Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 9 - Advanced Korean #2 (Lessons 241 to 270) ᚛ Lesson 251 - One reason among others, since I was told that, in Korean [-고 해서] [-다고 해서]
One reason among others, since I was told that, in Korean [-고 해서] [-다고 해서]
The verb 하다 placed after a -고 connector gives two very common ways of expressing a cause. The first, -고 해서, "among other reasons because", presents a reason as one reason among others: "it was raining, I was thirsty, and a few other things besides, so I had a drink". The second, -(ㄴ/는)다고 해서, "since I was told that", "as they say that", gives as the cause something somebody said: you act on the strength of someone's words. Both rest on forms you already know, the connector -고 and indirect speech -(ㄴ/는)다고, followed by 해서, "and so", or by 하니까.
"Among other reasons" with -고 해서, -고 하니까
[Reason 1]-고 [Reason 2]-고 해서 [Consequence] / [Reason]-고 해서 [Consequence]
You list one or more reasons with -고, often backed by the particle 도, "also", then close the list with 해서: the consequence follows from all of that at once, plus other reasons you do not bother to mention. With a single reason, -고 해서 softens it: 피곤하고 해서, "I was tired, among other things", where -아/어서 would state the cause outright. When the sentence ends with a suggestion, an order or a decision (-(으)ㅂ시다, -자, -(으)세요, -(으)ㄹ게요), 해서 gives way to -고 하니까, just as -(으)니까 replaces -아/어서 in that case. The past tense is marked on the reason: 늦었고 하니까.
마침 비도 오고 목도 마르고 해서 막걸리 한잔하고 있었어요.
→ It was raining, I was thirsty, so, well, I was having a glass of makgeolli.
날씨도 좋고 시간도 있고 해서 오랜만에 한강에 나갔어요.
→ The weather was nice, I had time, so I went out to the Han River for the first time in a while.
요즘 일도 많고 몸도 안 좋고 해서 모임에 못 나갔어요.
→ I have a lot of work these days, I am not feeling well, and all that meant I could not make it to the gathering.
마침 근처에 왔고 해서 잠깐 들렀어요.
→ I happened to be nearby, among other things, so I dropped in for a moment.
늦었고 하니까 오늘은 여기까지 합시다.
→ It is getting late, among other things, so let's stop here for today.
"Since I was told that" with -(ㄴ/는)다고 해서
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"Just because" : -다고 해서 … -는 것은 아니다
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Exercises
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Podcasts in Korean specially designed for beginners, to learn Korean by really listening to it from the very beginning.
You’re starting to learn Korean (or you already know the basics), but as soon as you listen to spoken Korean, everything suddenly feels too fast?
The words blend together, the pronunciation escapes you, and you feel like “real Korean” is very different from what you learned in textbooks.
That’s normal!
Listening comprehension is the most difficult part for all beginners.
