Example Sentences#

1. 민준: 나 친구들이랑 노래방 갈까 생각 중이야.¹
   Minjun: I’m thinking about going to a karaoke room with my friends.
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • -ㄹ까 is a sentence ending that indicates curiosity, wonder, or uncertainty about a potential action. In this context, it functions as an indirect quotation of the speaker’s thoughts, embedding their internal deliberation about the action within the larger sentence.
2. 조용히 내일을 만들어 가²
   Quietly shaping tomorrow
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • -어 가다 is a grammatical construction indicating that the action or state mentioned in the preceding statement continues or progresses over time.
   • 아 is a casual ending used in informal speech.
3. 앨리스: “여기서 어느 쪽으로 가야 할지 말씀해 주시겠어요?”³
   Alice: “Would you please tell me which way I should go from here?”
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • -아야 is a connective ending used to indicate that the action in the preceding clause is an essential condition or requirement for the action in the following clause.
4. 얼마 지나지 않아 전쟁이 일어났고, 젊은이들이 군대로 갔습니다.⁴
   Not long after, war broke out, and the young men went to the army.
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • 았 is a past tense marker.
   • 습니다 is a formal polite ending used in declarative sentences.
5. 나연: 야, 너 인스타 보니까 최근에 콘서트 갔다 왔더라?⁵
   Nayeon: Hey, I saw on your Instagram that you went to a concert recently?
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • -았- is a past tense marker.
   • -다 is a shortened form of -다가, a connective ending indicating the interruption, shift, or progression from one action or state to another.
6. 다들 힘들게 사는데, 서로 도와주고 이해하면서 조금씩 변해가는 게 너무 좋았어.⁶
   While everyone lives with difficulty, I really liked how they help each other, understand each other, and gradually change.
   • 변하다 means ‘to change’.
   • -여 가다 is a grammatical construction indicating that the action or state mentioned in the preceding statement continues or progresses over time.
   • -는 is a present tense modifier that turns the preceding statement into a phrase describing the following noun.
7. 우리가 번갈아 가며 하나씩 먹자.⁷
   Let’s take turns eating one at a time.
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • -아 가다 is a grammatical construction indicating that the action or state mentioned in the preceding statement continues or progresses over time.
   • -며 is a connective ending indicating simultaneous actions.
   • When combined as -아 가며, it suggests that the action from the preceding clause is performed progressively or repeatedly while another action occurs simultaneously.
8. 더 멀리 가볼래, 한 번 더⁸
   I want to go farther, one more time
   • 가다 means ‘to go’.
   • -아 보다 is a grammatical construction where 보다 (to see) is used as an auxiliary verb to indicate that one attempts or tests the action described in the preceding statement.
   • -ㄹ래 is an informal ending used to express the speaker’s firm intention to undertake a future action, or to ask about the listener’s willingness, often framed as a suggestion or invitation.
9. 손끝에 닿을수록 상처로 퍼져가⁹
   The closer they touch my fingertips, the more they turn into wounds
   • 퍼지다 means ‘to spread’ or ‘to disperse’.
   • -어 가다 is a grammatical construction indicating that the action or state mentioned in the preceding statement continues or progresses over time.
   • 아 is a casual ending used in informal speech.
10. 그는 말없이 따라갔고, 한 시간 동안 아무 말도 하지 않았다.¹⁰
    He followed silently, and did not say a word for an hour.
    • 따라가다 means ‘to follow’ or ‘to go after’, formed from 따르다 (to follow) and 가다 (to go).
    • 았 is a past tense marker.
    • -고 is a connective ending used to link two actions or states, meaning ‘and’, or to join the main verb to auxiliary verbs.
11. 비록 그는 새로운 삶을 즐겼지만, 그의 만족은 오래가지 못했습니다.¹¹
    Although he enjoyed his new life, his satisfaction did not last long.
    • 오래가다 is a compound verb meaning ‘to last long’, combining 오래 (for a long time) and 가다 (to go).
    • 지 is part of the negation pattern -지 못하다, an expression used to indicate inability to perform the action or reach the state described in the preceding statement.
12. 같이 갈래?¹
    Want to go together?
    • 가다 means ‘to go’.
    • -ㄹ래 is an informal ending used to express the speaker’s firm intention to undertake a future action, or to ask about the listener’s willingness, often framed as a suggestion or invitation, and frequently implying joint participation.
13. 남겨진 마음은 어디로 가는 걸까?²
    Where does a heart left behind go?
    • 가다 means ‘to go’.
    • -는 is a present tense modifier that turns the preceding statement into a phrase describing the following noun.
14. 체셔 고양이: “그건 네가 어디로 가고 싶은지에 달려 있어,” 고양이가 말했다.³
    Cheshire Cat: “That depends on where you want to go,” said the cat.
    • 가다 means ‘to go’.
    • -고 is a connective ending used to link two actions or states, meaning ‘and’, or to join the main verb to auxiliary verbs.
15. 노인의 아들은 다리가 부러져 군대로 가지 않았습니다.⁴
    The old man’s son did not go to the army because he broke his leg.
    • 가다 means ‘to go’.
    • -지 않다 is a negation pattern, with 지 attached to the verb stem and 않다 as an auxiliary verb for negation.
16. 나연: 아, 이런 큰 공연 있을 때는 진짜 미리 계획 세우고 일찍 가야지.⁵
    Nayeon: Ah, for big concerts like this, you really have to plan ahead and go early.
    • 가다 means ‘to go’.
    • -아야지 is a sentence-final ending used to state what must be done, either inwardly as personal resolve or outwardly as a suggestion or reminder. It originated from the form -아야 하지, where the expression -아야 하다 marks the preceding clause as a necessary condition, effectively meaning ‘have to (do something)’; and -지 is a sentence-ending expressing strong affirmation or the speaker’s presumption of shared understanding with the listener, used to assert something considered obvious or mutually understood.
17. 고요한 물결처럼 마음을 채워가⁹
    Like gentle waves, gradually filling my heart
    • 채우다 means ‘to fill’.
    • -어 가다 is a grammatical construction indicating that the action or state mentioned in the preceding statement continues or progresses over time.
    • 아 is a casual ending used in informal speech.
18. 그러나 그의 만족은 오래가지 못했습니다.¹¹
    But his satisfaction did not last long.
    • 오래가다 is a compound verb meaning ‘to last long’, combining 오래 (for a long time) and 가다 (to go).
    • 지 is part of the negation pattern -지 못하다, an expression used to indicate inability to perform the action or reach the state described in the preceding statement.
19. 차라리 카페 가서 수다 떠는 게 낫지 않아?¹
    Wouldn’t it be better to go to a cafe and chat instead?
    • 가다 means ‘to go’.
    • -아서 is a connective ending that indicates a sequence of related events, cause and effect, or ways or means.