-고말고

gomalgo

Grammar · 1 sense

of course

Examples

기쁜 일이고말고.

That’s certainly good news.

나야 물론 좋고말고.

Of course I'm all for it.

When you'd hear it

This is a colloquial, emphatic ending used in spoken Korean, often as -고말고요 in warm or strongly affirmative replies. It is common in conversation and drama dialogue, but less suitable for formal writing and can sometimes sound slightly old-fashioned.

What learners get wrong

Although 말고 often means “rather than” or “not,” -고말고 is a fixed ending meaning an emphatic “of course.” It is stronger and more expressive than a neutral 물론이에요.

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