What you'll learn
- Attach -아/어 가지고 with the -아/어서 vowel rule.
- Tell its two meanings apart: a casual reason, and "and then" with a carried result.
- Know where it fits (speech) and where it does not (formal writing).
- Choose between -아/어 가지고, -아/어서 and -고.
Prerequisites: the lesson on -아/어서, and the lesson on -고. Time: about 15 minutes.
Key facts
- -아/어 가지고 is formed with the -아/어서 rule: 막혀, 모아, 사, 해. Then 가지고 follows as a separate word.
- It has two meanings: a casual reason and "and then".
- In the "and then" meaning, you keep or carry the result of the first action. 사 가지고 오다 means "buy it and bring it".
- It is a spoken pattern. Do not use it in formal essays or reports.
- A spoken short form exists: -아/어 갖고.
Listen to two model sentences.
The next section defines the pattern.
What Does -아/어 가지고 Grammar Mean?
-아/어 가지고 is a connective pattern, a pattern that joins one clause to the next. It is built from three parts: a verb with 아 or 어, then the auxiliary verb 가지다 in its -고 form. 가지다 means "have" or "hold" as a main verb. Here it works as an auxiliary verb, a verb that follows a main verb and adds a meaning of its own. The idea behind the pattern is "having done X, and holding on to the result of X."
That idea gives the two meanings.
Meaning 1: and then, with a carried result. You do the first action and keep its result with you: 돈을 모아 가지고 여행을 갔어요. You saved money, and you took the money on the trip.
Meaning 2: casual reason. The first action or state leads to the second as its cause. 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요: the road was jammed, so I was late. This is the most common use in conversation. It sounds relaxed, and it often introduces a problem or an excuse.
| Part | 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요. | 돈을 모아 가지고 여행을 갔어요. |
|---|---|---|
| First clause | 길이 막혀 가지고 (the road was jammed, so) | 돈을 모아 가지고 (I saved money, and then) |
| Second clause | 늦었어요 (I was late) | 여행을 갔어요 (I went on a trip) |
| Meaning | casual reason | and then |
| Spoken | [기리 마켜 가지고 느저써요] | [도늘 모아 가지고 여행을 가써요] |
| RR (aid) | giri makyeo gajigo neujeosseoyo | doneul moa gajigo yeohaengeul gasseoyo |
| English | The road was jammed, so I was late. | I saved money and then went on a trip. |
In 막혀, the stem 막히 meets 어 and becomes 막혀. The ㄱ and ㅎ also join in speech to make an aspirated ㅋ, so the word sounds like [마켜]. RR shows this change in a predicate, so it writes makyeo. The next section shows how to build the form.
How Do You Form -아/어 가지고?
The form needs no new rule. Build the -아/어서 form, remove 서, and add 가지고 as a separate word. The stem is the dictionary form without 다. For 사다 the stem is 사.
- If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아. Otherwise add 어.
- For 하다 words, use 해.
- Merge the vowels where the -아/어서 rule merges them.
- Write 가지고 as the next word.
Stems Ending in a Vowel
| Dictionary form | -아/어 form | With 가지고 | RR (aid) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 사다 (buy) | 사 | 사 가지고 | sa gajigo |
| 오다 (come) | 와 | 와 가지고 | wa gajigo |
| 막히다 (be blocked) | 막혀 | 막혀 가지고 | makyeo gajigo |
| 피곤하다 (be tired) | 피곤해 | 피곤해 가지고 | pigonhae gajigo |
| 모으다 (save, gather) | 모아 | 모아 가지고 | moa gajigo |
Stems Ending in a Consonant
| Dictionary form | -아/어 form | With 가지고 | Spoken | RR (aid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 찾다 (find) | 찾아 | 찾아 가지고 | [차자 가지고] | chaja gajigo |
| 늦다 (be late) | 늦어 | 늦어 가지고 | [느저 가지고] | neujeo gajigo |
| 많다 (be many) | 많아 | 많아 가지고 | [마나 가지고] | mana gajigo |
| 만들다 (make) | 만들어 | 만들어 가지고 | [만드러 가지고] | mandeureo gajigo |
Irregular Stems
Irregular stems change just as they do in -아/어서.
