-길래 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -길래 to verb, adjective and 이다 stems with no stem changes.
• Use it for a reaction to something you noticed, in the past tense.
• Use 뭐길래 and 얼마나 ...길래 for "what is it that ...?" questions.
• Tell -길래 apart from -(으)니까 and -아/어서.

Prerequisites: the lessons on -(으)니까 and -아/어서. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• Form: stem + -길래, with no 으 and no stem changes. Past: -았/었길래. 이다: 이길래.
• The second clause is your reaction, usually in the past tense.
• No commands or suggestions follow it.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -길래 Grammar Mean?

-길래 links something you noticed to something you did. The first clause is an observation: a scene, a sound, a price, a piece of news. The second clause is your reaction to it.

Three ideas follow.

• You noticed the first thing. You saw it, heard it or were told about it. It is not usually your own plan or feeling.
• The second clause is your reaction. It is often something you did on the spot: stood in line, went outside, bought one.
• The tone is casual. It sounds like a friend telling a story.

Notice the sound of 있길래. The final ㅆ of 있 is said as [ㄷ], and it tenses the ㄱ, so the word is [읻낄래]. RR does not show tensing that comes from a neighbouring sound, so it reads itgillae. The next section shows how to form the pattern.

How Do You Form -길래?

Attach -길래 to the stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. The ending begins with a consonant, so every stem works in the same way.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

Add 길래 directly.

The sentence 가격이 싸길래 하나 샀어요 means "The price was cheap, so I bought one." The sentence 동생이 방에서 안 나오길래 문을 두드렸어요 means "My sibling didn't come out of the room, so I knocked on the door." Here the subjects differ: 동생 in the first clause, and the speaker in the second.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

The ending does not change. There is no 으.

Spoken, the final consonant tenses the ㄱ of 길래: 먹길래 is [먹낄래], 같길래 is [갇낄래], 있길래 is [읻낄래] and 시끄럽길래 is [시끄럽낄래]. The sentence 친구가 우는 것 같길래 괜찮냐고 물어봤어요 means "My friend seemed to be crying, so I asked if she was okay."

Irregular Stems and Nouns

• ㄹ stems keep ㄹ, because the ending begins with ㄱ: 울다 becomes 울길래, and 살다 becomes 살길래. The sentence 아이가 울길래 안아 줬어요 means "The child was crying, so I held her."
• ㅂ, ㄷ and 르 verbs do not change: 시끄럽길래, 듣길래, 모르길래.
• Past tense puts 았/었 inside the first clause: 보였길래, 예뻤길래.
• Honorific puts 시 inside: 오시길래, 바쁘시길래.
• Nouns take 이다, giving 이길래: 학생이길래, 누구길래, 뭐길래. The 이 can disappear after a vowel, as in 뭐길래 (뭐 + 이길래).

The next section builds a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building 사람들이 줄을 서 있길래 저도 섰어요

Say that you walked past a shop, saw a line and joined it. Follow five steps.

1. Describe what you noticed. "People are standing in line" is 사람들이 줄을 서 있다. The form -아/어 있다 describes a state that continues.
2. Remove 다. The stem is 있.
3. Add 길래. 있 + 길래 = 있길래. You do not need 으.
4. Write your reaction. "I stood too" is 저도 섰어요. The tense goes here, on the last verb.
5. Join the parts. 사람들이 줄을 서 있길래 저도 섰어요.

You'll know it worked when the first clause describes something you saw, the second clause is your own reaction, and no command follows. If you wanted to tell someone to take an umbrella because of the rain, the sentence would change to -(으)니까.

The next section covers tense and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -길래?

The first clause can show present or past, and the last verb carries your reaction.

The most common shape is a past-tense statement, because the pattern tells a small story: "I noticed this, so I did that."

The second shape is a question. 뭘 먹길래 그렇게 행복해 보여요? asks what the listener is eating, and the surprise is in "that you look so happy." 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. Questions like this often start with 뭐길래, 누구길래, 어떻길래 or 얼마나 ...길래, and they mean "What is it that ...?", "Who is it that ...?" or "How ... must it be that ...?"

Commands and suggestions do not fit. The speaker is reporting a reaction, not giving an instruction. For that, use -(으)니까.

The next section compares -길래 with -(으)니까 and -아/어서.

How Is -길래 Different from -(으)니까?

All three give a reason. The difference is where the reason comes from and what can follow.

Compare these three sentences about the same rain.

• 비가 오길래 우산을 가져갔어요. "It was raining, so I took an umbrella." I noticed the rain and reacted.
• 비가 오니까 우산을 가져가세요. "It's raining, so take an umbrella." A reason that leads to a command.
• 비가 와서 우산을 가져갔어요. "Because it rained, I took an umbrella." A plain cause.

The main difference is the story. -길래 sounds like "I saw it, and I reacted," which is why it is common in anecdotes. -아/어서 sounds like a plain statement of cause. -(으)니까 sounds like advice or an instruction. See also the neighbouring pattern -고 해서, which gives one reason among several.

The next section covers other uses and edge cases.

Variations and Edge Cases of -길래

Different Subjects Are Normal

The first clause is usually about someone or something else: 동생이 안 나오길래 (my sibling didn't come out), 가격이 싸길래 (the price was cheap). The second clause is about you. This is the opposite of -느라고, where both clauses share one subject.

