KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -는 동안
Korean Grammar “-는 동안”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 3)
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 동안 | boneun dongan |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽는 동안 | ingneun dongan |
| 하다 | to do | 하는 동안 | haneun dongan |
| 살다 | to live | 사는 동안 | saneun dongan |
What changes
- For verbs, -는 attaches directly to the stem (읽 → 읽는). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ first (살 → 사는).
Explanation
제가 요리하는 동안 동생은 청소를 했어요.
“-는 동안” means “while ~ing / during the time that” and attaches directly to a verb stem (with nouns, just add 동안, as in 방학 동안). The sentence means “While I was cooking, my younger sibling cleaned.” Unlike “-(으)면서,” which needs the same subject in both clauses, “-는 동안” allows different subjects.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 제가 요리하는 동안 동생은 청소를 했어요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [제가 요리하는 동안 동생은 청소를 해써요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 제가 | ||
| 제 | ㅈ+ㅔ | je |
| 가 | ㄱ+ㅏ | ga |
| 요리하는 | ||
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
| 리 | ㄹ+ㅣ | ri |
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 동안 | ||
| 동 | ㄷ+ㅗ+ㅇ | dong |
| 안 | ㅇ+ㅏ+ㄴ | an |
| 동생은 | ||
| 동 | ㄷ+ㅗ+ㅇ | dong |
| 생 | ㅅ+ㅐ+ㅇ | saeng |
| 은 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄴ | eun |
| 청소를 | ||
| 청 | ㅊ+ㅓ+ㅇ | cheong |
| 소 | ㅅ+ㅗ | so |
| 를 | ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄹ | reul |
| 했어요 | ||
| 했 | ㅎ+ㅐ+ㅆ | [해] hae |
| 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. 했어 → [해써]
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 |
| 하다 | verb | to do | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 제가 요리하는 ____ 동생은 청소를 했어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 제가 요리하는 동안 동생은 청소를 했어요.
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