| Type | Dictionary form | With 가지고 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅂ | 덥다 (be hot) | 더워 가지고 | ㅂ becomes 우 |
| ㄷ | 듣다 (listen) | 들어 가지고 | ㄷ becomes ㄹ |
| 르 | 모르다 (not know) | 몰라 가지고 | 르 becomes ㄹ라 |
| ㅡ | 바쁘다 (be busy) | 바빠 가지고 | ㅡ drops |
| ㅡ | 아프다 (be sick) | 아파 가지고 | ㅡ drops |
| ㄹ | 살다 (live) | 살아 가지고 | ㄹ stays |
모으다 ends in the vowel ㅡ, which drops before 아: 모으 + 아 = 모아. For nouns and 이다, the pattern is rare. You may hear (이)라 가지고 in very casual talk, but the safe choice is (이)라서 or 때문에: 학생이라서. See -아/어서 for the details.
The Short Form 갖고
In everyday speech, 가지고 is often shortened to 갖고, from 가지다 → 갖다. The meaning does not change: 길이 막혀 갖고 늦었어요. 갖고 is said [갇꼬], and RR writes gatgo.
The next section builds a full sentence.
Worked Example: Building 과일을 사 가지고 갔어요
Say that you bought fruit and took it along. Follow five steps.
- Pick the first action. "Buy" is 사다. The stem is 사.
- Apply the -아/어서 vowel rule. 사 ends in ㅏ, so add 아. 사 + 아 merges into 사.
- Add 가지고. 사 가지고 means "buy it and hold on to it."
- Write the next action in the past. "I went" is 갔어요. The tense goes here, on the last verb.
- Join the parts and add the object. 과일을 사 가지고 갔어요.
You'll know it worked when 가지고 is a separate word after the merged -아/어 form, there is no tense inside the first part, and the second action shows what you did with the thing you kept. The same steps give 도시락을 싸 가지고 소풍을 갔어요 ("I packed a lunch and went on a picnic").
Sentence
I bought fruit and took it with me.
Show answer
과일을 사 가지고 갔어요
The next section covers tense and sentence types.
Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -아/어 가지고?
The grid shows what can go inside the pattern and what can follow it.
| Slot | Reason ("because") | And then |
|---|---|---|
| Past 았/었 inside | no | no |
| Future or guess 겠 inside | no | no |
| Same subject in both clauses | not required | yes |
| Statement after | yes | yes |
| Question after | yes | yes |
| Command after | no | yes: 사 가지고 오세요 |
| Suggestion after | no | yes: 사 가지고 가요 |
The ending itself has no tense. It takes the tense of the last verb. So 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요 is a past sentence because 늦었어요 is past. Writing 막혔어 가지고 is not standard.
In the "and then" use, a command is fine. 먹을 것 좀 사 가지고 오세요 means "Please buy some food and bring it." The first action is just a step. In the reason use, a command does not fit, for the same reason as with -아/어서: a cause is a fact, and a command is a request. After a reason, use -(으)니까: 늦었으니까 서두르세요.
Yes/no questions end with a rise: 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요? A wh-question puts the stress on the question word and often ends with a fall or a rise-fall, rather than a sharp rise: 왜 늦었어요? A short reply to that question is 길이 막혀 가지고요.
The next section compares -아/어 가지고 with -아/어서 and -고.
How Is -아/어 가지고 Different from -아/어서?
The two patterns can often swap places. The difference is mostly style, with a small difference in feeling.
| Feature | -아/어 가지고 | -아/어서 | -고 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register | spoken, casual | every setting | every setting |
| Reason | yes, casual | yes, neutral | no |
| And then | yes, with a carried result | yes, closely connected | yes, a loose sequence |
| Fits formal writing | no | yes | yes |
| Thanks or apology | rare | yes: 늦어서 죄송합니다 | no |
| Tense inside | no | no | yes |
| Example | 사 가지고 갔어요. | 사서 갔어요. | 사고 갔어요. |
For the same sentence, compare three versions.
