TOPIK II · LEVEL 6
-거니 -거니
Shows two opposite or paired actions alternating back and forth again and again, often between two people or sides (like giving and taking).
나열·첨가Listing & addingHan: -거니 attaches to the bare verb stem; past tense is shown only on the final 하다 (했다).
Examples
두 선수는 결승선 직전까지 앞서거니 뒤서거니 하며 치열한 경쟁을 벌였다.The two athletes kept overtaking each other right up to the finish line in a fierce race.
오랜만에 만난 친구들과 술잔을 주거니 받거니 하다 보니 어느새 자정이 넘었다.As I passed drinks back and forth with friends I hadn't seen in ages, before I knew it, it was past midnight.
사회자와 출연자들이 농담을 주거니 받거니 하자 객석에서 웃음이 터졌다.When the host and the guests traded jokes back and forth, the audience burst out laughing.
두 회사는 몇 년째 시장 점유율 1위 자리를 놓고 앞서거니 뒤서거니 하고 있다.For several years, the two companies have been trading the top spot in market share.
Don’t mix up
-거니 -거니vs-락 -락-락 -락 usually describes one subject's repeated movement and is written as one word, while -거니 -거니 often stresses an exchange between two sides: 계단을 오르락내리락했다 vs 술잔을 주거니 받거니 했다.
-거니 -거니vs-거나 -거나-거나 -거나 means 'whether A or B, it doesn't matter', not alternation: 비가 오거나 말거나 나는 갈 거야.
-거니 -거니vs-다가 -다가-다가 -다가 shows one person switching between states (often emotions), not a mutual exchange: 아이가 울다가 웃다가 한다.
How to build it
V1+거니 V2+거니 (하다)
주다 / 받다 → 주거니 받거니 하다
- Use two verbs that form a natural opposite or complementary pair (주다/받다, 앞서다/뒤서다). It is largely a set expression, so stick to established pairs instead of inventing new ones.
- -거니 itself does not take tense. Mark tense on the following 하다 or main verb: 주거니 받거니 했다, not 줬거니 받았거니.
- It cannot end a sentence by itself; it is usually followed by 하다 (하며, 하면서, 하고 있다) or directly by the main verb.
- It has a descriptive, somewhat literary tone and is common in writing, news and storytelling; in casual speech it mostly appears in fixed phrases like 주거니 받거니.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 우리는 밤새 술잔을 줬거니 받았거니 했다.
Right: 우리는 밤새 술잔을 주거니 받거니 했다.
-거니 attaches to the bare verb stem; past tense is shown only on the final 하다 (했다).
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)나 -(으)나Two paired or opposite verbs/adjectives, each with -(으)나, mean 'whichever of these is the case, the following stays the same', which often amounts to 'regardless' or 'all the time'.
- -(으)락 -(으)락Joins two opposite actions or states to show that they keep switching back and forth.
- -(으)랴 -(으)랴Lists two (or more) tasks a person is juggling at the same time to stress that they are extremely busy or worn out.
- -(이)건 -(이)건N(이)건 N(이)건 lists two or more options and says that whichever one it is, the outcome stays the same.
- -(으)ㄹ 듯 말 듯-(으)ㄹ 듯 말 듯 describes something hovering on the edge of happening, so it seems to happen and not happen at the same time.
- -(으)려니와-(으)려니와 grants one fact and then adds another of the same kind on top of it: 'not only A, but also B' in a formal, literary tone.
- -는 둥 마는 둥Describes doing something so carelessly or half-heartedly that you can hardly say it was done at all.
- -는 데 그치지 않고Someone does not stop at one action but goes a step further to something bigger or more serious.
- -느니 -느니 하다Lists the different, often conflicting or complaining things people keep saying, like 'going on about this and that'.