Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 8 - Advanced Korean #1 (Lessons 211 to 240) ᚛ Lesson 212 - Express cause and effect #3 [-느라고] [-는 바람에]
Express cause and effect #3 [-느라고] [-는 바람에]
In the lessons on -아/어서, -(으)니까 and 때문에, we saw the general causes. Korean also has more specific causes, which say what kind of reason produced the result. This lesson presents two of them: -느라고, "because I was busy doing", an action of the subject that took up their time and kept them from doing something else, and -는 바람에, "because of", "as a result of", an unexpected event that led to an unfortunate outcome.
"Busy doing", "what with" with -느라고
-느라고 attaches to the stem of an action verb, always without a tense marker:
[Stem]느라고 [Consequence]
Three constraints set it apart from the other causes. The subject is the same in both clauses: it is my own activity that took up my time or energy. The result is generally negative or costly: I couldn't, I didn't have time, I was swamped (못 하다, 시간이 없다, 바쁘다, 정신이 없다). Finally, the main clause is neither a command nor a suggestion. In speech, 고 often drops: -느라.
민지는 밤새도록 남자친구랑 전화 통화를 하느라고 잠을 자지 못했어요.
→ Minji couldn't sleep because she spent the whole night on the phone with her boyfriend.
민지는 친구들을 신혼집에 초대한 후에 집들이 음식을 준비하느라 정신이 하나도 없었어요.
→ After inviting her friends to her new home, Minji was completely swamped preparing the food for the housewarming.
- 왜 이렇게 통화가 안 돼?
- 미안해. 자느라 전화 못 받았어.
→ - Why can't I get hold of you?
- Sorry. I was sleeping, I couldn't pick up.
마크는 회사를 마치고 한국어를 배우느라 자주 가던 헬스장에 갈 시간이 없다고 했어요.
→ Mark said he no longer has time to go to the gym he used to go to often, because he's learning Korean after work.
민지는 집에서 급하게 나오느라 아침도 챙겨 먹지 못하고 회사에 출근했어요.
→ Minji left home in such a hurry that she went to work without even having breakfast.
아침부터 여행 짐을 챙기느라 정신이 하나도 없었어.
→ I was swamped all morning packing for the trip.
하루 종일 아픈 아이를 돌보느라고 집안일이며 청소며 아무것도 할 수가 없었습니다.
→ I spent the whole day looking after my sick child and couldn't get anything done, neither the housework nor the cleaning.
Polite formulas with -느라고
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"As a result of", "because it so happened that" with -는 바람에
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Exercises
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Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.
Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!
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