KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -는 대신에
Korean Grammar “-는 대신에”: 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 대신에 | boneun daesine |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽는 대신에 | ingneun daesine |
| 하다 | to do | 하는 대신에 | haneun daesine |
| 살다 | to live | 사는 대신에 | saneun daesine |
What changes
- For verbs, -는 attaches directly to the stem (읽 → 읽는). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ first (살 → 사는).
Explanation
주말에 일하는 대신에 평일에 하루 쉬어요.
“-는 대신에” means “instead of / in return for doing …,” showing that one thing replaces or compensates for another. Use “-는 대신에” after verbs and “-(으)ㄴ 대신에” after adjectives, and attach 대신에 directly to nouns. The sentence means “I work on weekends, but in return I take one weekday off.” 동안 only means “during,” so it cannot express this exchange.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 주말에 일하는 대신에 평일에 하루 쉬어요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [주마레 일하는 대시네 평이레 하루 쉬어요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 주말에 | ||
| 주 | ㅈ+ㅜ | ju |
| 말 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄹ | [마] ma |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [레] re |
| 일하는 | ||
| 일 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ | il |
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 대신에 | ||
| 대 | ㄷ+ㅐ | dae |
| 신 | ㅅ+ㅣ+ㄴ | [시] si |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [네] ne |
| 평일에 | ||
| 평 | ㅍ+ㅕ+ㅇ | pyeong |
| 일 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ | [이] i |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [레] re |
| 하루 | ||
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 루 | ㄹ+ㅜ | ru |
| 쉬어요 | ||
| 쉬 | ㅅ+ㅟ | swi |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | eo |
| 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. 말에 → [마레]
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.
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 주말에 일하는 ____ 평일에 하루 쉬어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 주말에 일하는 대신에 평일에 하루 쉬어요.
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