Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Grammar Supplement · Curriculum gap

-게끔

-게끔: So That… — Purpose With a Firm Push

Connective -게끔 「001」: prior content becomes the purpose, result, manner, or degree of what follows — more emphatic than -게.

Before this, make sure you know: -게 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Verb stem + -게끔	-게끔	알게끔 / 들리게끔
With honorific	-으시게끔	보시게끔

-게끔 marks purpose or result with a firm push — so that….

우리말샘 -게끔 「001」. Stronger than plain -게.

Why this is hard

Learners treat -게 and -게끔 as spelling variants. The dictionary marks -게끔 as emphasized. Using the heavy form for soft café requests can sound pushy; using plain -게 when you need that push can sound weak.

What it does

You shape the following action toward a clear outcome.

모두 알게끔 설명하세요.
잘 들리게끔 말해 주세요.
실수하지 않게끔 다시 확인했어요.
아이들이 보게끔 앞에 두었어요.

Forms

Verb stem + -게끔 (often after -으시- too).

알다 → 알게끔
들리다 → 들리게끔
보다 → 보게끔

When not to use it

Do not use the heavy form for every soft so that.

Do not confuse it with adjective adverbial -게 alone without purpose colour.

Do not swap it blindly for intention -으려고.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-게	Milder manner / result seat.
-도록	Goal / extent package.
-으려고	Intention purpose.

Ask: am I pushing the outcome firmly with a -게 family form? If yes, -게끔. If soft manner, plain -게 may do.

Do not confuse it with

-게

turning an adjective into "how" something is done

-도록

so that, until, in such a way that (targeted outcome)

-으려고 / -려고

intending to, in order to

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 교재·표준 교육과정 밖의 문법 (Grammar outside of textbooks and standard curriculum) — Advanced Grammar Supplement, Unit 1, on the theme of Curriculum gap. These come with it:

-는 셈이다 amounts to / counts as — treating the situation as that result (-는 셈이다) -을 지경이다 to the point of… — an extreme state or plight (-을 지경이다) -기 십상이다 almost certain to… — nine times out of ten (-기 십상이다) -는 둥 마는 둥 half-doing it — barely, half-heartedly (-는 둥 마는 둥) -던 차에 just when… — at the very moment that was underway (-던 차에) 으로 말미암아 owing to… — formal written cause (으로 말미암아) -는답시고 under the pretext of… — claiming to, often critically (-는답시고) -는가 하면 and then again… — stacking contrasting cases (-는가 하면) -을 겸 while also… — doing it for that purpose too (-을 겸) -을 턱이 없다 no reason whatsoever… — denying grounds flatly (-을 턱이 없다) -을 리 만무하다 utterly no chance… — impossibility stressed (-을 리 만무하다) -을 성싶다 seems likely to… — a soft forecast (-을 성싶다) -을지언정 even if… — conceding then holding the other line (-을지언정) -기 그지없다 endlessly… — extreme degree with no bound (-기 그지없다) -기 이를 데 없다 beyond words… — so much there is no way to say it (-기 이를 데 없다) -다 못해 unable to go on… — past the limit, then the sequel (-다 못해) -는 셈치고 pretending / counting it as… — provisional assumption (-는 셈치고) -는다 뿐이지 only that… — limiting the claim to just that (-는다 뿐이지) -는다손 치더라도 even granting that… — strong concession then pushback (-는다손 치더라도) -어 주십사 please do… for me — earnest old-style request (-어 주십사) -겠거니 thinking it would… — assumption that guides the next act (-겠거니) -으랴 -으랴 what with A and B… — piling pressures or tasks (-으랴 -으랴) -으려던 참이다 was just about to… — intention interrupted at the brink (-으려던 참이다) -는다기보다는 rather than saying… — reframing the label (-는다기보다는) -은 끝에 after all that… — only at the end of the ordeal (-은 끝에) -은 바 있다 have (once)… — formal experience on record (-은 바 있다) -건 간에 whether A or B… — it does not matter which (-건 간에)

Words used above

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-게끔-gekkeumso that… (emphatic)

-게-geso that / in a … way — milder

목적mokjeokpurpose

강조gangjoemphasis

결과gyeolgwaresult

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. Training starts in five minutes and nobody can afford to miss the point — you want a firm push so everyone ends up knowing. Which line?

2. You need the honorific forms-table shape -으시게끔 on 보다 — which line uses it?

3. Same stem 들리다 — you want the firm -게끔 push so the words land clearly, not the milder everyday -게. Which line?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 -게끔 「001」: purpose, result, manner, or degree of what follows — more emphatic than -게.

Vs -도록?

-도록 also sets a goal/extent. -게끔 leans on the -게 family with extra push.

Vs -으려고?

-으려고 is intention purpose. -게끔 shapes how the following act should land.

Café soft?

Plain -게 / -도록 often. Keep -게끔 when you want the firm push.