#intermediate grammar

📀 Korean Grammar -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다/알았다 📀

💡 Example conversation (1): A: 민수 씨, 왜 숙제를 안 했어요? B: 숙제가 있었어요? 저는 숙제가 있는 줄 몰랐어요. 숙제가 없는 줄 알았어요.

A: Minsu, why didn't you do your homework? B: Did we have homework? I didn't know I had homework. I thought I didn't have any homework.

💡 Example conversation (2): A: 은혜 씨 남자친구 봤어요? 정말 멋있던데요. B: 은혜 씨 남자친구 있어요? 저는 은혜 씨 남자친구가 있는 줄 몰랐어요. 남자친구가 없는 줄 알았는데요.

A: Have you seen Eunhye's boyfriend? He's really cool. B: Eunhye has a boyfriend? I didn't know she had a boyfriend. I thought she didn't have a boyfriend.

💡 How to use this grammar: The grammar -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다 is used to end a clause stating something the speaker was not aware of or did not anticipate. (I did not know...)

The grammar -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 줄 알았다 is used to end a clause stating that the speaker had assumed something to be the case, but the assumption turned out to be incorrect. (I thought...)

💡 How to conjugate adjectives, verbs and nouns: Adjectives: - Past (assumption): -(으)ㄴ 줄 몰랐다/알았다 - Future (prediction): -(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다/알았다 Verbs: - Past (assumption): -(으)ㄴ 줄 몰랐다/알았다 - Present (assumption): -는 줄 몰랐다/알았다 - Future (prediction): -(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다/알았다 Danh từ: - Past (assumption): -이었/였는 줄 몰랐다/알았다 - Present (assumption): -인 줄 몰랐다/알았다 - Future (prediction): -일 줄 몰랐다/알았다

💡 Additional examples: 앤디 씨가 오늘 학교에 온 줄 알았어요. 학교에 오지 않은 줄 몰랐어요. I thought Andy came to school today. I didn't know he didn't come to school.

바람이 많이 불어서 날씨가 추운 줄 알았어요. 그런데 밖에 나오니까 춥지 않아요. I thought the weather was cold because it was windy. But it's not cold outside.

저는 주영 씨가 중국 사람인 줄 몰랐어요. 한국 사람인 줄 알았어요. I didn't know JuYoung was Chinese. I thought she was Korean.

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Hello! Of course, I can!

So, considering the genius mind of Yoongi, the use of 하리 actually has pretty poetic meaning (not an uncommon coincidence). It is a softer use of 하다 and 해 and can make something feel deeper. I also checked out the rest of the song, and it is very very poetic! There are even some lines from the Bible / Qur’an. 

HOWEVER! There is another grammatical point to consider! By attaching -리 to a verb, it creates the intentive future tense and replaces -ㄹ/을게요; which means it’s a more traditional use of the particle as it’s only really used with older folks in Korea. 

Here are some examples:

1. 내일 하리다 - I will do it tomorrow

2. 밤에 먹으리다 - I will eat it at night

3. 이따가 잠깐 들르리다 - I will stop by later for a minute 

In the context of the song:

그대의 창조와 삶의 끝에 함께 하리

그대 - you

의 - possessive particle (you, my, his, etc)

창조(하다) - creation (to create)

삶 - life / existence

끝(나다) - end (to end)

함게 - together

그대의 자리가 어딜지라도 관대 하리

자리 - place / space

어딜지라 - wherever

관대 - welcome (this is like a feeling)

결국 시련의 끝에 만개하리

결국 - eventually

시련 - trials / hardships

만개(하다) - full bloom (to be at full bloom)

시작은 미약할지언정 끝은 창대하리

시작(하다) - start / beginning (to start / beginning)

미약(하다) - weak / humble (to be weak / humble)

-ㄹ지언정 - seems / even though

창대(하다) - prosper (to prosper)

Translation:

May creation be with you until the end of your life

Wherever you are, the space will welcome you

At the end of the hardships, it will be in full bloom

Even though your beginnings will be humble, your future will be prosperous

*the last line is from the book of Job

So, Yoongi utilizes both meanings of 하리 and -리 intentive future tense. 

