-고서

goseo

Grammar · 1 sense

Sequence

Examples

저 문을 뚫고서 궁전으로 돌진합시다!

Let's break through that door and rush into the palace!

그 남자는 결혼을 하고서 사람이 달라졌어.

He has changed after getting married.

When you'd hear it

-고서 appears in both speech and writing, but it can sound more emphatic or dramatic than plain -고. It is common in narratives, commands, and descriptions of a later change or consequence, as in dramas or formal storytelling.

What learners get wrong

Learners often treat -고서 as a general equivalent of “and,” but it highlights that the first action is completed before the next one. It overlaps with -고 나서, while -고서 is often shorter and more emphatic.

You looked up -고서 — Ipsae makes sure you still know it in three weeks.

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