을 가다 vs 에 가다 | why Koreans sometimes use 을 instead of 에

안녕하세요 리더님! I'm Koreanstudyjunkie.

I've come across a "phenomenon" if you will in the past year of seeing Koreans use 을/를 with a location instead of the typical location markers (으)로 or 에. Out of my own curiosity, I decided to make this post.

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Native Korean speakers sometimes use 을/를 가다 with destinations like 놀이공원을 가다, 학교를 가다, or 집을 가다 in casual speech.

This usage can be confusing for learners because traditionally, 에 가다 is taught as the correct form for indicating destinations.

Why Do Koreans Say "을 가다"?

1. Spoken Korean & Natural Flow

   • In fast, casual speech, 을/를 가다 sometimes sounds more natural, especially with commonly visited places.

   • Example:

     • 놀이공원을 가자! → Let’s go to the amusement park!

     • 학교를 갔다 왔어. → I went to school and came back.

2. Emphasizing the Destination as an Object

   • 을/를 can make the place feel more like a direct object, similar to 여행을 가다 (to go on a trip).

   • This is more common with places associated with an activity (e.g., 놀이공원 → amusement, 병원 → treatment, 학교 → studying).

3. Regional & Generational Differences

   • Some regions or younger speakers might use 을/를 가다 more frequently.

   • Older grammar books often teach only 에 가다 as correct, but spoken Korean is flexible.

Many Korean learners struggle with this distinction, as some phrases don’t translate directly into English.

The way i think of it is:

• 에 가다 is used when the focus is on the physical destinations (학교, 병원, 한국, 집).

• 을/를 가다 is used when the journey itself is emphasized over the location itself (산책, 여행, 길, 마실).

Examples:

• "서울에 가다" (To go to Seoul)

• "여행을 가다" (To go on a trip)

  
  

"에 가다" is about the place, while "을/를 가다" is about the journey or action.

Like I mentioned earlier, using 을/를 puts the emphasis on the action that will be taking place.

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1. 에 가다

Structure:

• [Place] + 에 가다

• "에" is a location marker that indicates where someone is going.

• Used with nouns representing places (학교, 회사, 시장, etc.).

Examples:

1. 학교에 가요. → I go to school.

2. 회사에 갑니다. → I go to work.

3. 도서관에 갔어요. → I went to the library.

   
   

2. 을/를 가다

Structure:

• [Object] + 을/를 가다

• More commonly used when referring to a specific route, path, or event rather than just a destination.

• Often found in phrases where the destination itself is treated like an object (길, 여행, 산책, etc.).

Examples:

1. 길을 가요. → I walk (go) along the road.

2. 여행을 가요. → I go on a trip.

3. 산책을 갔어요. → I went for a walk.

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That's all for this lesson! I hope you were able to learn something new. At the very end of this post, I have added 3 posts that I think you'll also like.

Key Takeaways:

• 에 가다 is the grammatically standard way to express going to a place.

• 을/를 가다 is more casual and natural in speech, often used for familiar places people frequently visit.

• Both are understood, but 에 가다 is safer for formal situations.