Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 6 - Upper-Intermediate Korean #1 (Lessons 151 to 180) ᚛ Lesson 180 - Interruption and switching actions in Korean [-다(가)] [-(으)려다(가)]
Interruption and switching actions in Korean [-다(가)] [-(으)려다(가)]
In this lesson, we are going to study one of the many uses of the -다(가) structure. Indeed, as you will gradually see over the course of the lessons, -다(가) is a very common form in Korean, used in various cases and with several meanings. Here, we are going to study the interruption of actions.
Interruption with -다(가)
In Korean, to express the idea that an action is in progress and is interrupted to make way for another action, we generally use -다(가) in the following manner:
[Interrupted action 1: … Present stem]다(가) [Action 2]
In English, it is difficult to translate the -다(가) structure literally, but the idea is that an action suddenly interrupts another one that was in progress. It often corresponds to "was doing... when..." or "while doing..., ...".
요리하다가 칼에 손가락이 베여서 피가 많이 났어요.
→ While I was cooking, I cut my finger on a knife and it bled a lot.
수진이는 길을 걸어가다가 땅에 떨어진 돈을 보고 급하게 돈을 주웠어요.
→ Sujin was walking down the street when she saw some money lying on the ground and hurriedly picked it up.
혜진이는 밤새 공부를 하다가 배가 고파서 먹을 것을 사러 나갔어요.
→ Hyejin was studying all night when she got hungry, so she went out to buy something to eat.
액자를 걸려고 못을 박다가 망치로 손을 쳐서 멍이 들었어.
→ While I was hammering a nail to hang a picture frame, I hit my hand with the hammer and got a bruise.
수진이는 그 분야에 대해서 잘 알지도 못하면서 괜히 전문가 앞에서 아는 척하다 망신만 당했어.
→ Sujin did not even know much about that field, but she pretended to know in front of an expert for no reason, and just ended up humiliating herself.
오늘 아침에는 날씨가 춥다가 갑자기 더워졌네.
→ This morning, the weather was cold, then it suddenly got hot.
수민이는 숙제하다가 자기도 모르게 잠이 들었어요.
→ Sumin fell asleep without even realizing it while she was doing her homework.
Interruption of an intention with -(으)려다(가)
Learn more
Exercises
Learn more
You already know some vocabulary and sentence structures… But when you listen to Koreans speak, do you ever feel like something is missing, the meaning behind the words, the cultural nuance that makes the language truly come alive?
That’s completely normal. In Korean, proverbs and idiomatic expressions are essential to understanding how Koreans think and communicate. Without them, you can speak, but your language will feel flat and overly literal.
With 100 Korean Proverbs - Illustrated and Explained, you’ll understand not only what Koreans say, but why they say it, and what each expression reveals about their mindset and culture.
Learn more