Intermediate Korean: Connectives, Honorifics, TOPIK II

Link your sentences with reasons, contrasts and conditions, speak politely to anyone, and start reading real Korean texts. This is the stage where Korean stops being a list of phrases and becomes a language you can think in.

This stage assumes you already know beginner grammar: the polite 해요 style, the main particles (은/는, 이/가, 을/를, 에, 에서), past and future tenses, -고 싶다 and -(으)ㄹ 수 있다. If any of these still feel shaky, spend a week reviewing them first.

Intermediate Korean is mostly about connecting ideas. Beginners say two short sentences; intermediate speakers join them with "because", "but", "if" and "so that", and describe things with whole clauses ("the movie I saw yesterday"). You will also learn the irregular verbs that make conjugation look random, and the honorific system Koreans use with older people, customers and bosses.

Work through the steps in order. Each step has examples to read aloud, a short practice task and a check. Download the tables and the workbook at the bottom of the page and keep them next to you while you study.

What you will be able to do

• You can give reasons, contrasts and conditions in one sentence, and choose the right connective for the situation.
• You can describe people, places and things with relative clauses in the past, present and future.
• You can conjugate the common irregular verbs without stopping to think.
• You can speak politely and correctly to older people, teachers, customers and bosses, and you never use honorifics about yourself.
• You can understand and use the formal -(스)ㅂ니다 style heard in announcements, presentations and at work.
• You can report what someone else said, asked, suggested or told you to do.
• You can follow easy news articles and everyday conversations, and write a clear paragraph about your experiences, plans and opinions.

Download the printable PDFs

Free study sheets for this stage. Pick your language — the Korean is the same in every version; only the explanations are translated. Print them or use them on a tablet.

Step 1. Give reasons: -아서/어서 and -(으)니까

Both endings mean "because" or "so", but they are not interchangeable. -아서/어서 states a natural cause and effect. It never takes the past marker (say 늦어서, not 늦었어서; the tense comes from the last verb), and the sentence after it cannot be a command or a suggestion. It is also the ending for thanks and apologies: 늦어서 죄송합니다.

-(으)니까 presents a reason you want the listener to accept, often before a request, command or suggestion. It can take the past marker (갔으니까, 먹었으니까). Because it points at the reason, it can sound like an excuse or a little pushy, so do not use it to apologise.

Rule of thumb: if the second half is "please do", "let’s" or "don’t", use -(으)니까. If you are explaining why something happened, or thanking or apologising, use -아서/어서.

Step 2. Contrast and background: -지만 and -는데/-(으)ㄴ데

-지만 is a clear "but": two facts that point in different directions. It attaches to any stem and can take the past marker (비쌌지만).

-는데 is softer and used far more in conversation. It can mean "but", but more often it sets the background before the main point: "I went to Myeongdong, and (you know what) it was packed." It also comes before questions and requests to make them gentle. Ending a sentence with -는데요 leaves it open and polite, as if waiting for the listener to react.

The form depends on the word: action verbs and 있다/없다 take -는데 (가는데, 맛있는데); descriptive verbs (adjectives) take -(으)ㄴ데 (싼데, 좋은데); nouns take 인데 (학생인데); anything in the past takes -았/었는데 (갔는데).

Step 3. Conditions and intentions: -(으)면, -(으)려고, -(으)러

-(으)면 means "if" or "when": 시간이 있으면 (if you have time), 서울역에 가면 (when you get to Seoul Station). Stems ending in a vowel or ㄹ take -면; other consonants take -으면.

-(으)려고 means "in order to" or "intending to". Any verb can follow it, but the sentence cannot end in a command or suggestion. -(으)려고 하다 means "to plan to" or "to be about to".

-(으)러 also means "in order to", but only before verbs of movement such as 가다, 오다 and 다니다. Unlike -(으)려고, it can be followed by a command or suggestion: 밥 먹으러 갑시다.

Step 4. Describe with whole clauses: -(으)ㄴ, -는, -(으)ㄹ

Korean puts the description before the noun, like "yesterday-saw movie". The ending on the verb shows the time. For action verbs: past -(으)ㄴ (먹은 음식, the food I ate), present -는 (먹는 음식, the food I eat or am eating), future or not yet -(으)ㄹ (먹을 음식, the food I will eat).

Descriptive verbs take -(으)ㄴ for the present: 큰 가방 (a big bag), 좋은 날씨 (good weather). 있다 and 없다 take -는: 맛있는 음식, 재미없는 영화. A noun with 이다 becomes 인: 학생인 친구 (a friend who is a student).

Verbs of wearing and state, such as 입다, 쓰다 (glasses, a hat) and 앉다, use the past form for a state that continues now: 안경을 쓴 사람 is "the person wearing glasses".