I hope this helped! Happy Learning :)

Time for another grammar post! I was just looking through the Grammar Directory and was surprised to find that I hadn’t yet written about this very useful form. Doubting that there’s no way your best friend forgot your birthday? Don’t believe that the quiet nerdy kid in your social anthropology course moonlights as a stand-up comedian? -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다/만무하다 is just what you’re looking for!

Sometimes when we’re talking to someone, we need or want to reference what someone else said, or when we want to say that someone thought something. In English, we would just say “X said...” or “X thought...” or something along those lines. How would we quote someone or a thought in Korean? Let’s take a look!

There are five direct quotation endings, one for each of the four sentence types and one for 이다/아니다. If you’re familiar with 하십시오체 conjugation, you are already aware of the four sentence types because you cannot properly conjugate that high-formality form without knowing what type of sentence it is. The four sentence types are:

Declarative (statement)— 학교에 갑니다. (I go/am going to school.)

Interrogative (question)— 학교에 갑니까? (Do you go/are you going to school?)

Imperative (command)— 학교에 가십시오. (Go to school.)

Propositive (suggestion)— 학교에 갑시다. (Let’s go to school.)

Now, let’s see how we can make direct quotations with the different sentence types.

이다 / 아니다 — ~(이)라고

I’ll start with 이다 and 아니다 since they’re a bit of a special case! When they are used in the present tense, which includes their being used to make the future tense, you use ~(이)라고 to mark the quotation. ~이라고 is for when the noun it attaches to ends with a consonant, and ~라고 is used when the noun ends with a vowel. 이다 and 아니다 in the past tense are quoted using the normal declarative form.

한비 씨의 필통이라고 했어요. ([Subject] said it’s Hanbi’s pencil case.)

선생님은 이게 숙제가 아니라고 하셨어요. (The teacher said that this is not homework.)

제 이름은 스튜디어스비즈라고 합니다. (My name is StudiousBees.)

내일 갈 거라고 (것이라고) 했잖아. (I said I’ll go tomorrow.)

Note that I ended all of these sentences with the verb 하다. Direct quotes are followed by some sort of verb indicating speech, similar to how in English we might see something like, “’I’ll see you later,’ he said”. 하다 and 말하다 are perhaps the most common verbs to follow quotes with, but you can also play around with those and use more descriptive words like 외치다 (to scream/yell), 하품하다 (to sigh), and so on.

Declarative — ~(ㄴ/는)다고

The declarative direct quotation marker has three forms depending on if the verb is in past or present tense and, if it is in present tense, if it’s an action verb or a descriptive verb.

PAST TENSE — ~다고

Regardless of whether the verb is an action or descriptive verb, if it is in past tense, it will simple use ~다고.

그 가방을 어제 샀다고 해요. (She says she bought that bag yesterday.)

꽃이 정말 예뻤다고 했어요. ([Subject] said the flowers were really pretty.)

그 빌딩은 공장이었다고 알려줬어요. ([Subject] told me/let me know that that building was a factory.)

Note how the last example uses 이다, but since it’s past tense, it follows the normal declarative rule!

PRESENT TENSE (action verbs) — ~ㄴ/는다고

Action verbs in present tense declarative sentences will take ~ㄴ다고 if the verb root ends with a vowel and ~는다고 if it ends with a consonant.

커피를 별로 안 마신다고 해요. ([Subject] says they don’t really drink coffee.)

아라 씨는 매년 일본 여행 간다고 해요. (Ara says she travels to Japan once a year.)

어머니는 의사한테 아기가 잘 먹는다고 했어요. (The mother told the doctor that the baby eats well.)

PRESENT TENSE (descriptive verbs) — ~다고

Descriptive verbs are easy! Just slap ~다고 on the end of a descriptive verb root.

오로라가 예쁘다고 들었어요. (I heard that the aurora is beautiful.)

