jabi-고요
-고요: Softening an Answer or Adding a Beat
Softens a statement or continues an answer — a spoken, polite-feeling cousin of connective -고.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / adjective stem | stem + -고요 | 가다 → 가고요 / 좋다 → 좋고요 |
| After a full polite clause (additive) | …요. …고요. | 선물은 꽃이요. 카드도 사고요. |
-고요 softens what you say or adds one more beat.
Sejong parks it in a housewarming unit next to obligation talk — what should I buy? answers often trail: flowers, and a card… -고요.
Dictionary labelling for a dedicated -고요 ending is messy; classroom Korean still needs the form. Teach the job, not a fake headword quote.
What it feels like
Related to connective -고, but often sentence-final with polite 요:
선물은 꽃이요. 카드도 사고요. The gift is flowers. And I’ll buy a card too.
저는 가요. 친구도 가고요. I’m going. And a friend is going too.It can soften an answer so it does not land like a slammed door.
Not the same as -는데
| Job | |
|---|---|
| -는데① | Background / soft lead-in / trailing implication |
| -고요 | Additive or softened continuation |
If you mean but / so…?, you usually want -는데. If you mean and also…, -고요 fits better.
Do not overuse
English and… and… and… habits produce -고요 on every line. Native speech uses it for a soft add, then moves on. One or two beats is enough.
Same-unit partner
Housewarming planning also uses -어야 되다 (have to / should). Obligation names the duty; -고요 softens how you stack the shopping list.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
In the Sejong course this appears in 집들이에 뭘 사 가야 돼요? — Sejong Korean 1, Unit 17, on the theme of 집들이. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. What is -고요 mainly doing in conversation?
2. How does it relate to -고?
3. What goes wrong if every sentence ends in -고요?
Common questions
Is -고요 in the dictionary as its own ending?
Classroom Korean teaches it as a soft spoken form related to -고 + 요. Treat the job (soften / add) as the lesson — do not wait for a single neat headword.
Is this the same as -는데요?
No. [[g:neunde1]] sets background or leaves a soft gap. -고요 more often adds another beat or softens a listing answer.
Can I use it in a job interview?
It is casual-polite conversation flavour. Heavy formal scenes prefer cleaner 합니다체 endings without trailing -고요.
What about 그리고요?
Same soft additive habit: 'and also…' when you continue an answer. Useful in shopping and gift talk.