✍️ Intermediate Day 8: Explaining Reasons – ~거든요 / ~(으)니까
📘 Intermediate Day 8: Explaining Reasons – ~거든요 / ~(으)니까
Welcome to Day 8 of the Intermediate Korean series! 🌟 Today’s focus is all about explaining reasons naturally in conversation using:
- ~거든요 – for background explanations or subtle reasons
- ~(으)니까 – for direct, causal reasons or instructions
Both of these expressions are essential for giving reasons, but they’re used in slightly different ways depending on tone and intention.
📘 1. ~거든요 – Giving Background or Soft Explanation
~거든요 is used when giving a reason or explanation in a soft, often background-focused way. It’s especially common in spoken Korean and often used when the listener didn’t ask “why” directly, but you still want to explain.
🔧 How to use:
- Verb/Adjective/Noun + 거든요
📌 Examples:
- 지금 바빠요. 수업이 있거든요.
ji-geum ba-ppa-yo. su-eop-i it-geo-deun-yo
👉 I’m busy now. I have class, you see. - 오늘은 못 가요. 약속이 있거든요.
o-neul-eun mot ga-yo. yak-sok-i it-geo-deun-yo
👉 I can’t go today. I have an appointment. - 그 영화는 안 봤어요. 별로 안 좋아하거든요.
geu yeong-hwa-neun an bwat-seo-yo. byeol-lo an jo-a-ha-geo-deun-yo
👉 I didn’t watch that movie. I don’t really like it.
📘 2. ~(으)니까 – Stating Clear Reason or Cause
~(으)니까 is used to express a direct cause-effect relationship. It’s more assertive and is often used for giving instructions or strong reasons.
🔧 How to use:
- Verb/Adjective/Noun + (으)니까
- 받침 O → 으니까, 받침 X → 니까
📌 Examples:
- 날씨가 추우니까 따뜻하게 입으세요.
nal-ssi-ga chu-u-ni-kka tta-tteut-ha-ge ip-eu-se-yo
👉 Since it’s cold, dress warmly. - 배가 고프니까 밥 먹자.
bae-ga go-peu-ni-kka bap meok-ja
👉 I’m hungry, so let’s eat. - 학생이니까 열심히 공부하세요.
hak-saeng-i-ni-kka yeol-si-mi gong-bu-ha-se-yo
👉 Since you’re a student, study hard.
📘 Comparison Table – ~거든요 vs ~(으)니까
| Pattern | Function | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~거든요 | Background or soft reason | Gentle, explanatory | 바쁘거든요 (I’m busy, you see) |
| ~(으)니까 | Cause → Result / Instruction | Clear, direct | 배고프니까 먹자 (I’m hungry, so let’s eat) |
💬 Real-Life Dialogue Example
👦 준호: 왜 그렇게 서두르세요?
👧 수지: 늦으면 안 되거든요.
👦 준호: 알겠어요. 빨리 가니까 지하철 타요!
📘 Practice Sentences
- 시험이 있으니까 공부해야 해요.
- 지금 조용히 해 주세요. 회의 중이거든요.
- 날씨가 좋아서 나가고 싶지만, 약속이 있거든요.
- 감기에 걸렸으니까 푹 쉬세요.
🧪 Mini Quiz – Reasoning Time!
- Translate: “I’m not going because I’m tired.”
Click to Show Answer
피곤하니까 안 가요.
- How do you say “I’m busy (you see)”?
Click to Show Answer
바쁘거든요.
- What’s the difference between “배고프니까” and “배고프거든요”?
Click to Show Answer
“배고프니까” is direct: I'm hungry, so I’ll eat. “배고프거든요” explains softly: I’m hungry, you see.
✅ Conclusion
🎉 Great work! Now you can explain your reasons clearly or gently depending on the situation:
- ✔️ Use ~거든요 when giving background info or soft explanation
- ✔️ Use ~(으)니까 when giving instructions or clear cause-effect reasons
- ✔️ Mix both in your conversation to sound natural and expressive
📘 Coming Up Next
Tomorrow: Intermediate Day 9: Talking About Time Passed – ~ㄴ/은 지 We’ll learn how to say how long it’s been since you did something!
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