아빠는 저 차가 너무 비싸다고 불평하셨어요. (Dad complained that that car is too expensive.)

고수가 맛없다고 생각해요. (I think cilantro is disgusting.)

Interrogative — ~냐고

To quote a question, just add ~냐고 to the verb root for present tense, or add it after the past tense conjugation for past tense. Action verbs and descriptive verbs are both treated the same way!

선생님은 학생들에게 숙제를 했냐고 물어봤어요. (The teacher asked the students if they did their homework.)

친구는 몇 시에 퇴근하냐고 물어봤어요. (My friend asked, “What time do you get off work?”)

파티가 재미있었냐고 물어봤어요. ([Subject] asked if the party was fun.)

Imperative — ~(으)라고

Only present tense action verbs can be used with the imperative (command) structure. Simply add ~으라고 if the verb root ends with a consonant or ~라고 if it ends with a vowel. It looks similar to the 이다/아니다 quotation form, but since they are used in entirely different ways, you will be able to tell the difference easily.

2시에 오라고 했어요. ([Subject] said, “Come at 2.”)

아버지는 아이에게 채소를 먹으라고 했어요. (The father told the child to eat vegetables.)

만지지 말라고요! (I said don’t touch it!)

  Propositive — ~자고

Whew, almost done! Like with the imperative structure, only present tense action verbs can be used with the propositive (suggestion) structure.

규민 씨는 숙제를 같이 하자고 제안했어요. (Gyumin suggested, “Let’s do our homework together.”)

남친은 피자를 먹자고 했어요. (My boyfriend said, “Let’s eat pizza.”)

친구들에게 같이 가자고 했어요. (I said to my friends, “Let’s go together.”)

BONUS—Short forms

We can shorten all of the quotation forms up! This is done in speaking only.

이다/아니다: ~(이)라고 --> ~(이)래

한비 씨의 필통이라고 했어요. --> 한비 씨의 필통이래요.

Declarative: ~(ㄴ/는)다고 --> ~(ㄴ/는)대

꽃이 정말 예뻤다고 했어요. --> 꽃이 정말 예뻤대요.

Interrogative:  ~냐고 --> ~냬

선생님은 학생들에게 숙제를 했냐고 물어봤어요. --> 선생님은 학생들에게 숙제를 했냬요.

Imperative:  ~(으)라고 --> ~(으)래

2시에 오라고 했어요. --> 2시에 오래요.

Propositive: ~자고 --> ~재

규민 씨는 숙제를 같이 하자고 제안했어요. --> 규민 씨는 숙제를 같이 하재요.

This post got pretty long! Quotes are fairly simple to do if you can remember the forms for each of the sentence types. Using these forms in your speech will definitely help you sound more natural, and it will allow you to talk about a greater variety of things :)

Today I’ll give you an overview of noun modifier endings. I’m not sure if this is actually the proper term for it, but it’s what my teacher used back in the day!

Noun modifier endings are  actually applied to action verbs and descriptive verbs to change them into forms that can then be used to modify following nouns. More simply, they turn action or descriptive verbs into what we would in English call relative clauses and adjectives respectively. 

A relative clause is a clause starting with a relative pronoun, such as “that, who, which, etc,” that describes a noun. You can think of it as a long adjective. Let’s check out some examples in English first:

This is the cake that I ate.

In this example, “that I ate” is a relative clause that describes the cake.

The school where I met my friend is over there.

In this example, “where I met my friend” is a relative clause giving more information about the school.

And of course adjectives are simpler:

That pretty girl is my friend.

My brother is a friendly guy.

Now, let’s build some relative clauses and adjectives in Korean!

Action verbs

Present tense: -는 — The present tense noun modifier ending for action verbs is -는. Just slap it onto the root of your verb (keeping in mind any changes with irregular verbs) and you’re good to go!

The cake that that person sells is delicious. -> 그 사람이 파는 케이크는 맛있어요.

팔다 - 다 = 팔 -----> 팔 + 는 = 파는 (ㄹ irregular verb- drop ㄹ before ㄴ)

The books that she reads are fun. -> 그녀가 읽는 책들은 재미있어요.

