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Grammar / Level 3 / Lesson 74

~느라고, 는 바람에, 탓에, 덕분에: excuses and blame

By Daniel Buckley · 12 minute read · TOPIK 3

Vocabulary

  1. 늦잠 - oversleeping
  2. 고장 나다 - to break down
  3. 젖다 - to get wet
  4. 넘어지다 - to fall over
  5. 떠들다 - to make noise, to chatter
  6. 공사 - construction work
  7. 탓 - fault, blame
  8. 덕분 - thanks to, benefit
  9. 손님 - customer, guest
  10. 합격하다 - to pass (an exam)

You didn't reply to a message, and now you have to say why. 바빠서요 does the job, but it doesn't say what kind of reason this is. Were you tied up, did something go wrong, or was it someone else's fault?

아/어서 and 때문에 state a cause and stop there. The patterns here also say how you see that cause, which is why they turn up so often in excuses. One of them, 덕분에, does the reverse and gives someone the credit.

~느라고: I was tied up

~느라고 says you were busy with one thing, and that explains the other. The action has to take up time, and the same person does both halves. It goes on verbs only, and the second half is often a problem or a cost, though it doesn't have to be. Speakers often drop the 고.

Making ~느라고

  • Add 느라고 to the stem, with no tense in front. The sentence ending carries the tense.먹다 → 먹느라고보다 → 보느라고
  • Stem ends in ㄹ: the ㄹ drops.살다 → 사느라고만들다 → 만드느라고

Pick a verb

보다보보느라고

  1. 시험공부를 하느라고 어제 잠을 못 잤어요.

    I couldn't sleep last night because I was studying for an exam.

  2. 영화를 보느라고 전화를 못 받았어요.

    I missed your call because I was watching a film.

  3. 저녁을 준비하느라고 바빴어요.

    I was busy getting dinner ready.

  4. 아이들을 키우느라 고생했어요.

    I had a hard time bringing up the kids.

Because the first half has to be something a person is occupied with, 비가 오느라고 doesn't work. Rain isn't busy with anything. Adjectives are out for the same reason, so you can't say 아프느라고.

※ 오시느라 고생 많으셨습니다 is a polite thing to say to a guest who has made a long trip: it must have been hard, getting here. There it's sympathy, with no excuse in it.

는 바람에: something happened

는 바람에 says something unplanned happened and set off the result. It makes a good excuse, because nobody meant it. The result is usually unwelcome and usually past, and it doesn't lead into a command or suggestion.

Making 는 바람에

  • Add 는 바람에 to a verb stem. It stays 는, even though the event is over.오다 → 오는 바람에놓치다 → 놓치는 바람에살다 → 사는 바람에

Pick a verb

오다오오는 바람에

  1. 버스를 놓치는 바람에 늦었어요.

    I was late because I missed the bus.

  2. 갑자기 비가 오는 바람에 옷이 다 젖었어요.

    It suddenly rained, and my clothes got soaked.

  3. 휴대폰이 고장 나는 바람에 연락을 못 했어요.

    My phone broke, so I couldn't get in touch.

  4. 길에서 넘어지는 바람에 바지가 찢어졌어요.

    I fell over in the street and tore my trousers.

  5. 늦잠을 자는 바람에 비행기를 놓쳤어요.

    I overslept and missed my flight.

~느라고 says you were occupied with something. 는 바람에 says something happened, and the two halves can have different subjects, as in example 2. Example 5 fits it because oversleeping is something that happens to you.

는 통에: all that commotion

통 is the situation around something, and in this pattern it's typically a messy one. 는 통에 says the noise or disorder around you got in the way. 는 바람에 tends to point at one event, and 는 통에 is more about what's going on around you. It's usually a complaint.

  1. 아이들이 떠드는 통에 책을 못 읽었어요.

    I couldn't read with the kids making all that noise.

  2. 옆집에서 공사를 하는 통에 잠을 못 잤어요.

    I couldn't sleep with all the building work next door.

  3. 사람들이 미는 통에 넘어질 뻔했어요.

    I nearly fell over with everyone pushing.

  4. 아기가 밤새 우는 통에 너무 피곤해요.

    I'm exhausted because the baby cried all night.

  5. 많은 사람들이 전쟁 통에 가족과 헤어졌어요.

    Many people were separated from their families in the chaos of the war.

Example 5 shows 통에 straight after a noun, written with a space. It's mostly nouns like 전쟁 that work this way: big, disorderly events.

탓: whose fault

탓 is a noun meaning fault or blame, so 제 탓이에요 is "it's my fault". Like any noun, it can follow a noun or a modifier. It's for bad results, and that's the difference from 때문에, which doesn't care either way.

Using 탓

  • After a noun: 탓에.날씨 → 날씨 탓에
  • A verb, happening now: 는 탓에.오다 → 오는 탓에
  • A verb, in the past: ㄴ/은 탓에.먹다 → 먹은 탓에자다 → 잔 탓에
  • An adjective: ㄴ/은 탓에.춥다 → 추운 탓에많다 → 많은 탓에

  1. 날씨가 추운 탓에 손님이 별로 없어요.

