Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 3 - Korean for Beginners #2 (Lessons 61 to 90) ᚛ Lesson 71 - Express cause and effect #2 [-(으)니까] [-(으)니]

Express cause and effect #2 [-(으)니까] [-(으)니]

In this course: 니까 / 으니까 / 니 / 으니

Now that we've seen how to express a cause with the -아/어서 structure, let's look at cause structures with -(으)니까 and -(으)니.

Cause with -(으)니까

Another way of expressing cause in Korean is to use the ending in -(으)니까. This structure is constructed in the following way:
[Cause: … Stem](으)니까 [Effect]

The exceptions in the construction of the structure with -(으)니까 are the same as those in the construction of honorific verbs with -(으)시다. In addition, unlike the -아/어서 form we saw before, the verb attached to -(으)니까 can be conjugated to all of the tenses.

Note that the cause suffix -(으)니까 cannot be used when one is expressing an excuse or thanks. In this case, it's the suffix -아/어서 which must be used. In addition, -아/어서 is mostly used to explain a cause, while -(으)니까 is more often used to justify oneself and for imperative phrases.

비가 오니까 우산을 가져가.
→ Since it's raining, bring an umbrella.

약속 했으니까 꼭 지켜.
→ You made a promise, so keep it.

살이 찌니까 바지가 안 맞아.
→ Since I gained weight, my pants don't fit.

학생이니까 공부 열심히 해.
→ Since you are a student, study hard.

칼은 위험하니까 조심히 다루세요.
→ Knives are dangerous, so handle them with caution.

Cause with -(으)니

Summary table of structure

Exercises

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