Connect Two Sentences by Changing the Ending

In Korean, you do not always have to speak in short disconnected sentences.

You can connect two ideas into one natural sentence by changing the ending of the first sentence.

Instead of finishing the first sentence with a standard ending like -아요 or -어요 , you replace it with a connecting ending .

When you connect two sentences, the first sentence loses its final ending.

The connected sentence only has one final ending at the very end.

Separate sentences

비가 와요.

집에 있어요.

Connected sentence

비가 와서 집에 있어요. (It is raining, so I am at home.)

Let's look at how sentences change when we connect them to show a reason.

We replace the first ending with a connector that means "so" or "because."

Sentence 1 · Sentence 2

배가 고파요. · 밥을 먹어요.

Connected sentence

배가 고파서 밥을 먹어요. (I am hungry, so I eat a meal.)

We can also connect sentences to show a contrast, like "but."

Again, we drop the first sentence's final ending and attach the connecting ending.

Sentence 1 · Sentence 2

바빠요. · 운동해요.

Connected sentence

바쁘지만 운동해요. (I am busy, but I exercise.)