Today, we will learn another piece of integral Korean vocabulary– “go” in Korean.
This is a word you will use a lot in your conversations and also hear often, so you do not want to miss out on learning it. You will learn the base verb for it, as well as additional uses for it, like go out and go back. You will not believe how diverse the use of “go” can be!
Now, let’s go!
Contents
How to say “go” in Korean
The verb 가다 (gada) is used for “go” in Korean. As you already know from our grammar lessons, to use the word in a sentence, you will drop -다 and add whichever ending expresses what you intend to say at the correct level of politeness required. In this case, we will drop -다 (-da) from 가다 (ga-da).
Let’s also learn to say words and use them in sentences. Below you can find some example sentences that should help you learn how to use the different forms of this verb.
Formal “Go” in Korean
When simply used in the present tense, you may say 갑니다 (gamnida) when being honorific.
Standard “Go” in Korean
When being polite or used in its standard form, you can say 가요 (gayo).
Sample sentences:
오늘 우리는 수영하러 가요. (oneul urineun suyeonghareo gayo.)
Today we go swimming.
학교에 버스로 가요. (hakgyoe beoseuro gayo.)
I go to school by bus.
지난 주말에 어디에 갔어요? (jinan jumare eodie gasseoyo?)
Where did you go last weekend?
도서관에 숙제를 하러 갈 거예요. (doseogwane sukjereul hareo gal geoyeyo.)
I will go to the library to do my homework.
일주일에 세 번 댄스 학원에 다녀요. (iljuire se beon daenseu hagwone danyeoyo.)
I go to the dance academy three times a week.
Informal “Go” in Korean
When you are in casual or informal situations, you can use 가 (ga). Remember, this should only be used with a person you have a close relationship with.
“Go” verb is a surprisingly versatile word in Korean and may be combined together with other verbs to build a new verb for certain meanings. Some of these Korean words are called compound words.
Below, you will find a section that lists out many of the forms you can use the word “go.”
Different phrases that include “가다”
Now, as we mentioned, there are also many compound words using the word “go” in Korean. Their English translation may not always include “go” in it, but the Korean word is heavily involved with them.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Come by and leave | 다녀가다 (danyeogada) |
| Leave, depart | 떠나가다 (tteonagada) |
| Pass by | 지나가다 (jinagada) |
| Take someone | 데려가다 (deryeogada) |
| Take something | 가져가다 (gajyeogada) |
“Leave” in Korean
The Korean word for “leave” is 떠나가다 (tteonagada), which can also translate to “depart.”
배가 멀리 떠나가고 있었어요 (baega meolli tteonagago isseosseoyo)
The ship was leaving far away.
Different phrases that include “go”
Here is a short section of phrase examples where the word “go” is included, at least in the meaning and English translation of the word.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Go across/over | 건너가다 (geonneogada) |
| Go after | 추구하다 (chuguhada) |
| Go after | 얻으려고 하다 (eodeuryeogo hada) |
| Go after/along | 따라가다 (ttaragada) |
| Go against | ~에 반대하다 (~e bandaehada) |
| Go along | 진행되다 (jinhaengdoeda) |
| Go along | ~에 동의하다 (~e donguihada) |
| Go around | 돌아다니다 (doradanida) |
| Go back | 돌아가다 (doragada) |
| Go between | ~의 사이에 들어가다 (~ui saie deureogada) |
| Go beyond | ~보다 뛰어나다 (~boda ttwieonada) |
| Go down | 내려가다 (naeryeogada) |
| Go grocery shopping | 시장을 가다 (sijangeu lgada) |
| Go home | 집에 가다 (jibe gada) |
| Go into | ~에 들어가다 (~e deureogada) |
| Go on | 계속 가다 (gyesok gada) |
| Go on foot | 걸어가다 (georeogada) |
| Go on TV/radio | 출연하다 (chulyeonhada) |
| Go out | 나가다 (nagada) |
| Go straight ahead | 곧장 가다 (gotjang gada) |
| Go to (some place regularly) | 다니다 (danida) |
| Go to do something | ~하러 가다 (~hareo gada) |
| Go to sleep | 잠자리에 들다 (jamjarie deulda) |
| Go up | 올라가다 (ollagada) |
| Let's go | 가자 (gaja) |
We also have a whole article dedicated to let’s go, so you can learn even more!
Wrap Up
And there you have it, another lesson learned and time well spent! Do you find this lesson to be a walk in the park? We hope you find it simple and enjoyable to learn!
Did you think beforehand that learning “go” in Korean would teach you this much vocabulary in just one go? Which phrase do you think you’ll be using the most in your studies?
Moving on to the next lesson, shall we go learn some more Korean verbs?
