TOPIK II · LEVEL 5
-는 통에
-는 통에 blames a noisy, hectic or chaotic situation for causing a bad result.
이유·원인Reason & causeHan: -는 통에 implies a bothersome cause and a bad result, so it sounds odd with a helpful friend and a good outcome; use -(으)ㄴ 덕분에.
Examples
출근 시간에 사람들이 하도 밀치는 통에 내릴 역을 지나쳤어요.People were shoving so much during rush hour that I missed my stop.
갑자기 손님들이 몰려드는 통에 점심도 못 먹었어요.Customers suddenly flooded in, so I couldn't even eat lunch.
아이들이 옆에서 떠드는 통에 전화 내용을 제대로 못 들었어요.The kids were making a racket next to me, so I couldn't hear the call properly.
옆집에서 밤늦게까지 파티를 하는 통에 한숨도 못 잤어요.The neighbors partied until late at night, so I didn't get a wink of sleep.
Don’t mix up
-는 통에vs-는 바람에-는 바람에 stresses one sudden, unexpected event; -는 통에 stresses an ongoing messy, noisy situation: 버스가 갑자기 서는 바람에 넘어졌어요.-는 통에vs-느라고-느라고 is the subject's own time-consuming activity (same subject); -는 통에 is usually someone else's commotion: 숙제하느라고 못 잤어요 vs 동생이 떠드는 통에 못 잤어요.-는 통에vs-(으)ㄴ 덕분에덕분에 credits a cause for a good result, 통에 blames a chaotic cause for a bad one: 친구가 도와준 덕분에 일찍 끝났어요.
How to build it
V+는 통에 (A + 은/ㄴ 통에, less common; N + 통에 in set phrases like 난리 통에)
떠들다 → 떠드는 통에
- The result is usually negative or unwanted; for a good result use -(으)ㄴ 덕분에 instead.
- The second clause cannot be a command or suggestion (-(으)세요, -(으)ㅂ시다); it reports what happened, usually in the past tense.
- Keep 는 even for past events: do not attach -았/었- before 통에 (not 떠들었는 통에).
- The cause is typically a commotion created by other people or circumstances, not the speaker's own deliberate activity.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 친구가 도와주는 통에 일이 일찍 끝났어요.
Right: 친구가 도와준 덕분에 일이 일찍 끝났어요.
-는 통에 implies a bothersome cause and a bad result, so it sounds odd with a helpful friend and a good outcome; use -(으)ㄴ 덕분에.
Practise -는 통에 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄴ/는 나머지-(으)ㄴ 나머지 means that a feeling or action went too far, and this led to a usually unwanted or unexpected result.
- -(느)ㄴ다기에Shows that something you heard from someone else is the reason for what you then did: "since they said ~, I ~".
- -길래Gives what the speaker saw or noticed as the trigger for an action they then took: 'since / when I saw that …, I …'. The conversational form of -기에; in questions it asks what is so special that something happens (뭐길래, 얼마나 …길래).
- -(이)란N(이)란 picks out a concept that you are about to define or explain the essence of: "N is (by its nature)…", "what we call N is…".
- -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다Use -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 when the situation makes it plain to you that something, usually something bad, will happen or has happened.
- -(으)ㄴ 끝에Shows that a result was finally reached after a long or difficult process of doing something.
- -(으)ㄹ 망정-(으)ㄹ망정 means 'even if I have to accept this bad situation, I still won't give up something more important,' or 'although X is true, Y still holds.'
- -(으)ㄹ 즈음-(으)ㄹ 즈음 means "around the time when something happens": it marks an approximate time, not an exact moment.
- -(으)ㄹ 테다Declares the speaker's firm will or determination: 'I will … (no matter what)'. In a question to the listener it asks about their intention, often bluntly. Plain style: -(으)ㄹ 테야 in speech, -(으)ㄹ 테다 in self-talk and narration.