Step 5. Irregular verbs: the seven patterns

Most "irregular" verbs follow a small set of patterns. The change happens only before endings that start with a vowel (-아요/어요, -았/었-, -(으)면, -(으)ㄴ). Before consonant endings (-고, -지만, -는) the stem stays as it is: 듣고, 듣지만, 듣는.

Watch out for look-alikes that are regular: 입다 → 입어요, 좁다 → 좁아요 (not ㅂ irregular); 받다 → 받아요, 닫다 → 닫아요 (not ㄷ irregular); 웃다 → 웃어요, 씻다 → 씻어요 (not ㅅ irregular); 좋다 → 좋아요 (not ㅎ irregular). Learn the irregular ones as a list; everything else is regular.

ㄹ-stems drop ㄹ before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ (사는, 삽니다, 사세요), and take -면 without 으 (살면). 으-stems drop 으 before -아/어: 쓰다 → 써요, and 바쁘다 → 바빠요 (the vowel before 으 decides 아 or 어).

Step 6. Honorifics: -(으)시-, special verbs, 께서 and 드리다

Korean shows respect in two directions. Honorific forms raise the person you are talking about when they are the subject: add -(으)시- to the verb (가세요, 가셨어요, 읽으세요) and use 께서 instead of 이/가. Humble forms lower yourself when you do something for a respected person: 주다 becomes 드리다, 묻다 becomes 여쭈다, 보다 (to see someone) becomes 뵙다, and 에게/한테 becomes 께.

Some verbs have their own honorific word: 먹다 and 마시다 → 드시다, 자다 → 주무시다, 말하다 → 말씀하시다, 있다 (to be somewhere) → 계시다. When 있다 means "to have", use 있으시다: 시간 있으세요? Some nouns change too: 집 → 댁, 나이 → 연세, 이름 → 성함.

Use honorifics for older people, teachers, bosses, customers and people you do not know well. Never use them about yourself: say 제가 먹을게요, not 제가 드실게요. With close friends of your age, they sound distant.

Step 7. The formal style: -(스)ㅂ니다 and -(스)ㅂ니까

The formal style is the one you hear in subway announcements, the news, presentations, job interviews, the military and customer service. It sounds official and respectful. In daily life most people use the 해요 style, and many office workers mix the two.

Statements: after a vowel add -ㅂ니다 (갑니다), after a consonant -습니다 (먹습니다). Questions: -ㅂ니까 / -습니까. Nouns take 입니다 / 입니까. Past: 갔습니다. ㄹ-stems drop ㄹ: 살다 → 삽니다, 만들다 → 만듭니다.

Polite commands use -(으)십시오 (앉으십시오), and customer-service Korean often adds -시- and -겠- for extra softness: 주문하시겠습니까? The suggestion form -(으)ㅂ시다 (갑시다) is not used to people above you; to a boss say 같이 가시죠 or 같이 가시겠어요?

Step 8. Experience and trying: -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 and -아/어 보다

-(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 means "have done (at some point)", and -(으)ㄴ 적이 없다 means "have never done". 적 is a separate word, so there is a space: 간 적이 있어요.

-아/어 보다 means "try doing". In the past it also expresses experience: 먹어 봤어요 (I have tried it / I have eaten it). As a request, -아/어 보세요 is a friendly suggestion: 한번 써 보세요. The two are often combined: 가 본 적이 있어요?

Step 9. Must, may, must not: -아/어야 하다, -아/어도 되다, -(으)면 안 되다

-아/어야 하다 means "have to". In speech -아/어야 되다 is just as common: 가야 해요 and 가야 돼요 mean the same.

-아/어도 되다 means "may" or "it is OK to". As a question, it asks for permission: 여기 앉아도 돼요? "You don’t have to" is -지 않아도 되다 or 안 -아/어도 되다: 예약하지 않아도 돼요 / 안 해도 돼요.

-(으)면 안 되다 means "must not". It is the rule you see on signs and hear from staff. To tell someone directly not to do something, use -지 마세요.

Step 10. Guesses, suggestions and decisions: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다, -(으)ㄹ까요, -기로 하다

-것 같다 means "I think" or "it seems". The ending before 것 shows the time: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 for a guess about the future (비가 올 것 같아요), -는 것 같다 for now (자는 것 같아요), -(으)ㄴ 것 같다 for the past with action verbs (간 것 같아요) and for the present with descriptive verbs (좋은 것 같아요). Koreans also use it to soften their opinions, even when they are sure.

-(으)ㄹ까요? has two uses: "Shall we…?" as a suggestion (같이 갈까요?), and "Do you think…?" when wondering (내일 비가 올까요?).

-기로 하다 means "to decide" or "to agree to". It is usually in the past: 가기로 했어요 (I decided to go / we agreed to go).

Step 11. Reported speech: -다고, -냐고, -자고, -(으)라고 하다

To report what someone said, change the end of their sentence and add 하다 (or 말하다, 묻다 and so on). Statements: action verbs take -ㄴ다고 / -는다고 (간다고, 먹는다고), descriptive verbs -다고 (좋다고), nouns 이라고 / 라고 (학생이라고, 의사라고), the past -았/었다고 (갔다고).

