KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)면서
Korean Grammar “-(으)면서”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 2)
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 | 보면서 | bomyeonseo |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽으면서 | ilgeumyeonseo |
| 하다 | to do | 하면서 | hamyeonseo |
| 살다 | to live | 살면서 | salmyeonseo |
What changes
- After a stem ending in a vowel, the ending attaches directly (보-). After a stem ending in a consonant, 으 is inserted first (읽으-). A stem ending in ㄹ also takes the ending directly (살-).
Explanation
동생은 노래를 하면서 춤을 춰요.
“-(으)면서” shows the same subject doing two actions at the same time, “while ~ing”: “-면서” after a vowel-final or ㄹ-final stem, “-으면서” after any other consonant-final stem. The sentence means “My younger sibling dances while singing.” The subject of both clauses must be the same.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 동생은 노래를 하면서 춤을 춰요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [동생은 노래를 하면서 추믈 춰요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 동생은 | ||
| 동 | ㄷ+ㅗ+ㅇ | dong |
| 생 | ㅅ+ㅐ+ㅇ | saeng |
| 은 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄴ | eun |
| 노래를 | ||
| 노 | ㄴ+ㅗ | no |
| 래 | ㄹ+ㅐ | rae |
| 를 | ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄹ | reul |
| 하면서 | ||
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 면 | ㅁ+ㅕ+ㄴ | myeon |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 춤을 | ||
| 춤 | ㅊ+ㅜ+ㅁ | [추] chu |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [믈] meul |
| 춰요 | ||
| 춰 | ㅊ+ㅝ | chwo |
| 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
- 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. 춤을 → [추믈]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 동생 | noun | younger sibling | TOPIK level 1 |
| 노래 | noun | song | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 동생은 노래를 하____ 춤을 춰요.
Show the answer
Answer: 동생은 노래를 하면서 춤을 춰요.
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