Korean grammar · Level 3 · 3급
-던
That used to … / that was …ing
-던 turns a verb into a describing word for a noun while looking back at the past. Use it for something that happened again and again (the café I used to go to) or something that was started but not finished (the bread I was eating). For one finished action, use -(으)ㄴ instead: 어제 산 옷.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| repeated in the past | -던 | 자주 가던 카페 · 같이 먹던 호떡 |
| started, not finished | -던 | 먹던 빵 · 읽던 책 |
| one finished action | -(으)ㄴ | 어제 산 옷 · 다 읽은 책 |
Examples
할머니하고 같이 먹던 호떡이 생각나요.
I think of the hotteok Grandma and I used to eat together.
제가 읽던 책이 어디에 있어요?
Where's the book I was reading?
여기가 어릴 때 자주 가던 공원이에요.
This is the park I often went to as a child.
Practise it in context · Level 3, Unit 6
I heard it's different in Korea
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
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