haru Korean › Grammar › Level 5B › A/V-길래
A/V-길래 — because (I saw / heard / noticed that) … — the reason that made me act
Because (I saw / heard / noticed that) … — the reason that made me act. Korean grammar for advanced learners — Level 5B, lesson 3: 교수님께 메일을 보내다 (E-mailing a professor — formal requests, office hours, hearing 'no' and apologizing).
What it means
A/V-길래 says that something you saw, heard or noticed made you do something: 답장이 없길래 한 번 더 보냈어요 'there was no reply, so I sent it again'. What follows is what you did — it cannot be a command or a suggestion such as -(으)세요 or -(으)ㅂ시다. Add -길래 to adjectives and verbs and (이)길래 to nouns; for something already finished use -았/었길래: 전화하셨길래. It is spoken Korean; in e-mails and writing use -기에 (Lesson 4B-1) or -아/어서.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A/V-길래 | 형용사 · 동사 (받침과 상관없음) | 없다 → 답장이 없길래 |
| N(이)길래 | 명사 — 받침 O 이길래 / X 길래 | 수요일 오후 → 수요일 오후길래 |
Key points
- A/V-길래 = because (I saw / heard / noticed that) … → I did …: 답장이 없길래 · 수요일 오후길래 · 전화하셨길래.
- The second half is what I did — never a command or suggestion. Spoken; in e-mails and writing use -기에 (Lesson 4B-1) or -아/어서.
Examples
- 무엇을 보거나 듣고, 그것 때문에 내가 어떤 일을 했을 때 써요: 답장이 없길래 한 번 더 보냈어요.
- 뒤에는 내가 한 일이 와요. 「-(으)세요 · -(으)ㅂ시다」 같은 말은 뒤에 올 수 없어요.
- 형용사 · 동사에 -길래, 명사에 (이)길래를 붙여요. 지난 일은 -았/었길래: 전화하셨길래
- 말할 때 많이 써요. 메일이나 글에서는 -기에(4B 1과)나 -아/어서를 써요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Yonsei University Korean 4-1, lesson 7; Ewha Womans University Korean 4, lesson 10; Hanyang University Korean 4-2, lesson 12; Hongik University Korean 4B, lesson 9.
Also in this lesson
- A-다기에/V-는다기에 — because (someone) said that … — acting on what you were told (and -(으)라기에 · -자기에)
- A/V-지 않을까 하다 — I'm afraid that … / I wonder if … might — a careful worry, and a soft proposal with -(으)면 어떨까 합니다
- A-기 그지없다 — … beyond words — the most formal way to say how deeply you feel