Questions take -냐고 (가냐고, 좋냐고, 학생이냐고). The longer forms -느냐고 and -(으)냐고 (가느냐고, 좋으냐고) appear in writing. Suggestions take -자고 (가자고). Commands take -(으)라고 (가라고, 먹으라고). "Give me" becomes 달라고; "give him/her" becomes 주라고.

In conversation these are shortened all the time, and you will hear them in every drama: -다고 해요 → -대요 (간대요, 좋대요), -냐고 해요 → -냬요, -자고 해요 → -재요, -(으)라고 해요 → -(으)래요 (가래요, 먹으래요), 이라고 해요 → 이래요.

Step 12. Reading and listening at TOPIK II level

TOPIK II covers levels 3 to 6 in one test and has listening, writing and reading sections. Check the current format and test dates on topik.go.kr before you plan. At this stage, aim for level 3 first, then 4.

Reading: read the question and the answer choices before the text, so you know what to look for. Korean paragraphs often put the main point at the end, so read the last sentence carefully. Connecting words are signposts: after 하지만 or 그런데 comes the real point; after 그래서 or 따라서 comes the result; after 예를 들어 comes an example you can often skip when looking for the main idea.

Listening: look at the choices before the audio starts and predict the topic. Listen for grammar you now know that decides the answer: -아/어야 해요 (a task), -(으)면 안 돼요 (a rule), -기로 했어요 (a plan), -대요 (someone else’s information). Do not try to catch every word; catch the verbs at the end of sentences.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Study tips for this stage

• Read graded readers written for Korean learners at your level. Easy reading in large amounts builds speed faster than hard texts read slowly with a dictionary.
• Watch dramas and variety shows with Korean subtitles, not English. Pause when you hear -는데, -대요 or -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요 and repeat the line out loud (shadowing).
• Write one paragraph every week about your life, using the grammar from the steps you studied that week. Ask a teacher or a language partner to correct it, and rewrite it once with the corrections.
• Collect real sentences, not single words. When a sentence from a drama or article uses new grammar, add the whole sentence to your spaced-repetition flashcards.
• Look words up in the NIKL Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict). It shows example sentences and whether a verb is irregular.
• From month four, do TOPIK II past papers from topik.go.kr under time pressure once a week, then study only the questions you got wrong.
• Practise honorifics out loud with role-play: you as a hotel guest, a job applicant, a customer at a pharmacy. Formal Korean feels natural only after you have said it many times.

Free official resources

• Basic Korean Dictionary (NIKL) — Free learner dictionary with English definitions and example sentences; shows irregular conjugations.
• TOPIK official site — Test dates, current format, registration and past papers for practice.
• King Sejong Institute Foundation — Find a King Sejong Institute near you and the official standard curriculum courses.
• National Institute of Korean Language — The official reference for standard Korean spelling and grammar (mostly in Korean).

Where this stage fits

Previous stage: 2. Beginner. Next stage: 4. Advanced → Whole course: Learn Korean step by step.

FAQ

What is the difference between 아서 and 니까 in Korean?

Both mean "because". -아서/어서 is a neutral cause and cannot come before a command or suggestion or take the past marker; -(으)니까 can, and it is used before requests. For apologies and thanks, always use -아서/어서.

When do you use 합니다 vs 해요 in Korean?

The 해요 style is the everyday polite style for most people. The 합니다 style is for formal situations: announcements, news, presentations, interviews, work meetings and customer service.

How do Korean honorifics work?

Add -(으)시- to verbs when a respected person is the subject, use special verbs such as 드시다, 계시다 and 주무시다, and use 께서 and 께 instead of 이/가 and 에게. Use humble verbs such as 드리다 and 여쭈다 for your own actions toward them, and never use honorifics about yourself.

What does 대요 mean in Korean?

-대요 is the short form of -다고 해요, "they say that". It passes on what someone else said: 내일 비가 온대요 means "They say it will rain tomorrow".

How long does it take to reach TOPIK level 4?

It depends on your study time and method, and there is no official figure. After finishing beginner grammar, studying 45–60 minutes a day, many learners need about six to nine months or more to be comfortable at levels 3–4.

Which Korean verbs are irregular?

The main patterns are ㅂ (돕다, 덥다), ㄷ (듣다, 걷다), ㅅ (낫다, 짓다), 르 (모르다, 부르다), ㅎ (그렇다, 빨갛다), plus ㄹ-drop (살다 → 사는) and 으-drop (쓰다 → 써요). Many look-alike verbs such as 입다, 받다 and 웃다 are regular.

Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean. ▶ sounds use your browser’s Korean voice. Levels follow TOPIK and the King Sejong Institute standard curriculum; this course is independent and free.