Connecting Sentences — -고, -지만 and -아서/어서

Add 고 to a verb or adjective stem for "and" or "and then", 지만 for "but", and 아서/어서 for "because" or "so". These endings join two short sentences into one. With 아서/어서 the past tense goes only at the end, and no command or suggestion can follow.

1. Why learn this

Short sentences are a good start, but real conversation needs longer ones. You want to say "I ate and left", "It is expensive, but good", or "I was tired, so I slept". Three small endings let you do all of this.

Each ending attaches to the stem, just like the patterns you already know. 고 and 지만 never change their form, so they are very easy. 아서/어서 changes a little, depending on the last vowel of the stem.

The hard part is choosing the right ending for the meaning. 고 is neutral, 지만 shows contrast, and 아서/어서 shows a reason. This lesson also explains where tense can go and what cannot follow 아서/어서.