Overview
아/어 가다 is a versatile grammatical construction that combines the connective ending -아/어 with the verb 가다 (to go). It primarily conveys two main ideas: continuous progression of an action or state, and physical movement towards a destination while performing an action. It emphasizes the ongoing nature and direction of an action or state.
Usage
This expression is used in several contexts to add nuance to verbs and adjectives:
- Continuous Progression (Temporal): When attached to verbs describing an action, it indicates that the action is continuously unfolding or gradually progressing over time. It often implies a sense of development or a process that is still underway but moving forward. This usage highlights the ongoing nature and the forward momentum of an action or state.
- Example: 시간이 흘러가다 (time flows on), 일이 잘 되어가다 (things are going well).
- Physical Movement (Spatial): When attached to verbs of action, it can also describe an action that is performed while moving towards a specific location. In this sense, 가다 retains its literal meaning of "to go" or "to move away."
- Example: 걸어가다 (to walk and go), 먹으면서 가다 (to eat while going).
- Approaching Completion or a State: It can suggest that something is nearing completion or gradually reaching a certain state. This is particularly common with adjectives or verbs describing a change in state.
- Example: 날씨가 추워져 가다 (the weather is getting colder), 숙제가 끝나가다 (homework is almost done).
Conjugation Rules
The verb or adjective stem conjugates with -아/어 first, then 가다 is attached.
- If the last vowel of the verb/adjective stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use -아 가다.
- Example: 살다 (to live) → 살아 가다
- Example: 오다 (to come) → 와 가다 (오 + 아 → 와)
- If the last vowel is anything else (ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅡ, ㅣ, etc.), use -어 가다.
- Example: 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어 가다
- Example: 만들다 (to make) → 만들어 가다
- If the verb is 하다, it becomes -하여 가다 or the contracted form -해 가다.
- Example: 공부하다 (to study) → 공부해 가다
Knowledge Plus
- Contrast with -아/어 오다: While -아/어 가다 implies movement away from the speaker or a progression forward in time, -아/어 오다 implies movement towards the speaker or a progression up to the present from the past. Think of 가다 as "going away/forward" and 오다 as "coming here/up to now."
- This expression is frequently used with verbs like 살다 (to live), 지내다 (to spend time), 되다 (to become), and 하다 (to do) to describe the ongoing process of life, work, or development.
- It can sometimes overlap with the simple present progressive (-고 있다), but 아/어 가다 often emphasizes the direction, progression, or gradual change more strongly than just the ongoing nature of an action.