Korean grammar · Level 4 · 4급
-곤 하다
Used to, would often
-곤 하다 describes something done again and again — a habit, usually in the past (-곤 했어요, -곤 했다). It is warm and a little literary, just right for memories. It cannot describe a single event.
Examples
어렸을 때 주말마다 할머니 댁에 가곤 했어요.
When I was a child, I used to go to my grandmother's every weekend.
델라는 그 가게 앞에서 빗을 바라보곤 했다.
Della would often stand outside that shop gazing at the combs.
힘들 때면 이 노래를 듣곤 해요.
When things are hard, I tend to listen to this song.
Practise it in context · Level 4, Unit 9
Reading a story
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
Open the unit →