TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-던
-던 describes a noun with an action that was ongoing, repeated or left unfinished in the past: 'that I used to / was doing'.
시제·상Tense & aspectHan: Meeting someone for the first time happened once and finished, so use -(으)ㄴ, not -던.
Examples
자주 가던 식당이 문을 닫았어요.The restaurant I used to go to often has closed.
제가 마시던 커피 어디 있어요?Where's the coffee I was drinking?
여기가 제가 어릴 때 살던 집이에요.This is the house I used to live in as a child.
Don’t mix up
-던vs-(으)ㄴ-(으)ㄴ (past) = finished; -던 = unfinished or habitual: 읽은 책 'a book I've read' vs 읽던 책 'a book I was reading'.
How to build it
V/A+던+N
먹다 → 먹던 빵, 살다 → 살던 집
- -던 = repeated or interrupted; -(으)ㄴ = completed once: 먹던 빵 'bread I was eating (some left)' vs 먹은 빵 'bread I ate'.
- -았/었던 stresses that something happened in the past and no longer continues: 갔던 곳.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 어제 처음 만나던 사람이에요.
Right: 어제 처음 만난 사람이에요.
Meeting someone for the first time happened once and finished, so use -(으)ㄴ, not -던.
Practise -던 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -고 말다Says that something ended up happening in the end, usually against one's wishes or expectations (often with regret); with -겠다 it expresses strong determination.
- -곤 하다-곤 하다 says something was done repeatedly, as a habit: 'used to / would often'.
- -는 중이다Shows that someone is right in the middle of an action, either now or at a given moment in the past.
- -아/어 오다 (화자 쪽으로)Shows that someone else's action is directed toward the speaker or the speaker's side: 'X contacted us, X proposed to me, X came asking'. Common in reports and news.
- -아/어 가다/오다-아/어 가다 means a change continuing from now into the future; -아/어 오다 means a change that has continued up to now.
- -아/어 두다(놓다)-아/어 두다(놓다) means you do something on purpose and leave the result in place, usually so it is ready for later.
- -아/어 버리다-아/어 버리다 shows that an action is completely finished and gone, usually adding the speaker's feeling of regret ("ended up") or relief ("got it over with").
- -았/었었--았/었었- is the 'more past' form: something was true or done in the past but is no longer so.
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
