KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -는 대로
Korean Grammar “-는 대로”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 4)
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 대로 | boneun daero |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽는 대로 | ingneun daero |
| 하다 | to do | 하는 대로 | haneun daero |
| 살다 | to live | 사는 대로 | saneun daero |
What changes
- For verbs, -는 attaches directly to the stem (읽 → 읽는). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ first (살 → 사는).
Explanation
공항에 도착하는 대로 전화 주세요.
“-는 대로” attached to a verb means “as soon as …,” and the second clause often holds a request, command, or plan. The sentence means “Please call me as soon as you arrive at the airport.” Do not mix it up with “-(으)ㄴ 채로” (while remaining in a state).
제가 설명하는 대로 따라 해 보세요.
“-는 대로” means “just as ~ / in the way that ~” and shows that the second action is done the same way as the first action or content. It attaches to a verb stem and is written with a space before it. The sentence means “Please try following along exactly as I explain.” After a noun it is written without a space, as in 약속대로 (“as promised”).
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 공항에 도착하는 대로 전화 주세요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [공항에 도차카는 대로 전화 주세요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 공항에 | ||
| 공 | ㄱ+ㅗ+ㅇ | gong |
| 항 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㅇ | hang |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 도착하는 | ||
| 도 | ㄷ+ㅗ | do |
| 착 | ㅊ+ㅏ+ㄱ | [차] cha |
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | [카] ka |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 대로 | ||
| 대 | ㄷ+ㅐ | dae |
| 로 | ㄹ+ㅗ | ro |
| 전화 | ||
| 전 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄴ | jeon |
| 화 | ㅎ+ㅘ | hwa |
| 주세요 | ||
| 주 | ㅈ+ㅜ | ju |
| 세 | ㅅ+ㅔ | se |
| 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. 착하 → [차카]
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.
It contains the honorific -(으)시-, which shows respect to the person being talked about or talked to.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 공항 | noun | airport | TOPIK level 1 |
| 전화 | noun | phone, call | TOPIK level 1 |
| 주다 | verb | to give | TOPIK level 1 |
| 하다 | verb | to do | TOPIK level 1 |
| 보다 | verb | to see, to watch | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 공항에 도착하는 ____ 전화 주세요.
Show the answer
Answer: 공항에 도착하는 대로 전화 주세요.
Question 2 Choose the word that fits the blank: 제가 설명하는 ____ 따라 해 보세요.
Show the answer
Answer: 제가 설명하는 대로 따라 해 보세요.
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