KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)ㄴ 끝에
Korean Grammar “-(으)ㄴ 끝에”: 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 | 본 끝에 | bon kkeute |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽은 끝에 | ilgeun kkeute |
| 하다 | to do | 한 끝에 | han kkeute |
| 살다 | to live | 산 끝에 | san kkeute |
What changes
- After a stem ending in a vowel, ㄴ is added to the last syllable (보 → 본). After a stem ending in a consonant, 은 is added (읽 → 읽은). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ and takes ㄴ (살 → 산), and 하 becomes 한.
Explanation
여러 번 실패한 끝에 드디어 시험에 합격했어요.
“-(으)ㄴ 끝에” means “after ~ (a long effort or struggle)” and shows that a result came after a long time, effort, or hardship. It attaches to a verb stem; with nouns, use “끝에” alone, as in 고민 끝에. The sentence means “After failing many times, I finally passed the exam.”
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 여러 번 실패한 끝에 드디어 시험에 합격했어요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [여러 번 실패한 끄테 드디어 시허메 합껴캐써요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 여러 | ||
| 여 | ㅇ+ㅕ | yeo |
| 러 | ㄹ+ㅓ | reo |
| 번 | ㅂ+ㅓ+ㄴ | beon |
| 실패한 | ||
| 실 | ㅅ+ㅣ+ㄹ | sil |
| 패 | ㅍ+ㅐ | pae |
| 한 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ | han |
| 끝에 | ||
| 끝 | ㄲ+ㅡ+ㅌ | [끄] kkeu |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [테] te |
| 드디어 | ||
| 드 | ㄷ+ㅡ | deu |
| 디 | ㄷ+ㅣ | di |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | eo |
| 시험에 | ||
| 시 | ㅅ+ㅣ | si |
| 험 | ㅎ+ㅓ+ㅁ | [허] heo |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [메] me |
| 합격했어요 | ||
| 합 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㅂ | hap |
| 격 | ㄱ+ㅕ+ㄱ | [껴] gyeo |
| 했 | ㅎ+ㅐ+ㅆ | [캐] kae |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
| 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. 끝에 → [끄테]
- Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 합격했 → [합껴캐]
- Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 격했어 → [겨캐써]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 여러 | determiner | several, various | TOPIK level 3 |
| 드디어 | adverb | finally | TOPIK level 2 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 여러 번 실패한 ____ 드디어 시험에 합격했어요.
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Answer: 여러 번 실패한 끝에 드디어 시험에 합격했어요.
Question 2 Which is the correct form of 보다 + -(으)ㄴ 끝에?
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Answer: 본 끝에
Question 3 Which is the correct form of 읽다 + -(으)ㄴ 끝에?
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Answer: 읽은 끝에
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