Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 7 - Upper-Intermediate Korean #2 (Lessons 181 to 210) ᚛ Lesson 195 - Successive actions in Korean [-아/어다가] [-았/었다가]

Successive actions in Korean [-아/어다가] [-았/었다가]

In this course: 다 / 다가 / 아다가 / 어다가 / 았다가 / 었다가 / 했다가

In the lesson on interruption with -다(가), we saw that an action in progress could be interrupted by another one. In this lesson, we are going to study two structures that look like it, -아/어다(가) and -았/었다(가), but which are used to link two successive actions: "buying something and then eating it somewhere else", "going somewhere and then coming back". The first one links two actions performed on the same object, the second one indicates that an action is completely finished when the next one begins.

Two actions on the same object with -아/어다(가)

In Korean, it is possible to express the succession of two actions involving the same object with the following structure:
[Action 1: … Stem + 아/어]다(가) [Action 2]

The first verb takes the present tense casual style form (사다 → 사, 만들다 → 만들어), followed by 다가. The final 가 is optional and often drops in spoken Korean. However, to be able to use this structure, three conditions must be met:

• the subject of both actions must be the same;
• both actions must involve the same object;
• the first action typically involves obtaining, preparing, or moving something that is then used at another location or in a subsequent action.

Concretely, -아/어다(가) expresses that an action is performed on an object in one place, then that this object is moved so that a second action can be performed somewhere else: we buy something at the store, then we eat it at home.

오늘은 퇴근하고 삼겹살 사다가 집에서 구워 먹을까?
→ How about buying some samgyeopsal after work today and grilling it at home?

거기 안 입는 옷들은 다 모아다가 헌 옷 수거함에 좀 넣어 줘.
→ Gather up all the clothes over there that you don’t wear anymore and go put them in the used clothing bin, please.

거기 있는 걸레 좀 가져다가 여기 바닥 좀 닦아 줄래요?
→ Could you bring the mop that is over there and wipe the floor here?

남자친구 생일날 직접 케이크를 만들어다가 주려고 하는데 네 생각은 어때?
→ For my boyfriend’s birthday, I’m planning to make a cake myself and bring it to him, what do you think?

- 오늘 저녁으로 뭐 먹었어요?
→ What did you have for dinner tonight?
- 그냥 간단하게 집 앞에서 김밥 사다가 먹었어요.
→ I just kept it simple, I bought some kimbap in front of my place and ate it at home.

-아/어다(가) or -아/어서?

An action finished before the next one with -았/었다(가)

Another way to express two actions that follow one another is to use the following structure:
[Action 1: … Past stem]다(가) [Action 2]

Be careful, although this structure looks like the -아/어다(가) one seen above, it is actually very different: it does not concern an object, but time.

Do not confuse -았/었다(가), -고 and -다(가)

The -다(가) form has still other uses, such as the warning with -다가는 or the alternation with -다(가) -다(가), which are covered in separate lessons.

Exercises

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

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