안녕하세요 여러분! Koreanstudyjunkie입니다. 주니라고 불러도 돼요. In this lesson, I want to introduce a useful phrase to you guys.
I remember trying to figure out how to say things like, “I forgot my phone at home” or “I left my phone on the bus“ earlier on in my Korean learning journey. I thought maybe it would be something like, “집에서 핸드폰을 잊어버였어요”. However, the real answer is a bit different than that.
두고 가다/오다 and 놓고 가다/오다
The Breakdown:
두다 and 놓다 have pretty much the same meaning “to put, place, lay”.
-고 = a connective grammar meaning “and” or “and then”
가다 - to go , 오다 - to come (오다 vs 가다 Lesson)
For this phrase to work, you have to use these movement verbs. Other movement verbs besides these 2 could also work, but these are the most common.
Altogether, this phrase means to put something down and then go/come. Basically, to leave something behind or forget something either intentionally or by mistake. It can even be used for leaving behind PEOPLE. So it’s a really useful phrase.
Example Sentences:
그녀는 열쇠를 책상 위에 두고 왔다.
= She left the key on the desk.
서류를 책상 위에 두고 와!
= Please leave the papers on the desk!
나 깜박하고 핸드폰 놓고 왔어요.
= I forgot my phone.
지하철에 가방 놓고 내렸어요.
= I left my bag on the subway.
나의 짐은 접수처에 두고 가 주세요.
= Please leave my luggage at the reception desk.
누군가가 가방을 두고 갔다.
= Someone’s left their bag behind.
아니 이런, 지갑을 집에 두고 왔어.
= Oh no, I left my purse at home.
너 놓고 갈게.
= We’ll leave you behind.
이거 놓고 갈게.
= I'll leave this here and go.
나 뭐 놓고 가는 거 없겠지?
= Am I leaving anything behind?
저 두고 못 가요!
= You can’t leave without me!
-고 가다 vs -고 오다
TLDR: 가다 means you are going AWAY from the speaker. While 오다 means you are coming TO the speaker.
두고 가다 is "left it and go/leave" as in "I left my lunch in the classroom and left the school" which can be translated to 교실에 도시락을 두고 갔다 or 교실에 도시락을 두고 학교에서 나갔다.
Another imperative (command) example would be:
교실에 도시락을 두고 가라. = Leave your lunch in the classroom (and go).
두고 오다 is "left it and come" as in "Leave your lunch in the classroom and come to me" which is 교실에 도시락을 두고 와라.
That’s the end of this lesson!
Check out the other lessons below!
It’s fascinating how language nuances like this can influence the meaning and context. As a lecturer in New Zealand, I always encourage my students to explore such intricacies when learning a new language. Understanding these details can make a huge difference in communication. For anyone looking to enhance their academic language skills, seeking assignment help in New Zealand can be a great way to get personalized support in understanding such complex topics.