LEARN + KOREAN / 63 of 125 TOPIK I

For the Whole Time 동안

You have two days in Busan, and your friend wants to know what you will do while you are there. 동안 gives a stretch of time boundaries: for two days, during the holiday, or while something is happening.

Name the Length

Put 동안 after a duration or a period: 사흘 동안, 방학 동안. There is no 에 between the time expression and 동안. The verb at the end tells you whether the period is past, present, or future.

busaneseo saheul dongan jinaesseoyo.

I spent three days in Busan.

banghak dongan hangugeoreul gongbuhal geoyeyo.

I will study Korean during the holiday.

Use an Action as the Time Window

Verb stem + -는 동안 means while that action is in progress: 기다리는 동안, 한국에 사는 동안. Unlike -(으)면서, the two clauses do not need to describe the same person doing both actions.

chingureul gidarineun dongan chaegeul ilgeosseoyo.

I read a book while waiting for my friend.

jega yorihaneun dongan dongsaengi cheongsohaesseoyo.

My younger sibling cleaned while I cooked.

Hint · 힌트

An hour spent doing something is 한 시간 동안. An event scheduled for one o’clock is 한 시에. Duration and clock time answer different questions.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
사흘 saheul	three days
지내다 jinaeda	to spend time
방학 banghak	school holiday
기다리다 gidarida	to wait
동생 dongsaeng	younger sibling
청소하다 cheongsohada	to clean
시간 sigan	time or hour
기간 gigan	period of time
동안 dongan	duration
하루 haru	one day
이틀 iteul	two days
일주일 iljuil	one week
한 달 han dal	one month
일 년 il nyeon	one year
휴가 hyuga	leave or holiday
주말 jumal	weekend
평일 pyeongil	weekday
아침 achim	morning
점심 jeomsim	lunch
저녁 jeonyeok	evening

YOUR PROGRESS

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