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Grammar / Level 2 / Lesson 48

~다가, ~았/었다가 and ~아/어다가: switching

By Daniel Buckley · 12 minute read · TOPIK 2

Vocabulary

  1. 잃어버리다 - to lose
  2. 넘어지다 - to fall over
  3. 다치다 - to get hurt
  4. 뛰다 - to run
  5. 그치다 - to stop (rain)
  6. 돌아오다 - to come back
  7. 창문 - window
  8. 닫다 - to close
  9. 빌리다 - to borrow
  10. 도서관 - library

You're watching television on the sofa, and the next thing you know it's morning. Korean says 텔레비전을 보다가 잤어요. Nothing in that sentence means "while". 다가 says one thing was going on, and then the sentence switched to another.

Switching is the idea behind all three forms here. ~다가 switches partway through an action. ~았/었다가 switches once the action is complete. ~아/어다가 finishes an action and takes the result somewhere else.

~다가: partway through

~다가 goes on the stem, and in speech it often shortens to 다. The first action usually breaks off when the second comes in. It may carry on later or it may not, because 다가 doesn't say.

Making the ~다가 form

  • Verbs and adjectives: drop 다, add 다가.보다 → 보다가먹다 → 먹다가듣다 → 듣다가

Pick a verb

보다보보다가

  1. 텔레비전을 보다가 잤어요.

    Partway through watching television, (I) slept.

  2. 밥을 먹다가 전화를 받았어요.

    Partway through eating, (I) answered phone.

  3. 학교에 가다가 친구를 만났어요.

    Partway through going to school, (I) met friend.

  4. 서울에 살다가 부산으로 이사했어요.

    Partway through living in Seoul, (I) moved to Busan.

Often the first action is what led to the second, and the result is often unwelcome. 다가 doesn't say "because". The cause comes from the picture: you were running, and then you were on the ground.

  1. 뛰다가 넘어졌어요.

    Partway through running, (I) fell over.

  2. 요리하다가 손을 다쳤어요.

    Partway through cooking, (I) hurt hand.

  3. 길을 걷다가 지갑을 잃어버렸어요.

    Partway through walking the road, (I) lost wallet.

Adjectives and the weather switch too, from one state to the next. With actions, both clauses should have the same subject. If someone else does the second thing, use ~는데.

  1. 비가 오다가 그쳤어요.

    Rain was coming, then stopped.

  2. 아침에는 춥다가 오후에 따뜻해졌어요.

    In morning (it) was cold, then in afternoon got warm.

  3. 아까는 아프다가 지금은 괜찮아요.

    A while ago (it) hurt, then now is OK.

~았/었다가: after finishing

Add 았/었 and the first action is complete before the switch. Often the second action undoes the first: you opened the window, then shut it. The 았/었 means done rather than past, so it works in a future sentence too, like 잠깐 나갔다가 올게요.

Making the ~았/었다가 form

  • Verbs: add 다가 to the 았/었 stem.가다 → 갔다가열다 → 열었다가

Pick a verb

가다갔어요갔다가

  1. 창문을 열었다가 닫았어요.

    (I) opened window, then closed (it).

  2. 모자를 썼다가 벗었어요.

    (I) put on hat, then took (it) off.

  3. 옷을 샀다가 바꿨어요.

    (I) bought clothes, then exchanged (them).

  4. 집에 왔다가 다시 나갔어요.

    (I) came home, then went out again.

  5. 잠깐 나갔다가 올게요.

    (I) will go out briefly, then come back.

One 았 can change the whole story. Compare these two.

  1. 부산에 가다가 돌아왔어요.

    Partway through going to Busan, (I) came back. (Never got there.)

  2. 부산에 갔다가 돌아왔어요.

    (I) went to Busan, then came back. (Got there.)

  1. 회사에 ___ 집에 돌아왔어요.

    I set off for work, but turned round on the way and came home.

  2. 창문을 ___ 너무 추워서 닫았어요.

    I opened the window, then closed it because it was too cold.

  3. 요리를 ___ 전화를 받았어요.

    I was in the middle of cooking when I answered the phone.

  4. 잠깐 은행에 ___ 올게요.

    I'll pop to the bank and come back.

※ Doubled up with 하다, these forms mean going back and forth between two things: 방 안을 왔다 갔다 했어요, I paced up and down the room. The 가 usually drops in this pattern.