읽다 - 다 = 읽 -----> 읽 + 는 = 읽는

Past tense: -(으)ㄴ — For verb roots that end with a consonant, add -은. For roots that end with a vowel, just add -ㄴ. Make sure to keep changes for irregular verbs in mind!

The kimbap that I ate was bland. -> 제가 먹은 김밥은 싱거웠어요. 

먹다 - 다 = 먹 -----> 먹 + 은 = 먹은

The movie that we saw was boring. -> 우리가 본 영화는 지루했어요.

보다 - 다 = 보 -----> 보 + ㄴ = 본

Past habitual: -던 — If you want to refer to an action that was done repeatedly or habitually in the past, attach -던 to the verb root.

The school that we attended is gone now. -> 우리가 다니던 학교는 이제 없어요.

다니다 - 다 = 다니 -----> 다니 + 던 = 다니던

My mom sings the songs that grandma used to sing. -> 우리 엄마는 외할머니께서 부르시던 노래를 부르세요.

부르다 - 다 = 부르 -----> 부르 + 던 = 부르던

Future tense: -(으)ㄹ —  Again, depending on if the root ends with a consonant (-을) or vowel (-ㄹ), you use a slightly different form.

The place I will go is far. -> 제가 갈 곳이 멀어요.

가다 - 다 = 가 -----> 가 + ㄹ = 갈

The shoes I will wear tomorrow are new ones. -> 내일 신을 신발은 새 거예요.

신다 - 다 = 신 -----> 신 + 을 = 신을

Descriptive verbs

Present tense: -(으)ㄴ — The present tense noun modifier endings for descriptive verbs look like the past tense noun modifier endings for action verbs. Make sure you use -은 for roots that end with consonants and -ㄴ when the root ends with a vowel.

That tall building is Lotte World Tower. -> 저 높은 건물은 롯데월드타워예요.

높다 - 다 = 높 -----> 높 + 은 = 높은

That singer is a handsome man. -> 저 가수는 잘생긴 남자예요.

잘생기다 - 다 = 잘생기 -----> 잘생기 + ㄴ = 잘생긴

Past tense: -던; -았/었던 — Just as we can use -던 with action verbs to indicate a habitual past action, we can use it with descriptive verbs to indicate that a state was continuous in the past. Using just -던 on its own gives a feeling of looking back on or reminiscing about something that may still be continuing to the present time. On the other hand, -았/었던 carries a feeling of “was X in the past, but is no longer.”

The girl who was pretty when she was young became a beautiful woman. ->어릴 때 예뻤던 소녀는 아름다운 여자가 됐어요.

예쁘다 - 다 = 예쁘 -----> 예쁘 + 던 = 예뻤던

Mingyu, who was very diligent, still works hard. -> 부지런하던 민규 씨는 지금도 일을 열심히 해요. 

부지런하다 - 다 = 부지런하 -----> 부지런하 + 던 = 부지런하던

Future tense: -(으)ㄹ — The future tense noun modifier endings for descriptive verbs are the same as for action verbs. As always, make sure that you make any needed changes for irregular verbs. Also, please note that [descriptive verb + -(으)ㄹ NOUN] is not a very commonly used structure unless it’s followed by the noun 것 (thing). However, that starts getting into full future tense, which isn’t the point of this post.

I am looking for a gift that will be good to give to my friend. -> 친구에게 주기에 좋을 선물을 찾고 있어요.

좋다 - 다 = 좋 -----> 좋 + 을 = 좋을

Nouns

Nouns on their own can’t take noun modifier endings, but the endings can be attached to 이다 (to be). My notations of the forms the noun modifier endings take will include 이다 and be written as single units, but just be aware that they are actually 이다 plus the actual noun modifier ending.

Present tense: -인 — It’s the same regardless of whether the noun ends with a consonant or a vowel!

My friend, who is a teacher, is very smart. -> 선생님인 제 친구가 정말 똑똑해요.

