Because in Korean || 떄문에, 으니까, -해서 and Many More

Q: How to use 때문에 and 기 때문에 in Korean?

The suffix -때문에 is used with nouns : 나쁜날씨때문에 나는 기분이 안좋아.| Because of the bad weather, I don’t feel good. The suffix -기 떄문에 is used with verbs and adjectives: 춥기때문에 난방을 틀었어. | Because it is cold, I started the heater.

Q: How to say "but" in Korean?

In Korean, there are four conjunctions for but/however: - 하지만 - 그렇지만 - 그런데 - 그러나 All of these essentially have the same meaning as but/however, but each has a different level of formality. For example: 그러나 is considered the most formal conjunction among the four and is used in a report or public speech. 그런데 could be considered as the least formal one and also used to mean ‘by the way’. -- Learn how to say but in Korean here.

Q: What are some Korean sentence structure?

Here are the 3 most basic Korean sentence structure: #1 || Subject + Verb #2 || Subject + Object + Verb #3 || Subject + Noun / Adjective -- Learn more about Korean sentence structure here.

Q: How to make negative sentences in Korean?

Expressing ‘not’. For verbs and adjectives. Add ‘안’ or ‘-지 않아요’ in front of them. Example: 지수는 초콜릿을 좋아하지 않아요. Expressing ‘cannot’. For verbs only. Add 못’or ‘-지 못해요’ in front of the verb. Example: 저는 수영을 못 해요. Expressing ‘do not know’. The word ‘to know’ in Korean is ‘알다’. However, we rarely apply the methods of case 1 and case 2 for this word. Instead, we use the word ‘몰라요’ Example: 나는 그녀의 연락처를 몰라요. Expressing ‘not have’. When we make a sentence to talk about the absence of something, we would use ‘없어요’. Example: 공원에 사람들이 거의 없어요. -- Learn more about Korean negative form here.

Q: Can I learn Korean with LTL?

Of course! We teach Korean online on our Flexi Classes platform. And even have a 7 Day Free Trial ! We also offer Korean Courses in Seoul, for both group and individual classes. Contact us for more details and start your language learning journey.

Home A1 Because in Korean

BECAUSE IN KOREAN

There are four different families of ‘suffixes’ that mean ‘because’ in Korean:

-서/-아서/-어서/-해서
-으니까/-니까
-때문에/-기 떄문에
-느라고

Essentially, all these suffixes can be used to mean ‘because’, but each of them also has some specific domain of use.

서 / 아서 / 어서 / 해서

서 / 아서 / 어서 / 해서 are used to describe state of condition or action that caused the result.

It is the most frequently used form to describe the causal state or action that happened in the past.

However, it is very important to remember that even when describing the causal action/state of the past, the causal verb is always conjugated in present tense.

Finally, 서 / 아서 / 어서 / 해서 cannot be used in an imperative sentence. Tables below describes how to use 서 / 아서 / 어서 / 해서, which depends on the structure the ending syllable of the causal verb:

How to use -서

The suffix -서 can be used with verbs or adjectives ending with vowel 아 (ex: 자다, 가다)

PATTERN

Verb / adjective ending with 아 + 서

^{naega jaseo jeonhwareul mosbadat}

내가 자서 전화를 못받았

_{Because I slept, I couldn’t answer the phone.}

^{naega gaseo patiga kkeutnasseo}

내가 가서 파티가 끝났어

_{Because I left, the party ended.}

How to use -아서

PATTERN

Verb / adjective ending with 아 or 오 + 아서

The suffix -아서 can be used with verbs or adjectives ending with syllable containing 아 or 오 (ex: 많다, 좋다, 보다)

^{sarami manhaseo jibe gallae}

사람이 많아서 집에 갈래

_{Because there are a lot of people, I will go home.}

View More Phrases

korean	english
내가 커피가 좋아서 매일 마셔	Because I like coffee, I drink it every day.
내가 영화를 이미 봐서 재미가 없었어	Because I already saw the movie, it wasn’t fun.

How to use -어서

The suffix -어서 can be used with verbs or adjectives ending with syllable containing other vowels (ex: 먹다, 싫다)

PATTERN

Verb / adjective + 어서

^{naega ppangeul meogeoseo baega bul}

내가 빵을 먹어서 배가 불

_{Because I ate, I am full.}

^{naega saengseoni silheoseo anmeogeosseo}

내가 생선이 싫어서 안먹었어

_{Because I hate fish, I didn’t eat it.}

How to use -해서 (하 + 여서)

The suffix -해서 can be used with verbs or adjectives ending with 하다 (ex: 공부하다. 노래하다.)

PATTERN

Verb / adjective ending with 하다 + 해서

^{naega gongbuhaeseo siheomeul jalbwasseo.}

내가 공부해서 시험을 잘봤어.

_{Because I studied, I did well on the exam.}

^{naega noraehaeseo seuteureseureul pureosseo.}

내가 노래해서 스트레스를 풀었어.

_{Because I sang, I relieved my stress.}

으니까 / 니까

으니까 / 니까 can be used in a similar fashion as 서 / 아서 / 어서 / 해서.

The biggest difference between the two is that 으니까 / 니까 can be used in an imperative sentence.

