Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 7 - Upper-Intermediate Korean #2 (Lessons 181 to 210) ᚛ Lesson 192 - In the state of in Korean [-(으)ㄴ 채로]

In the state of in Korean [-(으)ㄴ 채로]

In this course: 채로 / 은 채 / 는 채 / ㄴ 채

In the lesson on -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다, we saw how to say that an action is done and its result is left as it is. The -(으)ㄴ 채로 structure looks at the same situation from another angle: it describes the state we are in, because an action has or has not been done, while a second action takes place. In English, it corresponds to "with…", "while still…", "as is" or, in the negative, "without…".

In the state of with -(으)ㄴ 채로

Unlike -아/어 놓다 and -아/어 두다, which end a sentence, -(으)ㄴ 채로 is a connector between two clauses:
[State resulting from an action: … Past adnominal form -(으)ㄴ] 채(로) [Action 2]

The noun 채 refers to the state as it is; 로 can be dropped, especially in writing (마음을 닫은 채). The verb takes the past adnominal form in -(으)ㄴ, since the action that created the state is completed. Three uses stand out:

• a state kept against expectations: clothes, shoes, body position (옷을 입은 채로, 신발을 신은 채로, 아기를 안은 채로);
• very often, an action that has not been done: -지 않은 채로, -지 못한 채로, "without having…";
• a result of -아/어 놓다 maintained during the next action: 문을 닫아 놓은 채로, "having left the door closed".

남자친구는 하던 말도 끝내지 않은 채로 매몰차게 뒤돌아서 가 버렸어요.
→ My boyfriend, without even finishing his sentence, coldly turned his back on me and walked away.

며칠 동안 밤샘 근무를 마치고 돌아온 남편은 옷도 갈아입지 못한 채로 그대로 잠들어 버렸어요.
→ Back from several nights of work in a row, my husband fell asleep just as he was, without even being able to change his clothes.

현순이는 늦은 밤 술에 취한 채로 오랫동안 짝사랑하던 민혁이에게 전화를 걸었어요.
→ Late at night, Hyunsoon, drunk, called Minhyuk, whom she had secretly loved for a long time.

현우는 부인과 이혼 후, 마음을 닫은 채 친구들의 문자나 전화까지도 다 피하고 있다고 들었어요.
→ Since his divorce, Hyunwoo, with his heart closed, has been avoiding even his friends' texts and calls, from what I heard.

현민이는 며칠 동안 씻지도 않은 채로 종일 집에서 게임만 했어요.
→ Hyunmin spent whole days gaming at home, without even having washed for several days.

문을 다 닫아 놓은 채로 요리를 해서 온 집안이 음식 냄새로 가득했어요.
→ I cooked with all the doors left closed, and the whole house filled up with the smell of food.

수희는 계속 우는 아기를 꼭 안은 채로 병원 응급실로 달려갔어요.
→ Suhee ran to the emergency room holding the baby, who would not stop crying, tight against her.

시험 시간이 부족해서 수학 문제는 다 풀지도 못한 채로 시험지를 제출했어요.
→ For lack of time, I handed in my exam paper without even having finished the math problems.

-(으)ㄴ 채로, -고 or -(으)면서?

Exercises

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!

Learn more

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