That lady, who is an actress, often appears in dramas. -> 배우인 그녀는 드라마에 자주 나와요.

Past tense: -이었/였던 — -던 makes another appearance! This time it appears with 이다 conjugated to the past tense. Add -이었던 if the noun ends with a consonant and -였던 if it ends with a vowel.

Jimin, who was a model student, of course ended up attending a good university. -> 모범생이었던 지민이는 역시 좋은 대학교에 가게 됐어요.

Seungjin, who was Jimin’s friend, doesn’t contact him anymore. -> 지민 씨의 친구였던 승진 씨는 더 이상 지민 씨랑 연락을 안 해요.

Future tense: It’s sort of weird to use the future noun modifier ending -(으)ㄹ directly on 이다. Rather, you would use [NOUN이/가 될...]. This way, you are using the action verb 되다 to say that something or someone will be come something else. 

The man who will become Somin’s husband is very good-looking. -> 소민 씨의 남편이 될 남자는 정말 잘생겼어요.

Chanhyeong, who will become a doctor, has studied hard since he was young. -> 의사가 될 찬형이는 어릴 때부터 공부를 열심히 해왔어요.

Sometimes we need or want to speak authoritatively on something that we know or believe to be true. However, sometimes we want to express that we are a little uncertain about we’re saying, or we just want to emphasize a little more that it’s coming from our own thoughts or opinions and not actual fact. Also, in Korean, saying something too directly can come across as rude, especially when speaking to your superiors. So how do we soften things up? Today, we’ll look at how to say that X seems or looks like Y.

There are actually three grammatical forms that we can look at to express this kind of meaning! Today we’ll look at what might be the most common one, 것 같다. The other two are -ㄴ가 보다 and -나 보다. They are largely similar to 것 같다, but there is a difference. Look forward to seeing a post on those in the future :)

PLEASE NOTE that in this post, “past,” “present,” and “future” all refer to the tense of the (noun modifier ending of the) verb before the grammar in question, not the tense of the sentence as a whole! I will write all of my sentences in this post in present tense for the sake of simplicity.

것 같다

To use this form properly you should understand noun modifier endings, which I discussed here. You simply use the appropriate noun modifier ending depending on whether you’re using an action verb, description verb, or noun and then follow that with 것 같다. Conjugate 같다 to your formality of choice and you’re done!

Action verbs

PAST: -은/ㄴ 것 같다

이미 나간 것 같아요. (It seems he already went out.)

강아지가 내 숙제를 먹은 것 같아. (It seems the dog ate my homework.)

PRESENT: -는 것 같다

저 차는 너무 빨리 달리는 것 같아요. (It seems like that car is going too fast.)

아기가 맛있게 먹는 것 같아요. (It seems that the baby is eating well.)

FUTURE: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다

오늘 비가 올 것 같다. (It seems it will rain today.)

내일 만나지 못할 것 같아요. (It seems we won’t be able to meet tomorrow.)

Descriptive verbs

PAST: -았/었을 것 같다 / -았/었던 것 같다 — If you are just speculating about something that you didn’t experience, use -았/었을 것 같다. If you’re talking about your own memory or something that you experienced, you can use -았/었던 것 같아요.

이 옛날 사진을 보니까 그 때 살기는 많이 힘들었던 것 같아요. (Looking at this old photo, it seems that living at that time was really hard.)

미나 씨가 어제 산 케이크가 이미 다 먹힌 걸 보니 정말 맛있었던 것 같아요. (Seeing that the cake Mina bought yesterday has already been entirely eaten, it seems it was very delicious.)

PRESENT: -(으)ㄴ 것 같다

이 머리 스타일은 그 스타일보다 더 예쁜 것 같아요. (This hairstyle seems prettier than that one.)

이 제품을 처음 사용해 보는데 품질이 정말 좋은 것 같네요. (I’m trying this product for the first time, and it seems the quality is really good.)

FUTURE: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다

장마철에 한국에 가는 게 정말 안 좋을 것 같아요. (It seems that going to Korea during the rainy season won’t be good.)