~아/어다가: taking it somewhere

The third form attaches to the 아/어 base. You do something to an object, then take that object elsewhere for the next action. Buy it here and eat it there. The switch is a change of place, and the thing travels with you.

Making the ~아/어다가 form

  • Verbs: take the 해요 form, drop 요, add 다가.빌려요 → 빌려다가찾아요 → 찾아다가사요 → 사다가

Pick a verb

사다사요사다가

  1. 커피를 사다가 사무실에서 마셨어요.

    (I) bought coffee, took it and drank (it) at office.

  2. 도서관에서 책을 빌려다가 집에서 읽었어요.

    (I) borrowed book from library, took it and read (it) at home.

  3. 은행에서 돈을 찾아다가 친구한테 줬어요.

    (I) took out money from bank, took it and gave (it) to friend.

  4. 시장에서 과일을 사다가 어머니께 드렸어요.

    (I) bought fruit at market, took it and gave (it) to mother.

~아/어서 also works in these sentences: 커피를 사서 사무실에서 마셨어요. It gives you the order of events, and ~아/어다가 adds the picture of the thing being carried. If you're ever unsure, ~아/어서 is the safer choice.

The short form 다 shows up in a very useful request. 사 주다 is to buy something for someone, and 사다 주다 is to buy it and bring it to them.

  1. 커피 좀 사다 주세요.

    Please buy and bring coffee.

  2. 제가 김밥을 사다 드릴까요?

    Shall I buy and bring gimbap (for you)?

※ 사다 is the awkward verb here, because its 아/어 form is just 사. So 사다가 can be either form, and only the sentence tells you which: 옷을 사다가 친구를 만났어요 is partway through buying clothes.

Now all three. What's happening in each sentence?

  1. 책을 읽다가 잤어요.

  2. 도서관에서 책을 빌려다가 읽었어요.

  3. 창문을 열었다가 닫았어요.

  4. 길을 걷다가 친구를 만났어요.

  5. 은행에서 돈을 찾아다가 친구한테 줬어요.

  6. 집에 왔다가 다시 나갔어요.

A

민수 씨, 점심 먹었어요?

Minsu, did (you) eat lunch?

B

아까 먹다가 전화를 받았어요. 아직 다 못 먹었어요.

A while ago partway through eating, answered phone. Still couldn't eat it all.

A

그럼 제가 김밥을 사다 드릴까요?

Then shall I buy and bring gimbap (for you)?

B

고마워요. 저는 잠깐 은행에 갔다가 올게요.

Thank you. I will go to bank briefly, then come back.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 제가 공부하다가 친구가 왔어요.

    제가 공부하고 있는데 친구가 왔어요.

    With actions, 다가 needs the same person in both clauses. With a new subject, ~는데 sets the scene.

  2. 도서관에서 책을 빌리다가 집에서 읽었어요.

    도서관에서 책을 빌려다가 집에서 읽었어요.

    빌리다가 is the stem plus 다가, so you'd stop partway through borrowing. To take the book away, use the 아/어 form.

  3. 음악을 듣다가 공부했어요.

    음악을 들으면서 공부했어요.

    다가 switches, so that says the music stopped and the studying began. For both at once, use ~(으)면서, the next lesson.

Check yourself

Quick check

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밥을 ___ 전화를 받았어요. (먹다) I was eating when I answered the phone.

Partway through, so stem plus 다가.

Summary

~다가 forms
DictionaryStem~다가
보다보보다가
먹다먹먹다가
살다살살다가
듣다듣듣다가
하다하하다가
~았/었다가 forms
DictionaryPast~았/었다가
가다갔어요갔다가
열다열었어요열었다가
입다입었어요입었다가
하다했어요했다가
~아/어다가 forms
Dictionary해요~아/어다가
빌리다빌려요빌려다가
찾다찾아요찾아다가
만들다만들어요만들어다가
받다받아요받아다가

Three kinds of switch

  • 다가: partway through, something else takes over.
  • 았/었다가: the first action is complete, then things change.
  • 아/어다가: the object is carried to the next action.

Now you can say

  1. 텔레비전을 보다가 잤어요.

    Partway through watching television, (I) slept.

  2. 잠깐 나갔다가 올게요.

    (I) will go out briefly, then come back.

  3. 커피 좀 사다 주세요.

    Please buy and bring coffee.

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