KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -는 둥 마는 둥 하다
Korean Grammar “-는 둥 마는 둥 하다” (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 둥 마는 둥 하다 | boneun dung maneun dung hada |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽는 둥 마는 둥 하다 | ingneun dung maneun dung hada |
| 하다 | to do | 하는 둥 마는 둥 하다 | haneun dung maneun dung hada |
| 살다 | to live | 사는 둥 마는 둥 하다 | saneun dung maneun dung hada |
What changes
- For verbs, -는 attaches directly to the stem (읽 → 읽는). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ first (살 → 사는).
Explanation
너무 졸려서 수업을 듣는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.
“-는 둥 마는 둥 하다” means “to do ~ only half-heartedly” and describes doing something so carelessly that it hardly counts. It attaches to a verb stem, as in 듣는 둥 마는 둥 or 먹는 둥 마는 둥. The sentence means “I was so sleepy that I barely listened to the class.”
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 너무 졸려서 수업을 듣는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 너무 | ||
| 너 | ㄴ+ㅓ | neo |
| 무 | ㅁ+ㅜ | mu |
| 졸려서 | ||
| 졸 | ㅈ+ㅗ+ㄹ | jol |
| 려 | ㄹ+ㅕ | lyeo |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 수업을 | ||
| 수 | ㅅ+ㅜ | su |
| 업 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅂ | [어] eo |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [블] beul |
| 듣는 | ||
| 듣 | ㄷ+ㅡ+ㄷ | [든] deun |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 둥 | ㄷ+ㅜ+ㅇ | dung |
| 마는 | ||
| 마 | ㅁ+ㅏ | ma |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 둥 | ㄷ+ㅜ+ㅇ | dung |
| 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. 업을 → [어블]
- Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 듣는 → [든는]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 너무 | adverb | too, so | TOPIK level 1 |
| 수업 | noun | class, lesson | TOPIK level 1 |
| 듣다 | verb | to listen, to hear | 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: 너무 졸려서 수업을 듣는 ____ 마는 둥 했어요.
Show the answer
Answer: 너무 졸려서 수업을 듣는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.
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