머리를 좀 더 밝은 색깔로 염색하면 예쁠 것 같아요. (It seems that if you dye your hair a lighter color, it will be pretty.)

Nouns

PAST: -이었/였던 것 같다

저 할아버지는 요리를 이렇게 잘 하시는 걸 보니 과거에 요리사이셨던 것 같아요. (Seeing how well that old man cooks, it seems he was a chef in the past.)

뉴스를 보니 우리가 어제 지나간 교통 사고가 많이 심한 사고였던 것 같아요. (Seeing the news, it seems that the accident we passed yesterday was a really serious accident.)

PRESENT: -인 것 같다

재우 씨의 스타일을 보면 미술가인 것 같아요. (If you look at Jaewoo’s style, it seems like he’s an artist.)

오늘의 메뉴는 불고기인 것 같아요. (It seems today’s menu is bulgogi.)

FUTURE: -일 것 같다

내일은 좋은 날일 것 같아요! (It seems like like tomorrow will be a good day!)

그 영화는 아이들이 많이 좋아할 영화일 것 같아요. (It seems like that movie will be one that children will like a lot.)

Today, we’ll look at some different words that seem very similar in translation. In English, all of these could be translated simply as “answer.” So, why are there so many words that all basically mean the same thing? When would we use one over the other? Let’s check out the differences between them.

The key to their differences lies in the Hanja, or Chinese characters, that form these words. However, since Hanja isn’t totally necessary to learning Korean (though I recommend that you at least give it a try for various reasons~) I’ll just give the simple answer and then get into the Hanja briefly below.

대답

This word for “answer” is pretty much a general word for “answer.” This can be used for an answer to a request, a question, someone’s name being called, a problem or situation, or... pretty much anything! If you find yourself ever unable to remember the other “answer” words, think of this one as your default.

그 질문에 대답하기는 좀 어렵네요. (It’s a bit difficult to answer that question.) 

내가 네 이름을 몇 번 불렀는데 왜 대답 안 했어? (I called your name a few times; why didn’t you answer?)

답변

답변 is used only for answers to questions. It is generally used for spoken answers to spoken questions, but it can be used to refer to written answers to questions also. It feels a bit more formal than 대답. 

어떤 기자가 그 국회의원한테 뇌물 논란에 대해서 질문했는데 끝까지 못 들은 척하고 답변을 안 하더라고요.   (A reporter asked that National Assembly member about the bribery controversy, but the assemblyman pretended not to hear at all and didn’t answer.)

어제 국립국어원 웹사이트에 질문을 올렸는데 방금 답변이 왔네요. (I posted a question to the National Institute of the Korean Language’s website yesterday, and I just got a reply.)

답장

This word is used just for written answers. This could be a letter, an email, a text message, or any other written format. It could be a response to a question, but it doesn’t have to be. For example, replying to a text message a friend sends you telling you to bring the book you borrowed from them last week would be a 답장.

한 달 전에 그에게 편지를 보냈는데 아직 답장이 안 왔어요. (I sent him a letter a month ago but I have not gotten a reply yet [Lit- a reply has not come yet].)

친구에게 메시지를 보낸 줄 알았는데 메시지를 잘 못 보냈다는 답장이 오더라고요. (I thought I sent the message to my friend, but I got a reply saying I sent it to the wrong person [Lit- I sent it wrongly].)

답안

This word is specifically for answers to exam questions. If you aren’t talking about some kind of test, you can’t use this word!

답안을 시험지에다 깨끗하게 표시하세요. (Please mark your answers cleanly on the test sheet.)

수능 답안이 빨리 나오니까 결과가 나오기 전에도 학생들은 대충 얼마나 잘했는지 알 수 있어요. (The KSAT answers come out quickly so students can know even before the scores come out approximately how well they did.)

정답 and 오답

These words refer to the correct and incorrect answers to something, with 정답 being correct and 오답 being incorrect.

이 퍼즐을 풀어보고 너무 힘들면 제가 도와주고 정답을 알려줄게요. (Try to solve this puzzle, and if it’s too hard I’ll help you and tell you the right answer.)

