KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -는 바람에
Korean Grammar “-는 바람에”: 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 | 보는 바람에 | boneun barame |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽는 바람에 | ingneun barame |
| 하다 | to do | 하는 바람에 | haneun barame |
| 살다 | to live | 사는 바람에 | saneun barame |
What changes
- For verbs, -는 attaches directly to the stem (읽 → 읽는). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ first (살 → 사는).
Explanation
길이 갑자기 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요.
“-는 바람에” means “because of ~ (unexpectedly)” and is used when an unexpected event leads to a bad result. It attaches to a verb stem, and the clause that follows cannot be a command or a suggestion. The sentence means “Traffic suddenly got jammed, so I was late for my appointment.” For a good outcome, use “덕분에” instead.
갑자기 정전이 되는 바람에 작업하던 파일을 날려 버렸어요.
“-는 바람에” means “because of ~ (unexpectedly)” and is used when an unforeseen event causes an undesirable result; it cannot be followed by a command or suggestion. The sentence means “Because the power suddenly went out, I lost the file I was working on.” “-(으)ㄴ 덕분에” (“thanks to”) is for good outcomes, so it cannot be used for a bad result like this.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 길이 갑자기 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [기리 갑짜기 마키는 바라메 약쏘게 느저써요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 길이 | ||
| 길 | ㄱ+ㅣ+ㄹ | [기] gi |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [리] ri |
| 갑자기 | ||
| 갑 | ㄱ+ㅏ+ㅂ | gap |
| 자 | ㅈ+ㅏ | [짜] ja |
| 기 | ㄱ+ㅣ | gi |
| 막히는 | ||
| 막 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄱ | [마] ma |
| 히 | ㅎ+ㅣ | [키] ki |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 바람에 | ||
| 바 | ㅂ+ㅏ | ba |
| 람 | ㄹ+ㅏ+ㅁ | [라] ra |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [메] me |
| 약속에 | ||
| 약 | ㅇ+ㅑ+ㄱ | yak |
| 속 | ㅅ+ㅗ+ㄱ | [쏘] so |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [게] ge |
| 늦었어요 | ||
| 늦 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㅈ | [느] neu |
| 었 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅆ | [저] jeo |
| 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. 길이 → [기리]
- Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 갑자 → [갑짜]
- Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 막히 → [마키]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 길 | noun | road, way | TOPIK level 1 |
| 갑자기 | adverb | suddenly | TOPIK level 2 |
| 막히다 | verb | to be blocked, to be congested | TOPIK level 3 |
| 바람 | noun | wind | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 길이 갑자기 막히는 ____ 약속에 늦었어요.
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Answer: 길이 갑자기 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요.
Question 2 Choose the word that fits the blank: 갑자기 정전이 되는 ____ 작업하던 파일을 날려 버렸어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 갑자기 정전이 되는 바람에 작업하던 파일을 날려 버렸어요.
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