TOPIK II · LEVEL 5
-길래
Gives what the speaker saw or noticed as the trigger for an action they then took: 'since / when I saw that …, I …'. The conversational form of -기에; in questions it asks what is so special that something happens (뭐길래, 얼마나 …길래).
이유·원인Reason & causeHan: -길래 cannot be followed by a command or suggestion; use -(으)니까.
Examples
옷이 생각보다 너무 싸길래 두 벌이나 샀어요.The clothes were much cheaper than I expected, so I bought two.
도대체 그 영화가 뭐길래 다들 그렇게 난리예요?What on earth is so special about that film that everyone is making such a fuss?
길에서 아이가 혼자 울고 있길래 경찰서에 데려다줬어요.A child was crying alone in the street, so I took them to the police station.
Don’t mix up
-길래vs-아서/어서-아서/어서 is a neutral cause and fits your own state; -길래 is an observed trigger: 배가 고파서 밥을 먹었어요 (O) vs 배가 고프길래 밥을 먹었어요 (odd).-길래vs-(느)ㄴ다길래-(느)ㄴ다길래 gives a reason you heard; -길래 one you saw: 맛있다길래 가 봤어요 (people said) vs 줄이 길길래 들어가 봤어요 (I saw).
How to build it
V/A+길래
N+(이)길래
past: V/A+았/었길래
울다 → 울길래; 싸다 → 싸길래; 학생 → 학생이길래; 친구 → 친구길래; 끝나다 → 끝났길래; 뭐 → 뭐길래
- The main clause is normally the speaker's own action, already done: 싸길래 많이 샀어요. It cannot be a command or suggestion: use -(으)니까 there.
- The -길래 clause is usually another person's action or an outside situation, not the speaker's own action or feeling: 동생이 울길래 (O), 내가 배고프길래 (unnatural).
- In questions it asks what made something happen, often with surprise or complaint: 도대체 뭐길래 그렇게 비싸요? / 얼마나 맛있길래 줄이 이렇게 길어?
- It is spoken style; in writing and formal speech -기에 is used. For something heard from others it becomes -(느)ㄴ다길래 / -(이)라길래.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 시간이 없길래 택시를 타세요.
Right: 시간이 없으니까 택시를 타세요.
-길래 cannot be followed by a command or suggestion; use -(으)니까.
Practise -길래 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄴ/는 나머지-(으)ㄴ 나머지 means that a feeling or action went too far, and this led to a usually unwanted or unexpected result.
- -(느)ㄴ다기에Shows that something you heard from someone else is the reason for what you then did: "since they said ~, I ~".
- -는 통에-는 통에 blames a noisy, hectic or chaotic situation for causing a bad result.
- -(이)란N(이)란 picks out a concept that you are about to define or explain the essence of: "N is (by its nature)…", "what we call N is…".
- -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다Use -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 when the situation makes it plain to you that something, usually something bad, will happen or has happened.
- -(으)ㄴ 끝에Shows that a result was finally reached after a long or difficult process of doing something.
- -(으)ㄹ 망정-(으)ㄹ망정 means 'even if I have to accept this bad situation, I still won't give up something more important,' or 'although X is true, Y still holds.'
- -(으)ㄹ 즈음-(으)ㄹ 즈음 means "around the time when something happens": it marks an approximate time, not an exact moment.
- -(으)ㄹ 테다Declares the speaker's firm will or determination: 'I will … (no matter what)'. In a question to the listener it asks about their intention, often bluntly. Plain style: -(으)ㄹ 테야 in speech, -(으)ㄹ 테다 in self-talk and narration.