그리고: And / And Then | Korean Grammar

그리고 is the first conjunction every learner meets — the plain "and" that opens a new sentence and tacks it onto the previous one. It does two closely related jobs: adding a further fact ("and, on top of that…") and marking sequence ("and then…"). Mechanically it could not be simpler: it is invariant, sits at the front of the sentence after a period, and never changes shape. The hard part is not how to use 그리고 — it's learning not to reach for it every time your English brain says "and."

Job one: adding a fact

The most basic use of 그리고 is to state a second, independent fact after the first. The two sentences need not share a subject or flow together; 그리고 just says "and here's another thing."

저는 학생이에요. 그리고 제 동생은 회사원이에요.

jeoneun haksaeng-ieyo. geurigo je dongsaeng-eun hoesawonieyo

I'm a student. And my younger sibling is an office worker.

이 카페는 조용해요. 그리고 커피도 맛있어요.

i kapeneun joyonghaeyo. geurigo keopido masisseoyo

This cafe is quiet. And the coffee is good too.

In both, the second sentence introduces genuinely new information — a different person, a different quality. This is 그리고 at its most justified: bridging two separate, self-contained statements.

Job two: "and then" in time

그리고 also lines up actions in sequence — one happened, and then the next. Here it means "and then / after that."

밥을 먹었어요. 그리고 커피를 마셨어요.

babeul meogeosseoyo. geurigo keopireul masyeosseoyo

I ate. And then I drank coffee.

아침에 운동했어요. 그리고 샤워했어요.

achime undonghaesseoyo. geurigo syawohaesseoyo

In the morning I worked out. And then I showered.

The ending twin: -고 fuses what 그리고 splits

Every sentence with 그리고 has a tighter cousin built with the connective ending -고 — the very same "and," except -고 glues the two clauses into one sentence instead of opening a new one. Compare:

밥을 먹고 커피를 마셨어요.

babeul meokgo keopireul masyeosseoyo

I ate and (then) drank coffee. (one fused sentence)

This means exactly what 밥을 먹었어요. 그리고 커피를 마셨어요 means — but it is tighter, smoother, and far more natural in connected speech and writing. The ending -고 attaches to the bare stem (먹-) and leaves the tense and politeness for the final verb; 그리고 leaves two whole finished sentences standing side by side.

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For any 그리고 you're tempted to write, first try the fused -고: turn "A했어요. 그리고 B했어요" into "A하고 B했어요." If the two clauses belong together, the fused version almost always sounds more native. Reach for 그리고 only when you genuinely want two separate sentences.

When 그리고 is the right choice

The fusion advice is not a ban. 그리고 earns its place when you deliberately want two distinct sentences — when the second point is weighty enough to stand on its own, or when a clean break improves the rhythm. Listing separate, substantial items is a classic legitimate use:

오늘은 회의가 있어요. 그리고 내일은 출장을 가요.

oneureun hoeuiga isseoyo. geurigo naeireun chuljang-eul gayo

Today I have a meeting. And tomorrow I go on a business trip.

Here the two sentences describe two different days, two different events. A fused clause would blur them; the deliberate break with 그리고 keeps them as two clear, weighted points. The test is whether you mean two sentences — if you do, 그리고 is right.

그리고 나서: "and after that"

To make the sequence sense explicit — "and after that, then…" — Korean adds 나서 to give 그리고 나서 ("and then / and after that"). It foregrounds that the first action is finished before the second begins, and is the sentence-opening cousin of the ending -고 나서.

숙제를 했어요. 그리고 나서 게임을 했어요.

sukjereul haesseoyo. geurigo naseo geimeul haesseoyo

I did my homework. And after that, I played a game.

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You will also see 그러고 나서 for exactly this meaning, and prescriptively it is the "more correct" form (it comes from the verb 그러다, "to do so," which can legitimately take -고 나서, whereas 그리고 is a conjunction and grammatically cannot). In real usage 그리고 나서 is extremely common and widely accepted; just know that a careful editor may "correct" it to 그러고 나서.

The number-one error: 그리고-itis

Because English strings clauses with "and" so freely, learners import the habit and open sentence after sentence with 그리고. The result sounds choppy, breathless, and childish to a Korean ear — like a first-grader's "and then… and then… and then." Native Korean fuses those clauses with endings (-고 for listing/sequence, -아/어서 for cause) and starts a new sentence only occasionally.

아침에 일어나서 세수하고 밥을 먹고 학교에 갔어요.

achime ireonaseo sesuhago babeul meokgo hakgyoe gasseoyo

In the morning I got up, washed my face, ate, and went to school. (one flowing sentence)

That single fused sentence replaces four 그리고-joined ones. Notice it even mixes endings — -아서 for "got up and (then) did the next thing there," -고 for the plain list — because Korean chooses the relationship at each join rather than dropping a blunt "and" between every pair. This is the heart of sounding natural.

Common Mistakes

1. Opening every sentence with 그리고. Fuse the clauses with endings; save 그리고 for a deliberate new sentence.

❌ 저는 학교에 가요. 그리고 공부해요. 그리고 집에 와요.

Choppy — three sentences glued with 그리고 where one fused clause is natural.

✅ 저는 학교에 가서 공부하고 집에 와요.

jeoneun hakgyoe gaseo gongbuhago jibe wayo

I go to school, study, and come home.

2. Using 그리고 to mean "and so" (cause). 그리고 is neutral "and" — it never carries cause. For "so," use 그래서.

❌ 비가 왔어요. 그리고 우산을 샀어요.

Wrong if you mean 'so I bought an umbrella' — 그리고 states no cause.

✅ 비가 와서 우산을 샀어요.

biga waseo usaneul sasseoyo

It rained, so I bought an umbrella.

3. Marking "and" twice — -고 and 그리고 in the same join. Choose the fused ending or the opening conjunction, not both.

❌ 밥을 먹고 그리고 커피를 마셨어요.

Redundant — 먹고 already means 'and'; drop 그리고.

✅ 밥을 먹고 커피를 마셨어요.

babeul meokgo keopireul masyeosseoyo

I ate and (then) drank coffee.

4. Using bare 그리고 for "moreover / furthermore" in writing. In formal prose, 그리고 sounds thin when you mean a weightier "in addition." Use 또한 or 게다가.

❌ 이 방법은 빨라요. 그리고 비용도 적어요.

Too bare for writing — for 'moreover,' 또한/게다가 reads better.

✅ 이 방법은 빨라요. 게다가 비용도 적어요.

i bangbeobeun ppallayo. gedaga biyongdo jeogeoyo

This method is fast. On top of that, the cost is low too.

Key Takeaways

그리고 opens a new sentence and adds "and" (a further fact) or "and then" (sequence). It is invariant — no conjugation, no particle.
Its ending twin is -고, which fuses the same "and" inside one sentence (밥을 먹고 커피를 마셨어요) — usually the more natural choice.
그리고 나서 = "and after that," foregrounding completion (prescriptively 그러고 나서, though 그리고 나서 is common).
The top learner error is 그리고-itis: gluing every sentence with 그리고. Fuse clauses with endings and open new sentences sparingly.
그리고 never means "so" (use 그래서) and is too bare for written "moreover" (use 또한/게다가).

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