Korean Workplace Reporting: -는 대로, -더라도, -고서
Korean reports work with -는 대로 (도착하는 대로 보고하겠습니다 — I'll report as soon as I arrive), concedes with -더라도 (시간이 걸리더라도 — even if it takes time), and sequences steps with -고서 (확인하고서 결재를 올려요 — I check and then submit for approval).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean handles work updates with three connectors: -는 대로 to promise action the moment something happens (결과가 나오는 대로 바로 보고하겠습니다 — I’ll report as soon as the results are in), -더라도 to concede a hurdle and push on anyway (시간이 걸리더라도 정확하게 하겠습니다 — even if it takes time, I’ll do it right), and -고서 to put steps in order (자료를 확인하고서 결재를 올려요 — I check the documents and then submit for approval). Welcome to Grade 4, where Korean goes to work — the office is where these three earn their keep.
Grade 4 opens with the language of the workplace: instructions coming down, reports going up. You already know how to relay what someone said and read formal written Korean; now we wire those into real reporting — promising timing, conceding obstacles, and sequencing actions like a professional. Start with the words that fill every Korean office.
Ten words for workplace reporting
These run the daily back-and-forth of instructions and updates.
As soon as X — -는 대로
To promise that you’ll act the instant something happens, attach -는 대로 to a present action-verb stem. The main clause is the immediate next move.
결과가 나오는 대로 바로 보고하겠습니다 = I’ll report as soon as the results come out 회의가 끝나는 대로 연락드릴게요 = I’ll contact you the moment the meeting ends 자리에 도착하는 대로 메일을 확인할게요 = I’ll check the email as soon as I’m at my desk 준비가 되는 대로 시작하겠습니다 = we’ll start as soon as it’s ready
The same -는 대로 has a second job: “just as / in accordance with.” With a past form or verbs like 듣다, 보다, 시키다, it means doing something exactly the way it was heard, seen, or ordered — 들은 대로 전했어요 (I passed it on just as I heard it), 시키는 대로 했어요 (I did it just as told). Same shape, two senses; the verb and tense tell you which.
Even if X — -더라도
To concede a difficulty and resolve to push on anyway, use -더라도 (“even if / even though”). It’s stronger than -아/어도 — it underlines the worst case.
시간이 걸리더라도 정확하게 하겠습니다 = even if it takes time, I’ll do it accurately 조금 힘들더라도 끝까지 해 주세요 = even if it’s a bit hard, please see it through 실수를 하더라도 솔직하게 보고하세요 = even if you make a mistake, report it honestly 바쁘더라도 마감은 꼭 지킵시다 = even if we’re busy, let’s hit the deadline for sure
Compare: 비가 와도 가요 = I’ll go even if it rains (matter-of-fact), versus 비가 오더라도 꼭 가겠습니다 = even if it should rain, I will definitely go (firm resolve). When a report needs backbone, reach for -더라도.
Do X and then report — -고서
To stack steps in order — finish one, then the next — use -고서 (“having done X, then Y”). It’s like -고 나서, a little more formal, and it keeps a sequence crisp.
자료를 확인하고서 결재를 올리겠습니다 = I’ll check the documents and then submit for approval 손을 씻고서 음식을 만지세요 = wash your hands and then handle the food 결재를 받고서 진행하세요 = get the sign-off, and then proceed 인사도 안 하고서 가 버렸어요 = he left without even saying hello (manner sense)
One more office habit: -어/아 가다 says work is coming along — 보고서를 거의 다 써 가요 (I’m almost done writing the report), 일이 잘 되어 가요 (the work is coming along nicely). It’s the verb you reach for when the boss asks how it’s going.
A status report to your manager
A quick end-of-day update — every grammar point from this lesson, live:
Watch them stack: 나오는 대로 promises the timing, 걸리더라도 concedes the hurdle, 확인하고서 orders the steps, and 되어 가다/써 갑니다 report progress. That’s a complete professional update in seven lines.
FAQ
What does -는 대로 mean — ‘as soon as’ or ‘in accordance with’? Both — context decides. With a present action stem it usually means ‘as soon as’: 도착하는 대로 연락할게요 = I’ll call as soon as I arrive; 끝나는 대로 보고하겠습니다 = I’ll report the moment it’s done. With a past form or verbs like 듣다/보다/시키다 it means ‘just as / in accordance with’: 들은 대로 전했어요 = I passed it on just as I heard it; 시키는 대로 했어요 = I did it just as you told me. Workplace reporting leans on the ‘as soon as’ sense — promising to act the moment something happens.
How is -더라도 different from -아/어도? Both mean ‘even if / even though,’ but -더라도 is stronger and more hypothetical — it stresses ‘no matter what, even in that extreme case.’ 비가 와도 가요 = I’ll go even if it rains (matter-of-fact); 비가 오더라도 꼭 가겠습니다 = even if it should rain, I will definitely go (emphatic resolve). In reports and instructions, -더라도 signals determination or a firm condition: 시간이 걸리더라도 정확하게 하세요 = even if it takes time, do it accurately. Use -아/어도 for ordinary concession, -더라도 to underline the worst case.
What’s the difference between -고서, -고, and -고 나서? Plain -고 just links two actions (‘and’): 밥을 먹고 갔어요 = I ate and went. -고서 and -고 나서 both add ‘after finishing the first, then the second,’ emphasizing sequence: 확인하고서 보고하세요 / 확인하고 나서 보고하세요 = check first, then report. -고서 is a touch more written/formal and can also mark manner (인사도 안 하고서 갔어요 = left without even saying hello). For workplace steps in order — get approval, then proceed — -고서 keeps the sequence crisp.
Next: business email — -고자, -기에. Previous: grade 3 review & mini TOPIK II. Full path: curriculum hub.