- 길이 막혀서 늦었어요. Neutral. Fine in any setting.
- 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요. Chatty. You are explaining a problem to a friend or coworker.
- 길이 막히고 늦었어요. Unnatural as a reason; -고 does not give a cause.
For "and then," -아/어 가지고 stresses that you hold on to a result. 과일을 사 가지고 갔어요 stresses that you took the fruit with you. 과일을 사고 갔어요 only says that you bought fruit and then went, with no sense that the fruit came along. This "carried result" feeling fits objects you take, make or gather: 사, 싸, 모아, 찾아, 만들어.
It sounds odd with motion verbs that leave nothing to carry. 서울에 가 가지고 친구를 만났어요 is awkward. Use 서울에 가서 친구를 만났어요 instead, with -아/어서.
For a detailed side-by-side with -고, see -고 vs -아/어서.
The next section covers edge cases.
Variations and Edge Cases of -아/어 가지고
Main Verb or Connector?
가지다 is also a main verb that means "have, hold". In 책을 가지고 왔어요, the word 가지고 is just the -고 form of the main verb: "I held a book and came", so "I brought a book." No -아/어 form appears before it. In 책을 사 가지고 왔어요, the verb 사 comes first, and 가지고 is the auxiliary: "I bought a book and brought it."
| Sentence | What 가지고 is | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 책을 가지고 왔어요. | main verb 가지다 | I brought a book. |
| 책을 사 가지고 왔어요. | auxiliary after 사 | I bought a book and brought it. |
| 이 돈을 가지고 뭐 해요? | main verb 가지다 | What will you do with this money? |
The test is simple: look for an -아/어 verb right before 가지고. If there is one, it is the connector pattern. 갖고 can stand in for 가지고 in both uses.
Spacing
The standard spelling writes 가지고 as a separate word: 사 가지고. Because 가지다 is an auxiliary verb here, the spelling rules for auxiliary verbs also allow it to be attached: 사가지고. You will often see the attached form in messages and online. The spaced form is the safest.
Replying to 왜
Like -아/어서, the pattern can end a short reply when someone asks why: 왜 늦었어요? 길이 막혀 가지고요. A speaker who adds 요 stops there, and the listener understands the rest.
Formal Replacements
Use -아/어서 in speeches, reports and news: 길이 막혀서 늦었습니다. Use 때문에 for a noun cause: 교통 체증 때문에 늦었습니다. The pattern -아/어 가지고 is only for talk.
The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.
What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -아/어 가지고?
Learners make seven predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.
Learners often put the past tense inside. Actually the tense goes on the last verb. Wrong: 길이 막혔어 가지고 늦었어요. Right: 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요. Fix: remove 았/었 from the first part.
Learners often use it in formal writing. Actually it is a spoken pattern. Wrong (in a report): 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었습니다. Right: 길이 막혀서 늦었습니다. Fix: switch to -아/어서 in formal settings.
Learners often follow a reason with a command. Wrong: 늦어 가지고 서두르세요. Right: 늦었으니까 서두르세요. Fix: use -(으)니까 before commands and suggestions.
Learners often pick the wrong vowel. Wrong: 먹아 가지고. Right: 먹어 가지고. Fix: look at the last vowel of the stem, as in -아/어서.
Learners often skip the irregular change. Wrong: 덥어 가지고 and 모르어 가지고. Right: 더워 가지고 and 몰라 가지고. Fix: change the stem first.
Learners often mix up the main verb and the connector. Wrong: 책을 가지고 사 왔어요 (to mean "bought a book and brought it"). Right: 책을 사 가지고 왔어요. Fix: the -아/어 verb comes first, then 가지고.
Learners often force it onto a noun. Clumsy: 학생이어 가지고. Better: 학생이라서. Fix: for nouns, use (이)라서 or 때문에.
The next section gives you practice.
Practice and Answers
Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.
Task 1: attach the pattern. Write the form with -아/어 가지고.
- 사다
- 막히다
- 덥다
- 피곤하다
- 모으다
Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.
