~길래, ~다기에, 아/어서 그런지: reasons from what you saw or heard
By Daniel Buckley · 13 minute read · TOPIK 3
Vocabulary
- 줄 - queue, line
- 세일 - sale
- 시끄럽다 - to be noisy
- 소풍 - picnic, outing
- 주말 - weekend
- 행복하다 - to be happy
- 모으다 - to save up, to collect
- 피곤하다 - to be tired
- 화가 나다 - to get angry
A sale sign catches your eye, and you come out of the shop with a coat. 세일을 하길래 샀어요 says that in one line. It's close to "it was on sale, so I bought it", but with a nudge English doesn't have: I saw that, and it's what set me off.
아/어서 just reports a cause. The reasons here come from outside you: something you noticed, something you were told, or something you're only guessing at. The last pattern is different, and it's simply how 아/어서 often sounds in casual speech.
~길래 and ~기에: I saw it, so I did this
길래 and 기에 are the same pattern: 길래 is the spoken one, and 기에 is for writing and formal speech. The first half is usually something you noticed about the world. The second half is what you did about it, so it's usually your own action, in the past.
Making ~길래
- Verbs and adjectives: add 길래 or 기에 to the stem.오다 → 오길래싸다 → 싸길래있다 → 있기에
- Past: add it to the 았/었 stem.왔길래
- Nouns: 이길래, or 길래 after a vowel.세일 → 세일이길래친구 → 친구길래
Pick a verb
오다오오길래
과일이 싸길래 많이 샀어요.
The fruit was cheap, so I bought loads.
친구가 혼자 있길래 같이 밥을 먹었어요.
My friend was on their own, so I had a meal with them.
사람들이 줄을 서 있길래 저도 섰어요.
People were queuing, so I joined them.
밖이 시끄럽길래 창문을 닫았어요.
It was noisy outside, so I shut the window.
날씨가 좋기에 공원까지 걸어갔습니다.
The weather was nice, so I walked to the park.
문이 열려 있기에 들어갔습니다.
The door was open, so I went in.
Neither one normally leads into a command or a suggestion, since it reports how you reacted to something. To push someone into acting, use (으)니까.
~길래 in a question: what on earth?
길래 has another use. You can see a result and you're wondering what's behind it, so the question word goes in the first half and 길래 hangs on it. English needs a whole extra clause to do this. 기에 works here too, mostly in writing.
얼마나 맛있길래 줄이 이렇게 길어요?
Just how good is it that the queue's this long?
무슨 일이 있었길래 그렇게 화가 났어요?
What happened to make you so angry?
어디에 갔길래 아직 안 와요?
Where did they go that they're still not back?
그게 뭐길래 그렇게 좋아해요?
What is it that you like it so much?
※ A famous Korean TV drama from the early 1990s was called 사랑이 뭐길래, roughly "what is this thing called love, that it does this to people?"
~다기에 and ~다길래: I heard it, so I did this
When the reason is something you were told, shorten 다고 하기에 to 다기에, or 다길래 in speech. It's the same squeeze as 대요, and the first half takes the same forms as a quote.
Making ~다길래
- Verbs: ㄴ다길래, or 는다길래 after a consonant.오다 → 온다길래먹다 → 먹는다길래
- Adjectives and 있다: 다길래.아프다 → 아프다길래맛있다 → 맛있다길래
- Past: 았/었다길래.끝났다길래
- Nouns: (이)라길래.학생 → 학생이라길래친구 → 친구라길래
친구가 아프다길래 약을 사 갔어요.
My friend said they were ill, so I took them some medicine.
길이 막힌다기에 지하철을 탔습니다.
I heard the roads were jammed, so I took the subway.
그 식당이 맛있다길래 가 봤어요.
People said that restaurant was good, so I gave it a try.
동생이 오늘 온다길래 청소했어요.
My brother said he was coming today, so I cleaned up.
다 끝났다길래 집에 갔어요.
I was told it was all finished, so I went home.
~다고: just because
Cut it down further and 다고 alone can give a reason. It keeps the feel of a quote, so the reason often comes across as what that person says or thinks. It takes the same forms as above.
아이가 배고프다고 울어요.
The child's crying, saying they're hungry.
동생이 머리가 아프다고 일찍 갔어요.
My brother left early, saying he had a headache.
오늘 쉬는 날이라고 늦게까지 잤어요.
He slept in, since it's his day off.
When the second half pushes back, the same 다고 means "just because". This one is common, and 는 건 아니다 often closes the sentence.
돈이 많다고 행복한 건 아니에요.
Just because you have money doesn't mean you're happy.
비싸다고 다 좋은 건 아니에요.
Just because something's expensive doesn't mean it's good.
한국 사람이라고 다 매운 음식을 좋아하는 건 아니에요.
Just because someone's Korean doesn't mean they like spicy food.
바쁘다고 밥을 안 먹으면 안 돼요.
You can't skip meals just because you're busy.
아/어서 그런지: maybe that's why
그런지 is 그렇다 with ㄴ지: whether it's so. Put it after 아/어서 and you've given a reason and admitted in the same breath that you aren't sure it's the right one. So use it when you're guessing at a cause.
