TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-는 데 (걸리다/도움이 되다)
-는 데 means 'in doing / for doing A', used with words like 걸리다 'take (time)', 필요하다, 도움이 되다, 좋다.
명사형·관형형Making nouns & modifiersHan: Here 데 means 'for doing', so it's written apart: 가는 데.
Examples
이 책은 한국어를 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요.This book helps with studying Korean.
집을 사는 데 돈이 많이 들어요.Buying a house costs a lot of money.
집에서 회사까지 가는 데 한 시간쯤 걸려요.It takes about an hour to get from home to work.
Don’t mix up
-는 데 (걸리다/도움이 되다)vs-는데-는데 (no space) links clauses ('and/but'); -는 데 (space) names the activity something is for: 가는데 늦었어요 vs 가는 데 30분 걸려요.
How to build it
V+는 데+걸리다/들다/필요하다/도움이 되다/좋다
가다 → 가는 데 한 시간 걸려요
- 데 here means 'situation / purpose' and is written with a space: 가는 데.
- Don't confuse with the connective -는데 ('but / and'), written without a space.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 학교에 가는데 30분 걸려요.
Right: 학교에 가는 데 30분 걸려요.
Here 데 means 'for doing', so it's written apart: 가는 데.
Practise -는 데 (걸리다/도움이 되다) on real TOPIK questions
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Start 7-day free trialMore level 3 grammar
All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.
- -(으)ㄹ 겸-(으)ㄹ 겸 gives one of two or more purposes for a single action: 'partly to …, and also to …'.
- -(으)ㄹ 걸 그랬다-(으)ㄹ 걸 그랬다 expresses regret: 'I should have done …' (but didn't).
- -(으)ㄴ 채(로)-(으)ㄴ 채(로) means doing something while a previous state is still kept: 'with … still on / still …ing'.
- -(으)ㄴ 결과Presents what came out of a completed action or process: 'as a result of doing A, B'. Formal; common in reports, news and essays.
- -(으)ㄹ 텐데-(으)ㄹ 텐데 states what the speaker expects is probably true and uses that guess as background for advice, a contrast, or an unfinished feeling of worry or wish.
- -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라Use it to say that besides the first fact, a second fact of the same kind is also true: "not only ... but also ...".
