KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -다가는
Korean Grammar “-다가는”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 5)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 보다가는 | bodaganeun |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽다가는 | ikdaganeun |
| 하다 | to do | 하다가는 | hadaganeun |
| 살다 | to live | 살다가는 | saldaganeun |
What changes
- This ending attaches directly to the stem. Nothing changes, whether the stem ends in a vowel or a consonant.
Explanation
그렇게 매일 밤을 새우다가는 건강을 해칠 거예요.
“-다가는” means “if you keep ~ing (you will…)” and warns that continuing the present behavior will lead to a bad result. A negative consequence such as “-(으)ㄹ 거예요” or “-게 되다” follows. The sentence means “If you keep staying up all night every night, you’ll ruin your health.”
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 그렇게 매일 밤을 새우다가는 건강을 해칠 거예요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 그렇게 | ||
| 그 | ㄱ+ㅡ | geu |
| 렇 | ㄹ+ㅓ+ㅎ | [러] reo |
| 게 | ㄱ+ㅔ | [케] ke |
| 매일 | ||
| 매 | ㅁ+ㅐ | mae |
| 일 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ | il |
| 밤을 | ||
| 밤 | ㅂ+ㅏ+ㅁ | [바] ba |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [믈] meul |
| 새우다가는 | ||
| 새 | ㅅ+ㅐ | sae |
| 우 | ㅇ+ㅜ | u |
| 다 | ㄷ+ㅏ | da |
| 가 | ㄱ+ㅏ | ga |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 건강을 | ||
| 건 | ㄱ+ㅓ+ㄴ | geon |
| 강 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㅇ | gang |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | eul |
| 해칠 | ||
| 해 | ㅎ+ㅐ | hae |
| 칠 | ㅊ+ㅣ+ㄹ | chil |
| 거예요 | ||
| 거 | ㄱ+ㅓ | geo |
| 예 | ㅇ+ㅖ | ye |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 렇게 → [러케]
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 밤을 → [바믈]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 밤 | noun | night | TOPIK level 1 |
| 하다 | verb | to do | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 그렇게 매일 밤을 새우____ 건강을 해칠 거예요.
Show the answer
Answer: 그렇게 매일 밤을 새우다가는 건강을 해칠 거예요.
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