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TOPIK II · LEVEL 3

-는 바람에

Names a sudden, unexpected event as the reason something bad or unwanted happened.

이유·원인Reason & cause

Han: -는 바람에 attaches only to verbs, not to adjectives like 춥다. With an adjective, use -아서/어서 (or -(으)ㄴ 탓에).

Examples

갑자기 비가 오는 바람에 옷이 다 젖었어요.It suddenly started raining, and my clothes got soaked.
늦잠을 자는 바람에 회사에 지각했어요.I overslept, so I was late for work.
버스가 갑자기 고장 나는 바람에 약속 시간에 늦었어요.The bus suddenly broke down, so I was late for my appointment.
휴대폰을 떨어뜨리는 바람에 화면이 깨졌어요.I dropped my phone, and the screen cracked.

Don’t mix up

-는 바람에vs-(으)ㄴ/는 탓에It also gives a negative cause, but it stresses blame and can be used with adjectives too: 날씨가 추운 탓에 감기에 걸렸어요.-는 바람에vs-아서/어서It gives a neutral cause for any result, good or bad, without the sense of a sudden mishap: 친구를 만나서 기뻤어요.-는 바람에vs-(으)ㄴ/는 덕분에Use it when the cause led to a good result, often with a feeling of thanks: 친구가 도와준 덕분에 일찍 끝났어요.

How to build it

V+는 바람에

늦잠을 자다 → 늦잠을 자는 바람에

  1. Attach 는 to the verb stem, even when the cause happened in the past. The tense is shown at the end of the sentence (자는 바람에 지각했어요).
  2. The second clause reports a result that has already happened, usually in the past tense. It cannot be a command, a suggestion or a future plan.
  3. It attaches to verbs. With adjectives, use -아서/어서 or -(으)ㄴ 탓에 instead.

Classic mistake

Wrong: 날씨가 추운 바람에 감기에 걸렸어요.

Right: 날씨가 추워서 감기에 걸렸어요.

-는 바람에 attaches only to verbs, not to adjectives like 춥다. With an adjective, use -아서/어서 (or -(으)ㄴ 탓에).

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