Overview
~(으)ㄴ/는데 is one of the most versatile and frequently used connectors in Korean. It can mean:
- Background/Context -- setting up a situation before making a point
- Soft contrast -- "but" with a gentler feel than ~지만
- Lead-in to a request -- providing context before asking something
- Surprise or realization -- expressing that something is unexpected
This connector has different forms depending on whether it follows an action verb, descriptive verb (adjective), or noun, and whether the tense is present or past.
How to Form ~(으)ㄴ/는데
This is the trickiest part. The form changes based on the word type and tense.
Present tense
| Word type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action verb | Stem + 는데 | 먹다 → 먹는데, 가다 → 가는데 |
| Adjective (consonant) | Stem + 은데 | 작다 → 작은데, 좋다 → 좋은데 |
| Adjective (vowel) | Stem + ㄴ데 | 크다 → 큰데, 비싸다 → 비싼데 |
| 있다/없다 | Stem + 는데 | 있다 → 있는데, 없다 → 없는데 |
| Noun + 이다 (consonant) | 인데 | 학생 → 학생인데 |
| Noun + 이다 (vowel) | ㄴ데 | 의사 → 의산데 |
Action verb examples (present: ~는데)
| Dictionary | Stem | + 는데 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹 | 먹 + 는데 | 먹는데 |
| 가다 (go) | 가 | 가 + 는데 | 가는데 |
| 공부하다 (study) | 공부하 | 공부하 + 는데 | 공부하는데 |
| 보다 (see) | 보 | 보 + 는데 | 보는데 |
| 살다 (live) | 살 | 사 + 는데 | 사는데 (ㄹ drops) |
| 만들다 (make) | 만들 | 만드 + 는데 | 만드는데 (ㄹ drops) |
Note: ㄹ stems drop ㄹ before ㄴ.
Adjective examples (present: ~(으)ㄴ데)
| Dictionary | Stem | + (으)ㄴ데 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 좋다 (good) | 좋 | 좋 + 은데 | 좋은데 |
| 작다 (small) | 작 | 작 + 은데 | 작은데 |
| 크다 (big) | 크 | 크 + ㄴ데 | 큰데 |
| 예쁘다 (pretty) | 예쁘 | 예쁘 + ㄴ데 | 예쁜데 |
| 비싸다 (expensive) | 비싸 | 비싸 + ㄴ데 | 비싼데 |
| 길다 (long) | 길 | 기 + ㄴ데 | 긴데 (ㄹ drops) |
| 멀다 (far) | 멀 | 머 + ㄴ데 | 먼데 (ㄹ drops) |
Special: 있다/없다
Even though 있다 and 없다 can function like adjectives, they use ~는데 (like action verbs):
- 시간이 있는데 같이 갈까요? (I have time -- shall we go together?)
- 돈이 없는데 어떡해요? (I have no money -- what should I do?)
- 재미있는데요! (It's interesting!)
Past tense (all types: ~았/었는데)
For past tense, all word types (verbs and adjectives) use ~았/었는데:
| Dictionary | Past + 는데 | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 | 먹었 + 는데 | 먹었는데 |
| 가다 | 갔 + 는데 | 갔는데 |
| 좋다 | 좋았 + 는데 | 좋았는데 |
| 예쁘다 | 예뻤 + 는데 | 예뻤는데 |
| 하다 | 했 + 는데 | 했는데 |
Part 1: Providing Background Context
The most common use of ~(으)ㄴ/는데 is to set up context before the main point.
- 배가 고픈데 뭐 먹을까요? (I'm hungry -- what shall we eat?)
- 비가 오는데 우산 있어요? (It's raining -- do you have an umbrella?)
- 내일 시험인데 공부해야 돼요. (I have an exam tomorrow -- I need to study.)
- 시간이 있는데 영화 볼까요? (I have time -- shall we watch a movie?)
The first clause provides the situation, and the second clause follows naturally from it.
Part 2: Soft Contrast ("But")
~(으)ㄴ/는데 can express contrast more gently than ~지만:
- 이 식당은 맛있는데 비싸요. (This restaurant is delicious, but expensive.)
- 열심히 공부했는데 시험을 못 봤어요. (I studied hard, but did poorly on the exam.)
- 한국어를 공부하는데 아직 어려워요. (I'm studying Korean, but it's still hard.)
- 작은데 비싸요. (It's small but expensive.)
Part 3: Lead-in to Requests
~(으)ㄴ/는데 is very natural before making a request or suggestion:
- 죄송한데 사진 좀 찍어 주세요. (I'm sorry, but could you take a photo?)
- 실례인데 화장실이 어디예요? (Excuse me, but where is the restroom?)
- 바쁜데 잠깐만 시간 있어요? (I know you're busy, but do you have a moment?)
- 이 영화 재미있는데 한번 보세요. (This movie is interesting -- you should watch it.)
Part 4: Trailing ~(으)ㄴ/는데(요)
In conversation, ~(으)ㄴ/는데요 is often used at the end of a sentence, leaving the implication unstated:
- 저도 가고 싶은데요... (I want to go too... [implying: can I?])
- 내일은 좀 바쁜데요... (Tomorrow I'm a bit busy... [implying: I might not be able to])
- 그건 좀 비싼데요... (That's a bit expensive... [implying: can we find something cheaper?])
This trailing style is very common in spoken Korean and is considered polite because it avoids being too direct.
Summary Table: Forms
| Action verb | Adjective (받침) | Adjective (no 받침) | 있다/없다 | Noun + 이다 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | ~는데 | ~은데 | ~ㄴ데 | ~는데 | ~인데 / ~ㄴ데 |
| Past | ~았/었는데 | ~았/었는데 | ~았/었는데 | ~았/었는데 | ~이었는데/였는데 |
~(으)ㄴ/는데 vs. ~지만
| Feature | ~(으)ㄴ/는데 | ~지만 |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Background + contrast | Direct contrast |
| Tone | Soft, contextual | Clear, explicit |
| Trailing usage | O (ends sentence with ~는데요) | X |
| Request lead-in | Very natural | Possible but less common |
| Different forms by word type | Yes (verb vs adjective) | No (always ~지만) |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 좋는데 (adjective) | 좋은데 | Adjectives use (으)ㄴ데, not 는데 |
| 먹은데 (action verb, present) | 먹는데 | Action verbs in present use 는데 |
| 있은데 | 있는데 | 있다/없다 follow action verb pattern |
| 학생는데 | 학생인데 | Nouns use 인데 |
| 살는데 | 사는데 | ㄹ drops before 는 |
Summary
- ~(으)ㄴ/는데 provides background, soft contrast, or a lead-in to requests.
- Action verbs use ~는데, adjectives use ~(으)ㄴ데, and 있다/없다 use ~는데.
- Past tense is the same for all: ~았/었는데.
- It is softer and more versatile than ~지만.
- Trailing ~(으)ㄴ/는데요 at the end of a sentence is very common in spoken Korean to imply something without saying it directly.
- ㄹ stems drop ㄹ before 는/ㄴ.