- 길이 막혔어 가지고 늦었어요.
- 늦어 가지고 서두르세요.
- 보고서에: 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었습니다. (make it suitable for a formal report)
Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "I bought fruit and took it with me." and "I was tired, so I slept early."
Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence that uses -아/어 가지고 for a casual reason, and one that uses it for "and then".
Practice · 5
Which form of 사다 (buy) is correct before 가지고?
Show answer
사
사 ends in ㅏ, and 사 + 아 merges back into 사. A past marker never goes inside.
Which sentence is a mistake?
Show answer
길이 막혔어 가지고 늦었어요.
The tense belongs on the last verb, not inside the pattern.
Where is -아/어 가지고 NOT a good choice?
Show answer
A formal report
It is a spoken pattern. In formal writing, use -아/어서.
In which sentence is 가지고 a main verb?
Show answer
책을 가지고 왔어요.
There is no -아/어 verb before 가지고, so it is the -고 form of the main verb 가지다: "brought a book".
Which form of 모르다 (not know) is correct with this pattern?
Show answer
몰라 가지고
르-irregular stems become ㄹ라 before 아: 몰라.
Answer key
- (1) 사 가지고 (2) 막혀 가지고 (3) 더워 가지고 (4) 피곤해 가지고 (5) 모아 가지고
- (1) 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요. (2) 늦었으니까 서두르세요. (3) 길이 막혀서 늦었습니다.
- 과일을 사 가지고 갔어요. 피곤해 가지고 일찍 잤어요. Other correct versions exist, for example 피곤해 갖고 일찍 잤어요.
- Sample answers: 비가 많이 와 가지고 집에 있었어요. 도시락을 싸 가지고 소풍을 갔어요. Any pair is correct if the first part has no tense and 가지고 follows the merged form.
If task 1 was correct, you have the formation rule. If task 2 was hard, check where the tense and the speech level belong. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.
What Should You Learn after -아/어 가지고 Grammar?
After -아/어 가지고, review -아/어서, the neutral form of the same idea. To check the simplest "and", return to -고.
For a wider view, the parent page Cause and Reason lists every pattern in this group. -아/어 가지고 sits at level B1 on the Intermediate Grammar list. For tense questions, see past tense -았/었-.
This lesson covers -아/어 가지고 in the polite and casual styles. It does not cover every spoken shortening. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. Revised Romanization follows the national rules and is shown only as a learning aid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does -아/어 가지고 Mean?
-아/어 가지고 has two meanings. In speech it works like a casual -아/어서, "because, so": 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요. It also means "and then", where the result of the first action is carried into the next one: 돈을 모아 가지고 여행을 갔어요 means "I saved money and then went on a trip."
How Do I Attach -아/어 가지고 to a Verb or Adjective?
Use the same vowel rule as -아/어서, and then add the separate word 가지고. After ㅏ or ㅗ use 아, otherwise use 어, and merge the vowels where you can: 사 가지고, 와 가지고, 막혀 가지고, 해 가지고. Irregular stems change as usual: 더워 가지고, 몰라 가지고. The short form is 갖고.
Can -아/어 가지고 Be Used in the past Tense?
Not inside the pattern. Do not write 막혔어 가지고. The tense goes on the last verb only, so 길이 막혀 가지고 늦었어요 is understood as past because of 늦었어요. The honorific -(으)시- is possible but rare in this casual pattern. Use -아/어서 if you need the honorific.
Is -아/어 가지고 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?
It is a spoken pattern. Friends, coworkers and family use it all the time in polite and casual speech, usually to explain a problem or an excuse. It sounds too casual for essays, reports and news, where -아/어서 or 때문에 is the normal choice. Do not use it in formal writing.
What Is the Difference between -아/어 가지고 and -아/어서?
They overlap in meaning, but -아/어서 works in every setting and is more common. -아/어 가지고 is more casual, and it fits actions that leave you holding a result, such as 사 가지고 오다 ("buy and bring"). Both avoid tense inside and a command after a reason. Use -아/어서 when you need a neutral style.
