-아/어 가다/오다 in Korean: “keep doing, gradually”

-아/어 가다 and -아/어 오다 (-a/eo gada, -a/eo oda) mean "to keep doing" or "to gradually become" over time. -아/어 가다 looks forward, toward the future or an end point, and -아/어 오다 looks back, at something that has continued from the past up to now.

How to form it

How to use it

Picture the action moving along a timeline. With 가다, it moves away from now toward the future: 일이 거의 끝나 가요 (the work is nearly done, it's getting there). With 오다, it moves from the past toward now: 10년 동안 해 왔어요 (I've been doing it for 10 years).

-아/어 가다 often describes something approaching a finish or slowly changing: food getting cooked, a child growing to look like a parent. Words like 점점 (gradually) and 거의 (almost) fit well.

-아/어 오다 is common with 지금까지 (until now) and a length of time, to talk about effort or a long-running situation. Be aware that some verbs with 가다/오다 just describe movement, like 사 가다 (buy and take away) or 가져오다 (bring).

Examples

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Don’t mix it up with

-고 있다: Just says an action is happening now. -아/어 가다 adds direction: it is moving toward an end or changing step by step.

-아/어지다: Means "to become" (추워지다, get cold). It describes the change itself, while -아/어 가다/오다 stress how it continues over time. They can combine: 좋아져 가요.

Common mistakes

Using 가다 for something that lasted from the past until now. For "I've studied Korean for 3 years," say 3년 동안 공부해 왔어요, not 공부해 가요.

Want the basics first? Read Saying "-ing" (-고 있다).