Korean Passing Messages: -거든 and -(으)니
Korean relays instructions with conditional -거든 (사장님이 오시거든 전해 주세요 — when the boss comes, pass this on) and reports a discovery with -(으)니 (집에 가니 아무도 없었어요 — when I got home, no one was there).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean relays an instruction with the conditional -거든 (사장님이 오시거든 이 말을 전해 주세요 — when the boss comes, please pass on this message; 비가 오거든 우산을 가져가세요 — if it rains, take an umbrella) and reports what you discover with -(으)니 (집에 가니 아무도 없었어요 — when I got home, no one was there; 소식을 들으니 기쁘네요 — hearing the news, I’m glad). This is the capstone of the reported-speech chapter — where quotation goes to work in real life: phone calls and memos.
Across this chapter you learned to relay statements and questions with -다고/-냐고 and commands, suggestions, and requests with -(으)라고/-자고/달라고. Now we put them all to work in the most common relay situation of all — taking a message for someone who’s out — and add two connectives that glue real messages together: -거든 for “when X happens, pass this on,” and -(으)니 for “when I did X, I found Y.”
Ten words for relaying messages
These are the words that run every Korean phone call and memo.
When X happens, then… — the conditional -거든
To set up an instruction that depends on a future event, attach -거든 to the verb stem. The main clause is usually a command or request: “when/if X happens, (then) do Y.”
사장님이 오시거든 이 말을 전해 주세요 = when the boss comes, please pass on this message 비가 오거든 우산을 가져가세요 = if it rains, take an umbrella 그분이 전화하거든 회의 중이라고 해 주세요 = if he calls, tell him I’m in a meeting 시간이 되거든 다시 연락 주세요 = when you have time, get in touch again
Careful — this is not the sentence-final -거든(요) you learned in Grade 3 (그 영화 재미있거든요 = it’s fun, you see). That one ends a sentence to give a reason. This -거든 sits in the middle and means “if/when,” always pointing toward an instruction. Position tells them apart.
Upon doing X, I found Y — -(으)니 / -(으)니까
Besides “because,” -(으)니(까) often reports a discovery: “when/upon doing X, I found Y.” The second clause is what you noticed or felt as a result.
집에 가니 아무도 없었어요 = when I got home, no one was there 소식을 들으니 기쁘네요 = hearing the news, I’m glad (듣다 → 들으니, ㄷ→ㄹ) 만나 보니 좋은 사람이었어요 = upon meeting him, I found he was a good person 창문을 여니 시원한 바람이 들어왔어요 = when I opened the window, a cool breeze came in
The short -(으)니 is common in writing and when relaying; in everyday speech you’ll also hear -(으)니까. Mind the irregulars: 듣다 → 들으니, 살다 → 사니 (the ㄹ drops before -(으)니).
Relaying review — quotation + 전하다
Since this closes the chapter, weave the quotation forms back in. To relay a message politely, pair them with 전하다 / 전해 주세요 / 전해 드릴게요.
다시 전화한다고 전해 드릴게요 = I’ll let him know you’ll call again (statement -다고) 연락 달라고 하셨다고 전해 주세요 = please tell him she asked you to call (request 달라고) 회의에 참석하라고 전해 주세요 = please tell him to attend the meeting (command -라고) 내일 만나자고 하셨어요 = he said let’s meet tomorrow (suggestion -자고)
Everything from the chapter converges here: -다고 for what was said, 달라고 for what was requested, -라고 for what was ordered — all funneled through 전하다, the verb of passing a message along.
Taking a phone message
A caller reaches a colleague who’s out; you take the message and promise to relay it — quotation forms and -거든 in action:
Watch it all land: 박지훈이라고 / 달라고 relay the caller’s name and request, 들어오시거든 sets the condition (when he comes in), and 전해 드릴게요 promises the relay. That single phone call uses every tool the chapter built — the perfect send-off for the reported-speech block.
FAQ
What does -거든 mean here, and how is it different from -거든요? This lesson’s -거든 is a CONNECTIVE that sets up a condition in the middle of a sentence: “when/if X happens, (then) do Y.” It’s used a lot for relaying instructions: 사장님이 오시거든 이 말을 전해 주세요 = when the boss comes, please pass on this message; 비가 오거든 우산을 가져가세요 = if it rains, take an umbrella. The main clause is usually a command or request about the future. That’s different from the sentence-final -거든(요) you met earlier (그 영화 재미있거든요 = it’s fun, you see), which ends a sentence to give background or a reason. Same syllables, two separate grammar points — position tells them apart: mid-sentence connective vs sentence-ending.
What does -(으)니 / -(으)니까 express in this lesson? Beyond its familiar “because” meaning, -(으)니(까) often means “upon doing X, I found/realized Y” — reporting what you discovered when you did something. 집에 가니 아무도 없었어요 = when I got home, no one was there; 만나 보니 좋은 사람이었어요 = upon meeting him, I found he was a good person; 소식을 들으니 기쁘네요 = hearing the news, I’m glad. The second clause is usually a discovery, a result, or a feeling that follows naturally from the first action. Watch for irregulars: 듣다 → 들으니 (ㄷ→ㄹ), 살다 → 사니 (ㄹ drops). The short -(으)니 is common in writing and relaying; -(으)니까 is the everyday spoken form.
How do I relay a phone message naturally? Combine the quotation forms from this chapter with the polite verbs 전하다 (to pass on) and 전해 주세요/전해 드릴게요 (please pass it on / I’ll pass it on). Relay statements with -다고 (다시 전화한다고 전해 드릴게요 = I’ll let him know you’ll call again), commands with -(으)라고 (전화해 달라고 하셨어요 = she asked you to call her), and set conditions with -거든 (그분이 오시거든 전해 주세요 = when he arrives, please pass it on). A typical message: 부재중이셔서 메모 남겨 드릴게요 — 김 대리님이 다시 연락 달라고 하셨다고 전해 주세요. That weaves -다고, 달라고, and 전하다 into one clean relay.
Next: Chapter 7 is coming soon — head to the curriculum hub for what’s live. Previous: quoting commands & requests — -(으)라고/-자고 하다. Full path: curriculum hub.