TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-아/어 오다 (화자 쪽으로)
Shows that someone else's action is directed toward the speaker or the speaker's side: 'X contacted us, X proposed to me, X came asking'. Common in reports and news.
시제·상Tense & aspectHan: -아/어 오다 marks an action coming toward the speaker, so the speaker cannot be the one reaching out.
Examples
한 회사에서 같이 일하자고 제안해 왔지만 거절했어요.A company offered me a job with them, but I turned it down.
손님 한 분이 배송이 늦어진 이유를 물어 왔습니다.A customer contacted us asking why the delivery was late.
졸업한 지 5년 만에 옛 친구가 먼저 연락해 왔어요.Five years after graduation, an old friend got in touch with me first.
Don’t mix up
-아/어 오다 (화자 쪽으로)vs-아/어 가다/오다 (계속)The continuation sense looks back over time: 이 회사는 30년 동안 성장해 왔다. The directional sense is one act toward us: 한 회사가 투자를 제안해 왔다.
-아/어 오다 (화자 쪽으로)vs-아/어 주다-아/어 주다 frames the act as a favour to me; -아/어 오다 only shows it came my way, often unexpectedly: 친구가 연락해 줘서 고마웠어요 vs 모르는 사람이 연락해 왔어요.How to build it
V+아/어/해 오다 (usually past: -아/어 왔다)
연락하다 → 연락해 오다; 제안하다 → 제안해 오다; 묻다 → 물어 오다 (ㄷ irregular); 걸다 → 말을 걸어오다 (one word); 보내다 → 보내오다 (one word)
- The doer is someone else and the action comes toward 'me/us' (저, 우리, 저희 회사). You cannot use it for your own action toward others.
- Typical verbs are about communication and offers: 연락하다, 전화하다, 제안하다, 요청하다, 부탁하다, 문의하다, 알리다, 묻다, 사과하다, 말을 걸다, 도전하다.
- It often stresses that the other side took the initiative, so it pairs with 먼저, 갑자기, 직접: 먼저 사과해 왔어요.
- Do not confuse it with -아/어 오다 'have been doing up to now' (10년 동안 노력해 왔다) or with 'do and bring' (빵을 사 왔다). A time span signals continuation; 'to me/us' signals direction.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 제가 먼저 그 회사에 연락해 왔어요.
Right: 그 회사에서 먼저 저에게 연락해 왔어요. / 제가 먼저 그 회사에 연락했어요.
-아/어 오다 marks an action coming toward the speaker, so the speaker cannot be the one reaching out.
Practise -아/어 오다 (화자 쪽으로) on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -던-던 describes a noun with an action that was ongoing, repeated or left unfinished in the past: 'that I used to / was doing'.
- -고 말다Says that something ended up happening in the end, usually against one's wishes or expectations (often with regret); with -겠다 it expresses strong determination.
- -곤 하다-곤 하다 says something was done repeatedly, as a habit: 'used to / would often'.
- -는 중이다Shows that someone is right in the middle of an action, either now or at a given moment in the past.
- -아/어 가다/오다-아/어 가다 means a change continuing from now into the future; -아/어 오다 means a change that has continued up to now.
- -아/어 두다(놓다)-아/어 두다(놓다) means you do something on purpose and leave the result in place, usually so it is ready for later.
- -아/어 버리다-아/어 버리다 shows that an action is completely finished and gone, usually adding the speaker's feeling of regret ("ended up") or relief ("got it over with").
- -았/었었--았/었었- is the 'more past' form: something was true or done in the past but is no longer so.
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.