-곤 하다 in Korean: “used to, would often”

-곤 하다 (-gon hada) means "to often do" or, in the past, "used to do." It describes something that happens again and again as a habit, and it is very often used when looking back on the past: -곤 했어요.

How to form it

How to use it

-곤 하다 adds the idea of repetition: not one time, but something that kept happening. In the past, -곤 했어요 is close to English "used to" or "would": 어릴 때 여기서 놀곤 했어요 (I used to play here as a kid).

In the present, -곤 해요 means "I tend to" or "I sometimes": 가끔 산책하곤 해요. Time words like 가끔 (sometimes), 자주 (often), and 어릴 때 (when I was young) fit naturally.

It sounds slightly thoughtful or storytelling, so you hear it a lot when people share memories. 곤 is a short form of 고는, which you may see in writing.

Examples

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Don’t mix it up with

-던: Also looks back at past habits, but it describes a noun: 자주 가던 카페 (the cafe I used to go to). -곤 하다 ends the sentence.

-는 편이다: Means "tend to" or "rather" and describes a general tendency or personality. -곤 하다 focuses on a repeated action.

Common mistakes

Using it for a one-time event. 어제 영화를 보곤 했어요 sounds wrong, because -곤 하다 needs repetition. Say 어제 영화를 봤어요.

Attaching it to adjectives. Use it with action verbs, like 가다, 듣다, 먹다.

Want the basics first? Read Korean past tense (았어요 / 었어요).