Connective Ending -고
The connective ending -고 for linking actions and states
I can connect two actions or descriptions using -고
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
아침을 먹고 학교에 갔어요.
I ate breakfast and went to school.
이 방은 크고 밝아요.
This room is big and bright.
샤워하고 옷을 입었어요.
I showered and got dressed.
한국 음식은 맛있고 건강해요.
Korean food is delicious and healthy.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
연결어미 -고 (Connective Ending "and")
The ending -고 connects two verbs or adjectives, meaning "and" or "and then". It attaches directly to the verb/adjective stem (remove 다).
| Verb | Stem | + -고 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹고 | eat and... |
| 마시다 | 마시 | 마시고 | drink and... |
| 크다 | 크 | 크고 | big and... |
| 작다 | 작 | 작고 | small and... |
Two uses:
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Listing (and) | 한국어는 재미있고 어려워요. | Korean is fun and difficult. |
| Sequence (and then) | 밥을 먹고 커피를 마셨어요. | I ate and then drank coffee. |
Key point: -고 does NOT change based on vowel harmony (unlike -아/어). It always stays -고 regardless of the verb stem. The tense is marked only on the FINAL verb.
Put tense on first verb — only final verb takes tense with -고. Confuse -고 with -아/어서.
Common Error Patterns
Put tense marking on the first verb before -고
Only the LAST verb in a -고 chain takes tense. First verb stays as stem + -고
Used -고 where -아/어서 (reason) was more appropriate
-고 = and/and then (listing/sequence). -아/어서 = because/so (cause-result)
아침을 먹고 학교에 갔어요.
I ate breakfast and went to school.
먹 + -고 = 먹고 (eat and). Past tense -았/었어요 only on final verb 가다 → 갔어요.
이 방은 크고 밝아요.
This room is big and bright.
크 + -고 = 크고 (big and). Lists two adjectives describing the room.
샤워하고 옷을 입었어요.
I showered and got dressed.
샤워하 + -고 = 샤워하고 (shower and then). Sequential actions — shower first, then get dressed.
한국 음식은 맛있고 건강해요.
Korean food is delicious and healthy.
맛있 + -고 = 맛있고 (delicious and). Listing — no sequence implied.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises