Grammar
그래서
Meaning
Beginnergeuraeseo
그래서 is a connecting adverb meaning 'so' or 'therefore.' It stands at the start of a new sentence (unlike verb-attached connectors) and links the reason or cause stated in the previous sentence to the result described in the current one. In casual conversation it can also loosely mean 'and then,' continuing a story.
Form
그래서 does not attach to anything — it stands alone as the first word of a sentence, following a separate, complete sentence that states a cause or reason. (To state cause and result within a single sentence, -아서/어서 or 때문에 are used instead.)
Examples
비가 많이 왔어요. 그래서 우산을 썼어요.
It rained a lot. So I used an umbrella.
길이 많이 막혔어요. 그래서 늦게 도착했어요.
Traffic was heavy. So I arrived late.
한글은 배우기 쉽습니다. 그래서 인기가 많습니다.
Hangeul is easy to learn. So it's very popular.
그는 배가 고팠어요. 그래서 라면을 끓였어요.
He was hungry. So he boiled ramen.
Common mistakes & nuance
그래서 always puts the cause first and the result second, across two sentences. This is the reverse order from 왜냐하면 ('because'), which states the result first and then explains the reason (often paired with -기 때문이다).
Similar grammar
- -아서/어서
그래서 connects two separate sentences ('X happened. So Y happened.'), while -아서/어서 fuses cause and result into a single sentence ('Because X, Y happened'). Beginners often try to use them interchangeably, but 그래서 cannot attach to a verb stem the way -아서/어서 does.
- -기 때문이다
그래서 states cause then result, in that order. -기 때문이다 (often with 왜냐하면) states the result first, then explains the reason afterward — the two patterns present the same logic in reverse order.