Making 아/어서 그런지
- Verbs and adjectives: the 아/어서 form, then 그런지. Like 서, it takes no 았/었.추워서 그런지못 자서 그런지
- Nouns: (이)라서 그런지.주말이라서 그런지
Pick a verb
춥다추워요추워서 그런지
날씨가 추워서 그런지 사람이 없어요.
There's nobody around, maybe because it's cold.
어제 못 자서 그런지 머리가 아파요.
My head hurts, maybe because I didn't sleep last night.
주말이라서 그런지 길이 많이 막혀요.
The roads are really busy, probably because it's the weekend.
오랜만에 운동해서 그런지 다리가 아파요.
My legs ache, maybe because I exercised for the first time in ages.
아/어 가지고: 아/어서 in casual speech
가지다 means to have or hold. In everyday conversation 아/어 가지고 does both jobs of 아/어서, "so" and "and then". The meaning stays much the same and the register drops, so keep it out of formal writing. You'll hear it constantly, often shortened to 아/어 갖고.
Making 아/어 가지고
- Take the 해요 form, drop 요, and add 가지고.바빠요 → 바빠 가지고사요 → 사 가지고
너무 바빠 가지고 전화를 못 했어요.
I was so busy that I couldn't call.
날씨가 너무 더워 가지고 밖에 못 나가겠어요.
It's so hot that I can't go outside.
돈이 없어 갖고 못 샀어요.
I had no money, so I couldn't buy it.
커피를 사 가지고 왔어요.
I bought a coffee and brought it here.
김밥을 만들어 가지고 소풍을 갔어요.
I made gimbap and took it on the picnic.
돈을 모아 가지고 차를 샀어요.
I saved up money and bought a car.
Examples 1 to 3 are reasons, and examples 4 to 6 are "and then". As with 아/어서, you tell them apart by asking whether the first half explains or simply comes first.
비가 ___ 우산을 가져가세요.
It's raining, so take an umbrella.
친구가 ___ 약을 사 갔어요.
My friend said they were ill, so I took them some medicine.
어제 못 ___ 머리가 아파요.
My head hurts. Maybe it's because I didn't sleep last night.
얼마나 ___ 사람이 이렇게 많아요?
How good must it be, that there are so many people here?
돈이 많다고 ___.
Just because you have money doesn't mean you're happy.
Listen and type
1 / 3
Play it as often as you like.
In a conversation
- A
오늘 왜 이렇게 피곤해 보여요?
Today why so tired look?
- B
어제 늦게 자서 그런지 좀 피곤해요.
Yesterday late slept, maybe that's why a bit tired.
- A
그 빵은 뭐예요?
That bread what is?
- B
오는 길에 맛있어 보이길래 샀어요. 민수 씨가 빵을 좋아한다길래 많이 사 가지고 왔어요.
On the way looked tasty, so bought. Minsu bread likes, I heard, so lots bought and came.
- A
그런데 민수 씨는 머리가 아프다고 일찍 갔어요.
But Minsu head hurts, saying early went.
Common mistakes
비가 오길래 우산을 가져가세요.
비가 오니까 우산을 가져가세요.
길래 doesn't normally lead into a command. (으)니까 does.
길이 막히다길래 지하철을 탔어요.
길이 막힌다길래 지하철을 탔어요.
Verbs keep their quote form: 막힌다, 먹는다.
날씨가 추웠어서 그런지 사람이 없었어요.
날씨가 추워서 그런지 사람이 없었어요.
It's built on 아/어서, so there's no 았/었 before 서.
One sentence in each group is wrong. Tap it.
Check yourself
Quick check
1 / 6
과일이 ___ 많이 샀어요. (싸다, use 길래) The fruit was cheap, so I bought loads.
Stem plus 길래.
Summary
| Dictionary | Stem | ~길래 |
|---|---|---|
| 오다 | 오 | 오길래 |
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹길래 |
| 싸다 | 싸 | 싸길래 |
| 있다 | 있 | 있길래 |
| 살다 | 살 | 살길래 |
| Dictionary | 해요 | 아/어서 그런지 |
|---|---|---|
| 춥다 | 추워요 | 추워서 그런지 |
| 먹다 | 먹어요 | 먹어서 그런지 |
| 자다 | 자요 | 자서 그런지 |
| 피곤하다 | 피곤해요 | 피곤해서 그런지 |
| Dictionary | 해요 | 아/어 가지고 |
|---|---|---|
| 바쁘다 | 바빠요 | 바빠 가지고 |
| 사다 | 사요 | 사 가지고 |
| 만들다 | 만들어요 | 만들어 가지고 |
| 모으다 | 모아요 | 모아 가지고 |
Where the reason came from
- ~길래, ~기에: I noticed this, so I reacted. 기에 is the written one.
- Question word plus ~길래: what's behind this?
- ~다길래, ~다기에: I was told this, so I reacted.
- ~다고: the stated reason, or "just because".
- 아/어서 그런지: maybe that's why.
- 아/어 가지고: 아/어서, casually.
Now you can say
얼마나 맛있길래 줄이 이렇게 길어요?
Just how good is it that the queue's this long?
돈이 많다고 행복한 건 아니에요.
Just because you have money doesn't mean you're happy.
어제 못 자서 그런지 머리가 아파요.
My head hurts, maybe because I didn't sleep last night.
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