Learn Hardcore Korean: undongeul hago naseo mogi mallayo.

운동: exercise (noun)
을: object marker attached because 운동 ends in a consonant; used with 하다 to make “to do exercise”
하고 나서: the grammar pattern -고 나서 meaning “after finishing (doing) …”
목: throat
이: subject marker; here “the throat” is the grammatical subject
말라요: present polite form of 마르다 “to be dry”; with 목 it idiomatically means “(I’m) thirsty”

Why is 을 after 운동? Can I drop it or say 운동하다 instead?

운동을 하다 is the standard “noun + object marker + 하다” pattern meaning “to do exercise.”
You’ll often hear the object marker dropped in speech: 운동(을) 하다.
You can also make it a single verb: 운동하다. So both 운동을 하고 나서 and 운동하고 나서 are fine.

What exactly does -고 나서 mean, and how is it different from -고, -(으)ㄴ 후에/다음에/뒤에?

-고 나서: “after (completely) doing A, B happens.” It emphasizes completion of A before B.
-고: “and/and then.” It can imply sequence but not necessarily “after finishing.” More neutral and sometimes ambiguous.
-(으)ㄴ 후에: “after (doing).” Slightly more formal/literary than -고 나서.
-(으)ㄴ 다음에/뒤에: everyday “after/afterwards.” 다음에 = next/after; 뒤에 = later/behind (time/space).
Related tip: “as soon as” is -자마자: e.g., 운동하자마자 목이 말라요.

Is 운동하고 목이 말라요 okay without 나서?

Yes, in casual speech it’s common and usually understood as “I exercised and (then) I’m thirsty.” -고 나서 just makes the “after finishing” nuance explicit.

Why not 운동을 했고 나서? Where does the tense go?

Don’t put past on the verb before -고 나서. Say 운동을 하고 나서 … (not “했고 나서”).
Put the tense on the final verb:
- Past event: 운동을 하고 나서 목이 말랐어요. (“After I exercised, I got/was thirsty.”)
- Habitual: 운동하고 나면 목이 말라요. (“When I finish exercising, I (tend to) get thirsty.”)

Why is it 목이 and not 저는/제가? Who is the subject?

Korean often uses body parts as the grammatical subject for physical states. 목이 마르다 literally “the throat is dry” = “I’m thirsty.” The speaker is understood from context, so pronouns are usually dropped. You could add 저는 for contrast/topic (“As for me”), but 목이 remains the subject.

Is 목이 말라요 literally “my throat is dry”? Is that the normal way to say “I’m thirsty”?

Yes. It’s the most common, idiomatic way. Other natural options:

목말라요. (one-word adjective for “thirsty”)
갈증이 나요. (“I feel thirst.”)
More explicit: 물을 마시고 싶어요. (“I want to drink water.”)

Can I say 목말라요 as one word? What’s the difference from 목이 말라요?

Yes. 목말라요 comes from the single adjective 목마르다 (“to be thirsty”). It’s as common and maybe a touch more casual. Meaning is the same in everyday use.

What is the dictionary form of 말라요, and why does it change like that?

Dictionary form: 마르다 (“to be dry; to be thirsty” with 목; also “to be skinny” in other contexts).
It’s a “르-irregular” verb. When you add endings starting with 아/어, the stem gains an extra ㄹ and the ㅡ drops:
- 마르다 → 말라요
- Other examples: 다르다 → 달라요, 고르다 → 골라요, 빠르다 → 빨라요, 모르다 → 몰라요.
Formal polite present doesn’t trigger the irregularity: 마릅니다.

Could I use a causal link instead: 운동해서 목이 말라요?

Yes. -아서/어서 marks cause: “I’m thirsty because I exercised.”

-고 나서 = temporal (“after A, B”), neutral about causality.
-아서/어서 = causal (“because A, B”).
Both sound natural here; choose based on whether you want to stress time sequence or cause.

Why isn’t there a 요 after 나서? Can I say 나서요?

Only the final predicate carries politeness. 나서 is a connective; 말라요 bears the -요. You might hear … 나서요, … if someone trails off or splits into two sentences for discourse flow, but within one sentence you don’t add 요 to the connective.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

목이 is linked and pronounced like [모기] (the ㄱ carries over to the next syllable).
운동을: the 을 is often very light or dropped in casual speech.
Overall: [운동을 하고 나서 모기 말라요] in connected speech.

Is the spacing 하고 나서 or 하고나서?

Standard spacing is with a space: 하고 나서. Similarly, keep a space in 목이 말라요.