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~거든요

You see; because; let me tell you why

TL;DR

A sentence ender that supplies background the hearer doesn't yet have — typically the reason for what was just said. Also used standalone to justify your own actions, cite where you got information, or push back on an assumption the other speaker just made (with a slightly defensive 'just so you know' edge).

Use & Meaning

Use 1 Reason for what was just said

The most basic use. The first sentence states the situation; ~거든요 in the second supplies the reason the hearer didn't yet have. Think of it as the speaker telling you something as if you should know it — most often the why behind the previous statement.

Use 2 Source of information or own experience

Sometimes the second sentence isn't strictly a reason but tells the hearer where the speaker got the claim from, or marks it as based on personal experience rather than common knowledge. Common with weather forecasts, professional observations, and 'in my experience' framing.

Use 3 Standalone — often pushing back on an assumption

~거든요 frequently appears with no preceding sentence to explain. The speaker is justifying their own actions, referring to something said earlier, or rebuking the assumption behind the other speaker's question. This carries a slightly defensive 'just so you know' edge — drop the 요 and lengthen the vowel for the canonical pushback tone.

~거든요 is a one-shape sentence ender that supplies background information the hearer doesn’t yet have. The speaker is telling you something as if you should know it — most often the reason for what was just said, but also where the speaker got the information from, or that something is true according to their own experience.

Examples in context. Each of the three uses carries its own pragmatic flavor:

  • 나는 노래방에 안 가요. 노래를 싫어하거든요. — I don’t go to noraebang. I don’t like singing, you see. (reason for previous sentence)
  • 그럼 잘됐네요. 약속을 취소하려고 전화했거든요. — Then it’s worked out well. I was actually ringing to cancel the appointment, you see. (reason)
  • 오늘 비가 올 거야. 난 어제 일기예보를 봤거든. — It’s going to rain today. I saw the weather forecast yesterday, you see. (source of information)
  • 마약성 진통제를 너무 적게 쓰는 게 문제가 됩니다. 많이 안 쓰거든요. — Using clinical painkillers too rarely is a problem. [In my experience] we just don’t use a lot of them. (own experience)
  • A: 왜 먹어 보지도 않고 맛없다고 그러는 거야? B: 난 원래 이런 음식 싫거든. — A: Why are you saying it doesn’t taste good when you haven’t even tried it? B: I’ve always hated this kind of food, you know. (standalone pushback)
  • A: 조깅 같이 하지. B: 됐어. 난 오늘 운동 벌써 했거든. — A: Come jog with me. B: Forget it. I’ve already worked out today, you know. (standalone pushback)

How to attach it:

  • Verb/adjective stem + ~거든요

    • 가다 → 가거든요
    • 바쁘다 → 바쁘거든요

  • Past base + -거든요: stem + ~았/었 + 거든요

    • 먹다 → 먹었거든요
    • 보다 → 봤거든요

  • Future/inferential base + -거든요: stem + ~겠거든요

    • 가다 → 가겠거든요

  • Noun + 이다: noun + ~이거든요 (after consonant) / ~거든요 (after vowel)

    • 학생 → 학생이거든요
    • 휴일 → 휴일이거든요

Note on the connective ~거든. The same ending also has a separate use as a clausal connector (“if/whenever…”). The two uses are distinguishable by position: as a sentence ender, ~거든(요) closes a sentence; as a connector, ~거든 joins a subordinate clause to what follows.

Tip: When pushed back at, drop the 요 and lengthen the vowel slightly — 했거든~ — and you’ve got the canonical “excuse me, I already did it” tone. Native speakers use this constantly to defend themselves without picking a fight.

Examples

오늘 학교에 안 가요. 공휴일이거든요.
I'm not going to school today. It's a holiday, you see.
한국어를 잘해요? — 네, 한국에서 살았거든요.
You speak Korean well? — Yes, I lived in Korea, you see.
오늘 비가 올 거야. 난 어제 일기예보를 봤거든.
It's going to rain today. I saw the weather forecast yesterday, you see.
A: 설거지 안 해? — B: 난 어제 했거든. 오늘 네가 해.
A: You're not going to do the dishes? — B: I did them yesterday, you know. Today's your turn.

See also

Sources

  1. Yeon & Brown (2nd ed.) Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar §9.2