Korean grammar · Level 2 · 2급
-는데 (background)
Setting the scene
-는데 gives the background first and then the main point: a question, a request, or what happened next. It can also mark a gentle contrast. Verbs and 있다/없다 take -는데, adjectives take -(으)ㄴ데, and nouns take 인데.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verbs · 있다 · 없다 | -는데 | 사려고 하는데 · 있는데 |
| adjectives | -(으)ㄴ데 | 작은데 · 큰데 |
| nouns | 인데 | 원룸인데 · 학생인데 |
| past | -았/었는데 | 갔는데 · 샀는데 |
Examples
커튼을 사려고 하는데 무슨 색이 좋아요?
I'm going to buy curtains — what colour would be good?
어제 시장에 갔는데 사람이 정말 많았어요.
I went to the market yesterday, and it was really crowded.
방은 작은데 창문이 커요.
The room is small, but the window is big.
Practise it in context · Level 2, Unit 8
I just moved house
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
Open the unit →