-거든(요)
geodeun(yo)
Grammar · 2 senses
if actually true, then
Examples
바쁘거든 먼저 가십시오.
If you're busy, please go first.
비가 그치거든 축구를 할까요?
Shall we play soccer when the rain stops?
When you'd hear it
Conditional -거든 is common in spoken instructions, suggestions, and invitations, and also appears in written directions. The polite form -거든요 is heard in conversation, while -거든 often occurs before a polite main clause such as 가십시오 or 하세요.
What learners get wrong
Do not confuse conditional -거든 with sentence-final -거든요, which commonly gives an explanation such as “because...” or “you see.” For a condition meaning “if/when,” -거든 normally comes before the main clause.
Reasoning
Examples
오늘은 공부해야 해요. 내일 중간시험을 보거든요.
I have to study today. Because I have a midterm exam tomorrow.
시원한 바람이 솔솔 불고, 배가 고프면 간식도 먹을 수 있거든요.
The cool breeze is blowing, and if you're hungry, you can also eat snacks.
한국에서는 집의 크기를 이야기할 때 '평', 평이라는 단위를 쓰거든요.
In Korea, when talking about the size of a house, we use the unit called '평'.
When you'd hear it
-거든요 is common in conversational Korean, especially when adding an explanation or background the listener may not know. It appears frequently in everyday speech, dramas, and informal workplace conversation; the plain -거든 is more casual than -거든요.
What learners get wrong
In its reasoning use, -거든요 presents information as an explanation or justification, while -아서/어서 is a more neutral causal connector. Do not confuse it with the separate conditional use of -거든, meaning “if.”
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