 is one finished act that you see differently afterwards.
김치를 ___ 생각보다 안 매웠어요.
I tried the kimchi, and it wasn't as spicy as I'd thought.
매일 ___ 매운 음식에 익숙해졌어요.
Eating it every day, I got used to spicy food.
다 ___ 유통기한이 지난 우유였어요.
After I'd drunk the lot, I saw the milk was past its date.
Without the 니까, 고 보다 has a bolder use: do it first, think later. It often comes with 일단, for now. You see it most in suggestions, and in descriptions of people who act before they think.
배고프니까 일단 먹고 봅시다.
We're hungry, so let's eat first and think about it later.
제 친구는 뭐든지 일단 사고 봐요.
My friend buys first and asks questions later.
고 들다: coming at someone
들다 here adds force: you go at the action actively, and often at someone. You'll mostly meet it on a small set of verbs, 따지다 above all, and usually with some annoyance behind it. Learn 따지고 들다 as a phrase, because you can't put this on any verb you like.
그렇게 따지고 들면 저도 할 말이 없어요.
If you're going to press it like that, I've got nothing to say.
작은 일까지 따지고 들면 끝이 없어요.
If you start picking at every little thing, there'll be no end to it.
왜 자꾸 저한테 따지고 들어요?
Why do you keep having a go at me?
그 사람은 무슨 말만 하면 따지고 들어요.
Whatever you say to him, he picks a fight over it.
고 해서: for this, among other things
A고 해서 B gives A as one reason and hints there's more. It's literally "A, and doing so", with 하다 standing in for whatever else you didn't bother to list. Because of that, it sounds easier-going than a bare 아/어서. A usually carries 도.
날씨도 좋고 해서 공원에 갔어요.
The weather was nice and all, so I went to the park.
머리도 아프고 해서 일찍 들어왔어요.
What with my headache and everything, I came home early.
심심하고 해서 친구한테 전화했어요.
Partly because I was bored, I called a friend.
내일 시험도 있고 해서 오늘은 못 나가요.
I've got an exam tomorrow among other things, so I can't go out tonight.
Example 4 shows why it's handy for saying no. You give one reason and leave the rest vague, and nobody can argue with what you didn't say. Before a suggestion or a request, (으)니까 usually fits better, so you'll hear 고 하니까: 시간도 없고 하니까 택시를 탑시다.
설명을 세 번 ___ 이해했어요.
I only understood after hearing it explained three times.
설명을 세 번 ___ 이해를 못 했어요.
I heard it explained three times and still didn't understand.
날씨도 ___ 산책했어요.
The weather was nice and all, so I went for a walk.
Listen and type
1 / 3
Play it as often as you like.
In a conversation
- A
노트북 새로 샀어요?
Laptop newly bought?
- B
네, 세일도 하고 해서 샀어요.
Yes, sale also was on, and so bought.
- A
어때요? 마음에 들어요?
How is it? Enters mind?
- B
좋아요. 근데 사고 보니까 다음 주에 새 모델이 나와요.
Good. But bought and saw, next week new model comes out.
- A
아, 그걸 알고도 샀어요?
Ah, that knew and still bought?
- B
아니요, 사고서야 알았어요.
No, only after buying knew.
Common mistakes
밥을 많이 먹었고도 배가 고파요.
밥을 많이 먹고도 배가 고파요.
고도 goes straight on the stem, and the action is already understood as done.
숙제를 했고서야 놀았어요.
숙제를 하고서야 놀았어요.
The same goes for 고서 and 고서야: no 았/었 in front. The end of the sentence carries the tense.
날씨가 좋고서 산책했어요.
날씨가 좋아서 산책했어요.
고서 needs an action that finishes. For a plain reason, use 아/어서.
Check yourself
Quick check
1 / 6
숙제를 ___ 놀았어요. (하다, use 고서) I did my homework, and then played.
Straight on the stem.
Summary
What each one adds to ~고
- 고서: done, and then. It also turns up in reproachful questions.숙제를 하고서 놀았어요.
- 고서야: only after. With a negative, unless.직접 보고서야 믿었어요.
- 고도: done, and still.다 알고도 말을 안 했어요.
- 고 보니(까): done, and then you saw.알고 보니 제 친구였어요.
- 고 보다: do it first, think later.일단 먹고 봅시다.
- 고 들다: go at it, mostly in fixed phrases.그렇게 따지고 들면 끝이 없어요.
- 고 해서: one reason among others.날씨도 좋고 해서 나갔어요.
Now you can say
알고 보니 그 사람이 제 친구 동생이었어요.
It turned out he was my friend's younger brother.
저를 보고도 인사를 안 했어요.
She saw me and still didn't say hello.
내일 시험도 있고 해서 오늘은 못 나가요.
I've got an exam tomorrow among other things, so I can't go out tonight.
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