Nuance Dictionary / Grammar
을 겸 (해서) Eul gyeom (haeseo)
Doing double duty by pairing a mandatory chore with a personal motive to make the trip feel like a win.
What does 을 겸 (해서) mean?
을 겸 (해서) (Eul gyeom (haeseo)) means: Doing double duty by pairing a mandatory chore with a personal motive to make the trip feel like a win.
Natives reach for this when they want to spin a boring obligation into a smart, two-birds-one-stone maneuver. It softens what could sound like a dreary errand into a purposeful outing, signaling practical multitasking rather than pure laziness. Learners often treat it as a stiff textbook conjunction, but in the wild, it sounds casual, clever, and mildly self-congratulatory—like you've successfully hacked your own schedule.
Other sides of 을 겸 (해서)
◆ Social Diplomacy — When you want to see someone but are terrified of sounding needy or demanding, this is your secret weapon. Instead of saying 'I want to see you,' you frame the meetup as a mere byproduct of an errand you *had* to run anyway, weaponizing casual politeness to make the other person feel entirely unburdened.
How it's actually used
- 은행에 갈 겸해서 시내에 나왔어요.
eun-haeng-e gal gyeom-hae-seo si-nae-e na-wass-eoyo.
I came out to downtown to hit the bank and handle some other things at the same time.
💡 Reveals how a mandatory financial chore is casually wrapped into a general trip downtown. - 바람도 쐬고 책도 살 겸 서점에 가요.
baram-do ssoe-go chaek-do sal gyeom seojeom-e gayo.
I'm heading to the bookstore to get some fresh air and buy a book.
💡 Shows the pattern used to pair a vague emotional desire (fresh air) with a concrete task (buying a book). - 친구도 볼 겸 겸사겸사 놀러 왔지.
chingu-do bol gyeom gyeom-sa-gyeom-sa nolleo wass-ji.
I came by to hang out, partly to see my friend while I was at it.
💡 Demonstrates the colloquial flavor of combining a social visit with an underlying purpose.
Related words in Grammar
을 뿐이다 Eul ppun-ida을 리가 없다 Eul riga eopda은 / 는 eun / neun은/는 vs 이/가 Eun/neun vs I/ga기분파 Gi-bun-pa