Korean -고 Explained: The Easiest Way to Connect Sentences

You have learned how to make Korean sentences in the present, past, and future tense.

You can probably say things like:

저는 커피를 마셔요.
I drink coffee.

저는 한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean.

But what if you want to put these two ideas together?

In English, you can simply say:

I drink coffee and study Korean.

Korean has an easy way to do this too.

저는 커피를 마시고 한국어를 공부해요.
I drink coffee and study Korean.

The small ending -고 connects the two actions.

Once you learn it, your Korean sentences can immediately become longer and more natural—without learning a complicated new tense.

What Does -고 Mean?

The Korean ending -고 often means “and.”

It connects two actions, states, or descriptions.

Look at these two sentences:

친구를 만나요.
I meet a friend.

영화를 봐요.
I watch a movie.

Remove the ending from the first verb and add -고:

친구를 만나고 영화를 봐요.
I meet a friend and watch a movie.

That is the basic pattern:

Verb or adjective stem + 고

Unlike many Korean endings, -고 does not change according to the final vowel or consonant.

• 먹다 → 먹고

• 가다 → 가고

• 공부하다 → 공부하고

• 좋다 → 좋고

• 재미있다 → 재미있고

There is no need to choose between two different forms. Simply remove -다 from the dictionary form and add -고.

Use -고 to Connect Actions

You can use -고 when one action happens and then another action follows.

아침을 먹고 학교에 가요.
I eat breakfast and go to school.

샤워하고 자요.
I take a shower and go to sleep.

친구를 만나고 영화를 봤어요.
I met a friend and watched a movie.

내일 장을 보고 요리할 거예요.
Tomorrow, I will go grocery shopping and cook.

Notice something important in the last two examples.

The tense usually appears only at the end of the sentence:

친구를 만났고 영화를 봤어요.
친구를 만나고 영화를 봤어요.

Both forms can be used, but beginners can start with the second pattern. Put -고 on the first verb and show the tense clearly in the final verb.

This keeps the sentence simple:

• 만나고 봤어요

• 먹고 갔어요

• 공부하고 잘 거예요

The final verb helps the listener understand when the connected actions happen.

Use -고 to Add Information

The actions do not always have to happen in a strict order. Sometimes -고 simply adds another piece of information.

저는 한국어를 공부하고 제 친구는 일본어를 공부해요.
I study Korean, and my friend studies Japanese.

저는 음악을 좋아하고 운동도 좋아해요.
I like music, and I also like exercise.

그 사람은 영어를 잘하고 한국어도 잘해요.
That person speaks English well and also speaks Korean well.

In these sentences, -고 works like a bridge between two related ideas.

The subject can remain the same, or it can change:

저는 커피를 마시고 책을 읽어요.
I drink coffee and read a book.

저는 커피를 마시고 친구는 차를 마셔요.
I drink coffee, and my friend drinks tea.

You do not need a separate rule. Just make sure the subject is clear.

-고 Also Works with Adjectives

In Korean, descriptive words such as “good,” “small,” and “beautiful” behave like verbs. That means you can connect them with -고 too.

이 식당은 맛있고 싸요.
This restaurant is delicious and inexpensive.

그 가방은 예쁘고 가벼워요.
That bag is pretty and light.

우리 집은 작고 조용해요.
My house is small and quiet.

한국어는 재미있고 유용해요.
Korean is interesting and useful.

This is especially helpful when you want to describe a person, place, or object using more than one quality.

Instead of saying:

이 카페는 조용해요.
이 카페는 분위기가 좋아요.

You can say:

이 카페는 조용하고 분위기가 좋아요.
This café is quiet and has a nice atmosphere.

Don’t Learn Every Connector at Once

Korean has many ways to connect sentences. As you continue studying, you will meet endings such as -아서/어서, -(으)니까, and -지만.

You do not need to memorize all of them now.

When beginners learn several similar endings at the same time, they often hesitate:

Which ending should I use?
Is this the right situation?
What was the other rule?

Too many choices can make speaking harder.

For now, learn just one reliable connector:

When you want to add another action or description, try -고.

Use it again and again until it comes out naturally. You can expand your choices later.

Knowing one connector well is much more useful than recognizing five connectors but being unable to use any of them while speaking.

Quick Practice

Connect each pair of sentences using -고.

1

저는 밥을 먹어요.
저는 커피를 마셔요.

2

어제 친구를 만났어요.
같이 쇼핑했어요.

3

이 방은 넓어요.
이 방은 깨끗해요.

4

내일 한국어를 공부할 거예요.
운동할 거예요.

Answers

1. 저는 밥을 먹고 커피를 마셔요.

2. 어제 친구를 만나고 같이 쇼핑했어요.

3. 이 방은 넓고 깨끗해요.

4. 내일 한국어를 공부하고 운동할 거예요.

Quick Review

To connect two Korean sentences with -고:

1. Take the first verb or adjective.

2. Remove -다 from its dictionary form.

3. Add -고.

4. Finish the sentence with the second verb or adjective.

먹다 + 고 → 먹고
예쁘다 + 고 → 예쁘고
공부하다 + 고 → 공부하고

That is all you need to start.

Do not rush to memorize every Korean connector. First, use -고 until connecting two ideas feels easy.

You already know how to make short Korean sentences.

Now you know how to join them—and say much more.

Next Post Internal Link Text:

Now that you can connect actions with -고, learn how to explain a simple reason with [Korean -아서/어서].