TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-는 사이에
-는 사이에 means 'while (A is going on), B happened' — often B happens without the subject noticing.
시간·순서Time & sequenceHan: Use either 사이에 or 동안, not both together.
Examples
제가 잠깐 자는 사이에 친구가 다녀갔어요.My friend dropped by while I was napping.
우리가 이야기하는 사이에 비가 그쳤어요.While we were talking, the rain stopped.
한눈파는 사이에 지갑을 잃어버렸어요.I lost my wallet while I wasn't paying attention.
Don’t mix up
-는 사이에vs-는 동안-는 동안 covers the whole period; -는 사이에 points to something happening within a short gap: 방학 동안 vs 잠깐 나간 사이에.How to build it
V+는 사이(에)
N+사이(에)
자다 → 자는 사이에, 잠깐 → 잠깐 사이에
- The two clauses can have different subjects: 제가 자는 사이에 동생이 왔어요.
- Shorter time than -는 동안; stresses a brief window.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 자는 사이 동안 비가 왔어요.
Right: 자는 사이에 비가 왔어요.
Use either 사이에 or 동안, not both together.
Practise -는 사이에 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(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 다음에'After doing A, B': the second event follows the first. It means the same as -(으)ㄴ 후에 / -(으)ㄴ 뒤에 but sounds more conversational.
- -(으)ㄴ/는 김에Use it when you take the chance of doing one thing to also do another thing: 'while I'm at it, I'll also…'.
- -(으)ㄴ/는 대로Shows that an action is done exactly the way something was said, done, seen or planned.
- -고 나다Marks that an action has been fully completed before what follows; used in -고 나면 'once A is done', -고 나니(까) 'after A, (I found)…' and -고 난 후/뒤/다음에.
- -고 나서-고 나서 means "after (fully) finishing A, then B" and stresses that the first action is completed before the next begins.
- -는 길에-는 길에 means 'on the way to / while going somewhere': doing B along the way.
- -는 동안-는 동안 marks the whole stretch of time an action lasts, during which something else happens or continues.