-길래
since I saw that…, so I
Gives a reason drawn from something outside yourself — what you saw, heard, or noticed — followed by what you did about it.
Build it
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When to use it
Attach -길래 to any stem — no vowel rule, ㄹ stays, and tense can appear in front: 갔길래.
The structure is fixed. The first clause reports something outside you that you observed; the second reports your own action in response: 사과가 싸길래 좀 샀어요.
That means the first clause normally has a different subject from you. 제가 배고프길래 밥을 먹었어요 sounds wrong, because you do not observe your own hunger from outside.
It belongs to speech; the written equivalent is -기에. And like -아서, it does not take commands or suggestions afterwards — the second clause reports what you already did.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Any verb or adjective | -길래 | 싸다 → 싸길래 |
| ㄹ stems keep the ㄹ | -길래 | 만들다 → 만들길래 |
| Past | -았/었길래 | 갔길래 |
| First clause subject | not yourself | 사과가 싸길래 |
| Second clause | your own action | 좀 샀어요 |
| Written equivalent | -기에 | 싸기에 샀습니다 |
In use
사과가 싸길래 좀 샀어요.
The apples were cheap, so I bought a few.
밖이 시끄럽길래 나가 봤어요.
It was noisy outside, so I went out to look.
날씨가 좋길래 산책을 했어요.
The weather was nice, so I went for a walk.
아무도 안 만들길래 제가 만들었어요.
Nobody else was making it, so I did.
친구가 아프다고 하길래 죽을 사 갔어요.
My friend said she was ill, so I took her some porridge.
가게가 문을 닫았길래 그냥 돌아왔어요.
The shop was closed, so I just came back.
Compared with
-아서/어서
-아서 handles any cause, including your own condition. -길래 specifically frames the reason as something you noticed out in the world.
배고파서 밥을 먹었어요. (I was hungry) / 싸길래 샀어요. (I saw it was cheap)
-(으)니까
-(으)니까 accepts commands and suggestions; -길래 does not. The second clause here is always something you already did.
싸니까 사세요. (it’s cheap, so buy it) / 싸길래 샀어요. (it was cheap, so I bought it)
-기에
The written counterpart. Same structure, same restrictions, but at home in reports and formal prose rather than conversation.
싸길래 샀어요. (speech) / 저렴하기에 구입했습니다. (writing)
Watch out
제가 배고프길래 밥을 먹었어요.
제가 배고파서 밥을 먹었어요.
-길래 frames the reason as something observed outside yourself. Your own hunger is not observed that way.
사과가 싸길래 좀 사세요.
사과가 싸니까 좀 사세요.
-길래 cannot be followed by a command. The second clause reports what you yourself did.
아무도 안 만드길래 제가 만들었어요.
아무도 안 만들길래 제가 만들었어요.
-길래 attaches to the plain stem and ㄹ stays, unlike -는 or -(으)니까 where it drops.
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