정답은 B면, A하고 C, D는 오답이죠. (If B is the correct answer; then A, C, and D are incorrect answers.)

漢字 (한자)

Okay, back to the Hanja! As I said above, the key to the differences between the above four words lies in their component characters. If we look at the characters, we see that all four of them have one character in common, 대답할 (to answer) 답 答. It is the other character in each of the words that brings out the differences in meaning.

대답--> 對答 (대할 [to face] 대, 대답 [answer] 답) 

답변--> 答辯 (대답 답, 말씀 [speech] 변) 

답장--> 答狀 (대답 답, 문서 [written document] 장)

답안--> 答案 (대답 답, 책상 [desk] 안)

정답--> 正答 (바를 [straight, upright] 정, 대답 답)

오답--> 誤答 (그르칠 [ruin, spoil] 오, 대답 답)

Some of them are a little less obvious than others, but they generally make sense, right?

This has been a much-requested grammar form! -다가 is a really useful grammar point that is used often in speech, so it would be really helpful to learn how to use it well.

I will cover four different “forms” of -다가, each of which has its own meaning(s). The four forms I’ll cover will be -다가, 아/어다가, -았/었다가 (-다가 attached to a verb conjugated to past tense), and -다가는. Also, while it’s not the same as the verb endings that use -다가, I’ll explain the particle -에다가 as well.

-다가

Function

The -다가 grammar form is used to indicate interruption of an action. In English, we could translate this form roughly as “While doing X...”

Usage

-다가 is very simple to use! Just attach it to an action verb root in present tense! You can optionally remove the “가” at the end and just use it as -다 as well. Just make sure that the subject of the preceding and following clauses stays the same Let’s check it out:

Interruption of an action:

요리를 하다가 접시를 떨어트렸어요. (While cooking, I dropped a plate.)

영화를 보다가 잠들었어. (While watching a movie, I fell asleep.)

화랑 씨는 숙제를 하다가 친구들과 전화도 했어요. (While doing his homework, Hwarang  talked with his friends on the phone.)

수하 씨는 오랜만에 못 본 친구랑 통화하다가 울었어요. (While on the phone with a friend she hadn’t been able to see in a long time, Suha cried.)

NOTE: This section originally listed a second meaning for -다가, that being the introduction of the simultaneous occurrence of two actions. After looking into it a bit more, a true feeling of simultaneous occurrence can not be achieved by using -다가 and -(으)면서 must be used, otherwise the sense of interruption persists. You can read a little more by clicking this paragraph. I apologize for any confusion caused.

-아/어다가

Function

-아/어다가 is a grammar form indicating sequential actions. The action in the preceding clause is done first, and then the action in the following clause occurs in a different location. The two actions must be related to each other, so that the action in the following clause happens dependent upon the completion of the action in the preceding clause. You can think of it as meaning “First... and then...” in English, though of course you might have to change that a bit for a more natural translation depending on the circumstances.

Usage

To use this form, simply attach -아/어다가 to the root of an action verb in the present tense. Remember to change the root as needed depending on whether or not it’s irregular!  You can optionally remove the “가” at the end and just use it as -아/어다 as well.

제 가방 좀 가져다 주세요. (Please get my bag and give it to me.)

아름 씨는 김밥을 만들어다가 친구에게 줬어요. (Areum made kimbap and gave it to her friends. 

언니는 선물을 사다가 어머니께 보냈어요. (My older sister bought a gift and sent it to mom.)

-았/었다가

Function

Using -다가 on an action verb conjugated to the past tense indicates completion of an action, after which another action action occurs. This is in contrast to -다가 with a present tense action verb, which indicates interruption of an action or simultaneous occurrence of two actions, as seen above. The verbs used in the preceding and following clauses are often contrasting or opposite, though this is not always the case.

Usage

Just conjugate the action verb that you want to use to past tense and add -다가! You can optionally remove the “가” at the end and just use this grammar as -았/었다. Also, the subject of both the preceding and following clauses must stay the same.

