Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 3 - Korean for Beginners #2 (Lessons 61 to 90) ᚛ Lesson 70 - Express cause and effect #1 [-아/어서]
Express cause and effect #1 [-아/어서]
Cause with -아/어서
To express the cause of something, we generally use the ending -아/어서. That allows us to use expressions such as "that's why", "since", "seeing as", "because", "so", etc. The ending -아/어서 is attached to the verb from the preposition of cause in the following manner:
[Cause: … verb conjugated in the present tense in the casual style]서 [Effect]
The suffix -아/어서 never marks the tense since it's only there to show that a grammatical proposition is a cause. The tense is marked, as usual, on the final verb of the main action.
Note that the cause suffix -아/어서 cannot be used to express an order or a request. In this case, it's the cause suffix -(으)니까, which we will see in the next chapter, that must be used.
저는 어젯밤에 안 자서 매우 피곤해요.
→ I did not sleep last night, so I'm very tired.
→ I am tired because I did not sleep last night.
→ Since I did not sleep last night, I am very tired.
나는 내 핸드폰이 고장나서 슬퍼.
→ My phone is broken, so I'm sad.
공부를 오래 해서 눈이 침침해요.
→ Since I studied for a long time, I have tired eyes.
어제 라면을 먹고 자서 오늘 얼굴이 부었어요.
→ Since I ate ramyeon and then slept yesterday, my face is swollen today.
어젯밤에 술을 많이 마셔서 기억이 잘 안 나요.
→ Since I drank a lot of alcohol yesterday, I don't remember well.
내가 거짓말해서 엄마를 실망시켰어.
→ Since I lied, I disappointed my mother.
차가 많이 막혀서 제시간에 도착할 수 없었어요.
→ I was not able to arrive at the scheduled time because of traffic. (Lit: Since a lot of cars were blocking, I could not arrive at the scheduled time.)
매운 것을 먹어서 눈물이 나요.
→ I am in tears since I ate something spicy.
에어컨을 켜고 자서 감기에 걸렸습니다.
→ Since I turned on the air conditioner and slept, I caught a cold.
운동하고 배가 고파서 비빔밥을 배달시켰어요.
→ Because I exercised and I was hungry, I had a bibimbap delivered.
가난한 사람들을 기부로 도와줘서 존경을 많이 받아요.
→ He is very respected because he helps poor people with donations.
The suffix -아/어서 with 이다 and 아니다
Learn more
-아/어서 to say "and"
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.
Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!
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