KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)ㄹ 겸
Korean Grammar “-(으)ㄹ 겸”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 3)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 볼 겸 | bol gyeom |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽을 겸 | ilgeul gyeom |
| 하다 | to do | 할 겸 | hal gyeom |
| 살다 | to live | 살 겸 | sal gyeom |
What changes
- After a stem ending in a vowel, ㄹ is added to the last syllable (보 → 볼). After a stem ending in a consonant, 을 is added (읽 → 읽을). A stem ending in ㄹ keeps it (살 → 살), and 하 becomes 할.
Explanation
저는 운동도 하고 친구도 만날 겸 공원에 갔어요.
“-(으)ㄹ 겸” means “partly in order to ~” and shows that one action serves two or more purposes at once. The sentence means “I went to the park both to exercise and to meet a friend.” The pattern with two purposes, such as 운동도 할 겸 친구도 만날 겸, is very common, and a motion verb such as 가다 or 오다 often follows.
운동도 하고 친구도 만날 겸 공원에 갔어요.
“-(으)ㄹ 겸” means “in order to do A and B at the same time,” used when one action serves two or more purposes. The sentence means “I went to the park to exercise and to meet my friend.” It is also common in the form “A-(으)ㄹ 겸 B-(으)ㄹ 겸.”
운동도 하고 구경도 할 겸 한강 공원까지 걸어갔어요.
“-(으)ㄹ 겸” means “doubling as ~ / for the purpose of both ~ and ~”: one action serves two or more purposes (verb stem + (으)ㄹ 겸; it can be repeated, as in “운동도 할 겸 구경도 할 겸”). The sentence means “I walked to Han River Park both to exercise and to look around.” “-(으)ㄹ 뿐” means “only ~” and cannot list purposes.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 저는 운동도 하고 친구도 만날 겸 공원에 갔어요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 | ||
| 저 | ㅈ+ㅓ | jeo |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 운동도 | ||
| 운 | ㅇ+ㅜ+ㄴ | un |
| 동 | ㄷ+ㅗ+ㅇ | dong |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 하고 | ||
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 고 | ㄱ+ㅗ | go |
| 친구도 | ||
| 친 | ㅊ+ㅣ+ㄴ | chin |
| 구 | ㄱ+ㅜ | gu |
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 만날 | ||
| 만 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄴ | man |
| 날 | ㄴ+ㅏ+ㄹ | nal |
| 겸 | ㄱ+ㅕ+ㅁ | gyeom |
| 공원에 | ||
| 공 | ㄱ+ㅗ+ㅇ | gong |
| 원 | ㅇ+ㅝ+ㄴ | [워] wo |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [네] ne |
| 갔어요 | ||
| 갔 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㅆ | [가] ga |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 원에 → [워네]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 운동 | noun | exercise | TOPIK level 1 |
| 하다 | verb | to do | TOPIK level 1 |
| 공원 | noun | park | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 저는 운동도 하고 친구도 만날 ____ 공원에 갔어요.
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Answer: 저는 운동도 하고 친구도 만날 겸 공원에 갔어요.
Question 2 Choose the word that fits the blank: 운동도 하고 친구도 만날 ____ 공원에 갔어요.
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Answer: 운동도 하고 친구도 만날 겸 공원에 갔어요.
Question 3 Which is the correct form of 보다 + -(으)ㄹ 겸?
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Answer: 볼 겸
Question 4 Which is the correct form of 읽다 + -(으)ㄹ 겸?
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Answer: 읽을 겸
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