Or

The pattern -거나 attaches to the stem of a verb or adjective to connect two or more alternative actions or states. It's the direct equivalent of "or" for clauses.

Formation

Simply attach -거나 to the verb or adjective stem, regardless of whether it ends in a vowel or a consonant.

먹다 (to eat) → 먹거나

가다 (to go) → 가거나

덥다 (to be hot) → 덥거나

만들다 (to make) → 만들거나

Usage

Use it to list choices or possibilities. The tense and mood of the sentence are determined by the final verb, not by -거나 itself.

Listing two options: A거나 B (A or B)

Listing multiple options: A거나 B거나 C (A or B or C)

주말엔 쉬거나 친구를 만나요. / 음악을 듣거나 영화를 봐요. / 비싸거나 맛없으면 안 가요.

A very common and powerful use of -거나 is to express indifference, similar to the English "whether... or..." construction. This is often done by pairing contrasting ideas.

Verb + 거나 말거나

This is a fixed phrase that means "whether [someone does the verb] or not." The verb 말다 means 'to not do'. This structure is frequently paired with expressions like 신경 안 쓰다 (to not care) or 상관없다 (it doesn't matter).

오거나 말거나 신경 안 써. (I don't care whether you come or not.)

Contrasting Adjectives/Verbs

You can also pair opposite words to show that the result is the same regardless of the situation.

덥거나 춥거나 운동해요. (Whether it's hot or cold, I exercise.)

비싸거나 싸거나 둘 다 좋아요. (Whether it's expensive or cheap, I like them both.)

비가 오거나 눈이 오거나 갈 거예요. / 가거나 오거나 상관없어요. / 살 빼거나 죽거나예요.

Both -거나 and -(이)나 can be translated as "or," but they are used with different parts of speech and are not interchangeable.