In fact, 으니까 / 니까 are most generally used in an imperative sentence. Another difference is that 으니까 / 니까 can be used with a verb in past tense form (ex: 내가 좋았으니까 – because I liked it).

How to use -으니까

The suffix -으니까 can be used with verbs or adjectives ending with syllable containing a bottom consonant (ex: 좋다, 먹다).

KOREAN	ENGLISH
지수가 너가좋으니까선물을 준거야.	Because Jisoo likes you, she got you the present.
너가 너무 많이먹으니까배가 아픈거야.	Because you ate too much, you have stomach ache.

How to use -니까 // CASE 1

The suffix -니까 can be used with verbs or adjectives ending with a vowel (ex: 가다, 오다).

KOREAN	ENGLISH
엄마가가니까내가 슬펐어.	Because my mother left, I was sad.
비가오니까우산을 가져가	Because it is raining, take your umbrella.

How to use -니까 // CASE 2

The suffix -니까 can also be used with verbs or adjectives ending with syllable containing ‘ㄹ’ as the bottom consonant – in this case, remove ‘ㄹ’ and add 니까. (ex: 팔다. 살다)

KOREAN	ENGLISH
내가 물건을 다파니까기분이 좋다.	Because I sold all the goods, I feel great.
친구가 옆집에사니까자주 만난다.	Because my friend lives the next door, we see each other often.

때문에 / 기 때문에

때문에 / 기 때문에 are straightforward to use.

때문에 can be considered equivalent to ‘because of’ in English, because it is used with nouns and not with verbs.

때문에 / 기 때문에 can be used with a verb in past tense form (ex: 내가 좋았기 때문에 – because I liked it)

How to use -때문에

The suffix -때문에 is used with nouns.

Some examples:

KOREAN	ENGLISH
나쁜날씨때문에나는 기분이 안좋아.	Because of the bad weather, I don’t feel good.
숙제때문에나는 너무 피곤해.	Because of the homework, I feel very tired.

How to use -기 떄문에

The suffix -기 떄문에 is used with verbs and adjectives (ex: 춥다, 배고프다).

KOREAN	ENGLISH
춥기때문에난방을 틀었어.	Because it is cold, I started the heater.
내가배고프기때문에간식을 샀어.	Because I am hungry, I bought snacks.

느라고

느라고 is generally used for an excuse to describe a cause that prevented the subject from doing something.

Therefore, the causal clause that uses 느라고 is usually followed by a negative clause.

Also, note that 느라고 cannot be used with adjectives, unlike the other forms of ‘because’ in Korean.

Finally, like 서/아서/어서/해서, 느라고 only takes the verbs in present tense, even when describing the state of cause in the past.

KOREAN	ENGLISH
내가 빨리뛰느라고너를 보지 못했다.	Because I was running fast, I didn’t see you.
내가자느라고모임에 가지 못했다.	Because I was sleeping, I couldn’t make it to the meeting.

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FAQs

How to say “because” in Korean?

There are four different families of ‘suffixes’ that mean ‘because’ in Korean:

-서/-아서/-어서/-해서

-으니까/-니까

-때문에/-기 떄문에

-느라고

Essentially, all these suffixes can be used to mean ‘because’, but each of them also has some specific domain of use.

How to use 때문에 and 기 때문에 in Korean?

The suffix -때문에 is used with nouns:

나쁜날씨때문에 나는 기분이 안좋아.| Because of the bad weather, I don’t feel good.

The suffix -기 떄문에 is used with verbs and adjectives:

춥기때문에 난방을 틀었어. | Because it is cold, I started the heater.

How to say “but” in Korean?

In Korean, there are four conjunctions for but/however:

– 하지만

– 그렇지만

– 그런데

– 그러나

All of these essentially have the same meaning as but/however, but each has a different level of formality. For example:

그러나 is considered the most formal conjunction among the four and is used in a report or public speech.

그런데 could be considered as the least formal one and also used to mean ‘by the way’.

—

Learn how to say but in Korean here.

What are some Korean sentence structure?

Here are the 3 most basic Korean sentence structure:

#1 || Subject + Verb

#2 || Subject + Object + Verb

#3 || Subject + Noun / Adjective

—

Learn more about Korean sentence structure here.

How to make negative sentences in Korean?

Expressing ‘not’. For verbs and adjectives. Add ‘안’ or ‘-지 않아요’ in front of them.

Example: 지수는 초콜릿을 좋아하지 않아요.

Expressing ‘cannot’. For verbs only. Add 못’or ‘-지 못해요’ in front of the verb.

Example: 저는 수영을 못 해요.

Expressing ‘do not know’. The word ‘to know’ in Korean is ‘알다’. However, we rarely apply the methods of case 1 and case 2 for this word. Instead, we use the word ‘몰라요’

Example: 나는 그녀의 연락처를 몰라요.

Expressing ‘not have’. When we make a sentence to talk about the absence of something, we would use ‘없어요’.

Example: 공원에 사람들이 거의 없어요.

—

Learn more about Korean negative form here.

Can I learn Korean with LTL?

Of course! We teach Korean online on our Flexi Classes platform.

And even have a 7 Day Free Trial!

We also offer Korean Courses in Seoul, for both group and individual classes.

Korean Grammar Bank

BECAUSE IN KOREAN