하고
Most of the time, when you see -고 in a grammar form, think “and”. But here’s the tricky part: it’s easy to confuse -고 with 아/어 endings, since both link verbs. The difference is subtle but important:
Many Korean grammar forms are built from the same building blocks. One of the most common is 하고, which usually means “and” ✨.
👉 Most of the time, when you see -고 in a grammar form, think “and”. This makes sentences much easier to understand.
But here’s the tricky part: it’s easy to confuse -고 with 아/어 endings, since both link verbs. The difference is subtle but important:
-고 = separate actions combined into one chain.
아/어 = closely related or almost-simultaneous actions.
Let’s break it down with examples 👇
🍜 먹다 (to eat) Examples
먹고 가다 → Eat and then go.
(Two separate actions, linked together.)
먹어 가요 → Eat and go.
(The first action finishes, then the second follows quickly—or sometimes at the same time.)
먹고 있다 → To be eating.
(Literally: “Eat + exist.” The action continues in progress.)
🚫 You cannot say 먹어 있다, because eating isn’t a state you can “remain” in.
🛌 State vs. Ongoing Action
누워 있다 → To be lying down.
(Action completed, now continuing in that state.)
눕고 있다 → To be lying down (ongoing).
(Action tied to existence, showing it’s still happening.)
😋 Wanting Something
먹고 싶다 → Want to eat.
(The action of eating ties directly to wanting.)
🚫 먹어 싶다 doesn’t work—it would mean “I eat and then want”, which makes no sense.
🏫 Sequence with 나서
먹고 나서 학교 가다 → After eating, go to school.
(Eating is completed, then you head out to school.)
🚫 먹어 나서 학교 가다 is ungrammatical—it would mean “I eat and then go out so I could school”, which doesn’t work.
🎯 Quick Recap
-고: joins verbs into one chain, often creating a new, non-literal meaning.
아/어: creates more literal or simultaneous meanings.
Think of -고 as the connector 🔗 and 아/어 as the glue 🧩.