The "What Is It That" Question

In a question, the first clause names the thing that has made you curious: 그 영화가 뭐길래 다들 보러 가요? means "What is so special about that film that everyone goes to see it?" The speaker is not asking for a literal answer. The speaker is expressing surprise.

Casual, Spoken Register

-길래 is an everyday spoken ending. In formal writing, the written partner is -기에, which has a similar meaning. You will hear -길래 with friends and coworkers, and you will not need it in a formal report.

Your Own Plans and Feelings

-길래 reports something you noticed in the world. It does not fit a plan or a feeling that comes from you alone. If you were simply tired, say 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요.

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -길래?

Learners make six predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often follow it with a command. Wrong: 비가 오길래 우산을 가져가세요. Right: 비가 오니까 우산을 가져가세요. Fix: use -(으)니까 for commands and suggestions.

Learners often use it for their own reason. It sounds off: 피곤하길래 일찍 잤어요. Better: 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요. Fix: -길래 needs a reason you noticed, usually about someone or something else.

Learners often add 으. Wrong: 먹으길래. Right: 먹길래. Fix: -길래 has no linking vowel.

Learners often drop ㄹ from ㄹ stems. Wrong: 우길래. Right: 울길래. Fix: ㄹ stays before ㄱ.

Learners often put the reaction in the present tense. It sounds unfinished: 사람들이 줄을 서 있길래 저도 서요. Better: 사람들이 줄을 서 있길래 저도 섰어요. Fix: the reaction is usually a past event.

Learners often use it in formal writing. Casual -길래 does not suit a report. Fix: use -기에 or -기 때문에 there.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: add the ending. Write the form with -길래.

1. 오다
2. 먹다
3. 울다
4. 시끄럽다
5. 누구 (noun)

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 먹으길래 따라 샀어요.
2. 비가 오길래 우산을 가져가세요.
3. 아이가 우길래 안아 줬어요.

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "The price was cheap, so I bought one." and "What is it about that film that everyone goes to see it?"

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence that tells what you noticed and how you reacted, and one "what is it that ...?" question about something popular.

Answer key

1. (1) 오길래 (2) 먹길래 (3) 울길래 (4) 시끄럽길래 (5) 누구길래
2. (1) 먹길래 따라 샀어요. (2) 비가 오니까 우산을 가져가세요. (3) 아이가 울길래 안아 줬어요.
3. 가격이 싸길래 하나 샀어요. 그 영화가 뭐길래 다들 보러 가요? Other correct versions exist.
4. Sample answers: 친구가 웃길래 저도 웃었어요. 이 가게가 뭐길래 사람들이 이렇게 많이 와요? Any pair is correct if the first clause is something noticed, the reaction is in the past, and no command follows.

If task 1 was correct, you have the form rule. If task 2 was hard, review the ㄹ stem and what can follow. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -길래 Grammar?

After -길래, review -(으)니까, the reason that leads to commands, and -아/어서, the plain cause.

For a wider view, the parent page Cause and Reason lists every pattern in this group. -길래 sits at level B2 on the Advanced Grammar list, which is an editorial estimate. For the tense that goes inside the first clause, see past tense -았/었-. TOPIK is run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED); check topik.go.kr for what the exam covers.

This lesson covers -길래 in everyday spoken Korean. It does not cover the written -기에 in detail. 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 -길래 Mean?

-길래 means "because I noticed X, I did Y". The first clause gives something you saw or heard, and the second clause gives your reaction to it. 사람들이 줄을 서 있길래 저도 섰어요 means "People were standing in line, so I stood in line too." It is common in everyday stories, and in "what is it that ...?" questions.

How Do I Attach -길래 to a Verb or Adjective?

Remove 다 from the dictionary form and add -길래. Nothing changes, because 길래 begins with a consonant: 오길래, 먹길래, 싸길래, 울길래, 시끄럽길래. There is no 으. Nouns take 이길래, as in 누구길래 and 뭐길래. The past form is -았/었길래, as in 보였길래.

Can -길래 Be Used in the past Tense?

Yes. Put 았/었 inside the first clause when the thing you noticed was in the past: 표정이 안 좋아 보였길래 물어봤어요. The second clause, which is your reaction, is usually in the past tense too. A reaction in the present tense sounds unfinished, so 저도 섰어요 is more natural than 저도 서요.

Is -길래 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?

It is a spoken, casual ending. You will hear it with friends and coworkers, in stories and in surprised questions. It is less suitable for formal reports or essays, where the written partner -기에 or -기 때문에 is used. With the polite -어요 ending, it works well in ordinary conversation.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -길래?

The most common mistake is following it with a command, as in 비가 오길래 우산을 가져가세요. That is wrong. Use -(으)니까 for commands and suggestions. Learners also use -길래 for their own plans or feelings, such as 피곤하길래 일찍 잤어요, which sounds off. Use -아/어서 there.

What Is the Difference between -길래 and -(으)니까?

-길래 reports something you noticed and your own reaction, in the past tense, and no command can follow. -(으)니까 gives a reason that the listener can see, and it can lead into a command or a suggestion. 비가 오길래 우산을 가져갔어요 tells a story. 비가 오니까 우산을 가져가세요 gives advice.

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