갔다 올게요! (I’ll go and come back! [More naturally, “I’ll be back!”])

편의점에 들렀다가 집에 갔어요. (I stopped by the convenience store and then went home.)

NOTE: This form can also be used to express that something unexpected happened after doing the action in the preceding clause.

집에 갔다가 문 앞에 웬 소포가 있었어요. (I went home and there was an unexpected package in front of the door.)

기차를 탔다가 6년만에 못 본 친구를 만났아요. (I got on the train and met a friend I hadn’t seen in six years.)

-다가는

Function

This grammar point is used to give warnings, indicating that if the action or condition of the preceding clause continues, then the negative result in the following clause will occur. It can be translated as “If... then...”. Just keep in mind that it must be used with negative consequences only!

Something important to note with this form is that, while it might seem similar to -(으)면, the two are not totally interchangeable! -다가는 refers to an action that is already known to be in progress, regardless of context, while an identical sentence that changes only -다가는 to -(으)면 refers to a condition in the preceding clause that may or may not be in progress (unless prior context makes it clear that the action is in progress, in which case the two sentences are identical).

Usage

Unlike the other -다가s that we have looked at so far, this one can be used with action and descriptive verbs both! Just attach -다가는 to the root of the verb in either present or past tense. Using a verb conjugated to the past tense changes the preceding clause from a situation that is currently in progress to speculating about a present or future event.

PRESENT

Action verbs: -다가는

담배를 계속 피우다가는 폐암에 걸릴지도 몰라요. (If you keep smoking, you might get lung cancer [LIT-I don’t know whether or not you’ll get lung cancer].)

이렇게 공부를 미루다가는 기말 시험에 떨어질 수도 있어요. (If you put off studying like this you could even fail the final exam.)

Descriptive verbs: -다가는

미세먼지가 이렇게 심하다가는 호흡기 질환 환자들이 많아질 거예요. (If the pollution stays severe like this, the number of respiratory illness patients will increase.)

날씨가 이렇게 덥다가는 특히 노인들이 열사병에 많이 걸릴 것 같아요. (If the weather stays hot like this, it seems that especially many elderly people could get heat stroke.)

PAST— I actually struggled over this section quite a bit! I had to ask some native speaker friends to help me work through it. In general, the consensus we reached is that the examples that I wrote here are correct, but it is far more common to just use -(으)면 for the same meaning.

Action verbs: -았/었다가는

어제 처럼 경기했다가는 질 거예요. (If we play like we did yesterday, then we will lose.)

음식을 너무 많이 먹었다가는 배탈이 날 거예요. (If you eat too much food, you’ll get a stomachache.)

Descriptive verbs: -았/었다가는

집안 습기가 계속 이렇게 높았다가는 곰팡이가 쉽게 생길 거예요. (If the humidity in your house is constantly high, mold will form easily.)

출산율이 계속 낮았다가는 인구가 감소할 거예요. (If the birthrate stays low, the population will decrease.)

-에다가

Function

The particle -에다가 has two main functions. One of those functions is to indicate the specific location of something, and the other is to add more information in addition to something else. You can drop the final “가” and just use this particle as -에다.

Usage

When used to indicate the specific location of something, -에다가 is attached to an adverb. When used to provide additional information, it attaches to nouns.

Specific location:

종이 밑에다가 사인해 주세요. (Please sign the bottom of the paper.)

가방을 책상 위에다가 놓았어요. (I put my bag on top of the table.)

어디에다 둘까요? (Where should I put it?)

Additional information:

김밥을 만들었어요. 게다가(그에다가) 음료수도 준비해 놨어요. (I made kimbap. In addition to that, I also prepared drinks.) 

소윤 씨는 알바하는 데다가 봉사 활동도 해요. (In addition to working a part-time job, Soyun also does volunteer activities.) NOTE: 데다가 = 데 + 에다가. For more info on -는 데, click here!

이번 주 가스요금에다가 전기요금도 내야 돼요. (This week I must pay my electricity bill in addition to my gas bill.)