    There aren't many customers because it's so cold.

  2. 어제 많이 먹은 탓에 배가 아파요.

    My stomach hurts because I ate too much yesterday.

  3. 요즘 비가 자주 오는 탓에 빨래가 안 말라요.

    The washing won't dry because it keeps raining these days.

  4. 날씨 탓에 여행이 취소됐어요.

    The trip got cancelled because of the weather.

  5. 다 제 탓이에요.

    It's all my fault.

  6. 남을 탓하지 마세요.

    Don't blame other people.

덕분에: thanks to

덕분에 is the mirror of 탓. 때문에 after a noun can sound like blame, so when the cause was a good thing, Koreans tend to reach for this. It attaches the same way: straight after a noun, or after a modifier, usually the past one on a verb.

  1. 선생님 덕분에 시험에 합격했어요.

    I passed the exam thanks to my teacher.

  2. 친구가 도와준 덕분에 일찍 끝났어요.

    We finished early thanks to my friend's help.

  3. 날씨가 좋은 덕분에 사진이 잘 나왔어요.

    The photos came out well thanks to the good weather.

  4. 매일 연습한 덕분에 실력이 많이 늘었어요.

    I've improved a lot thanks to practising every day.

  5. 다 여러분 덕분입니다.

    It's all thanks to you.

덕분에 also works as a polite reply. Asked 잘 지내세요?, you can say 네, 덕분에 잘 지내요, even if the other person did nothing for you. Said with a flat voice it flips: 덕분에 늦었어요 is "thanks a lot, now I'm late".

Choosing one

What kind of reason is it?

  • You were busy with something: ~느라고.영화를 보느라고 전화를 못 받았어요.
  • Something unplanned happened: 는 바람에.버스를 놓치는 바람에 늦었어요.
  • Noise or chaos around you: 는 통에.아이들이 떠드는 통에 못 잤어요.
  • Someone or something is to blame: 탓에.날씨 탓에 취소됐어요.
  • You're giving credit: 덕분에.선생님 덕분에 합격했어요.

  1. 일을 ___ 친구 생일을 잊어버렸어요.

    I was so busy working that I forgot my friend's birthday.

  2. 갑자기 차가 ___ 회의에 늦었어요.

    The car suddenly broke down, so I was late for the meeting.

  3. 옆방 사람들이 ___ 공부를 못 했어요.

    I couldn't study with the people next door making all that noise.

  4. 친구가 ___ 이사를 일찍 끝냈어요.

    Thanks to my friend's help, we finished moving early.

  5. 제가 잘못했어요. 다 제 ___.

    I got it wrong. It's all my fault.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

어제 왜 제 문자에 답장 안 했어요?

Yesterday why my text reply didn't do?

B

미안해요. 회의를 준비하느라고 못 봤어요.

Sorry. Meeting preparing, tied up couldn't see.

A

오늘은 왜 늦었어요?

Today why late?

B

지하철이 고장 나는 바람에 늦었어요.

Subway broke down, it so happened late.

A

그래서 회의는 잘 끝났어요?

So meeting well finished?

B

네, 민수 씨 덕분에 잘 끝났어요.

Yes, Minsu thanks to well finished.

Common mistakes

  1. 어제 숙제했느라고 못 잤어요.

    어제 숙제하느라고 못 잤어요.

    No 았/었 before 느라고. The sentence ending gives the tense.

  2. 비가 오느라고 늦었어요.

    비가 오는 바람에 늦었어요.

    느라고 needs a person occupied with an activity, and both halves need the same subject.

  3. 버스를 놓친 바람에 늦었어요.

    버스를 놓치는 바람에 늦었어요.

    바람에 takes 는, whatever the tense of the sentence.

One sentence in each group is wrong. Tap it.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

영화를 ___ 전화를 못 받았어요. (보다, use 느라고) I missed your call because I was watching a film.

Stem plus 느라고.

Summary

~느라고 forms
DictionaryStem~느라고
보다보보느라고
먹다먹먹느라고
듣다듣듣느라고
만들다만들만드느라고
살다살사느라고
는 바람에 forms
DictionaryStem는 바람에
오다오오는 바람에
놓치다놓치놓치는 바람에
넘어지다넘어지넘어지는 바람에
살다살사는 바람에

Who gets the credit or the blame

  • ~느라고: I was busy with this. Same subject, no tense, verbs only.
  • 는 바람에: something unplanned happened.
  • 는 통에: the commotion around me got in the way.
  • 탓에: this is to blame.
  • 덕분에: this deserves the thanks.

Now you can say

  1. 영화를 보느라고 전화를 못 받았어요.

    I missed your call because I was watching a film.

  2. 버스를 놓치는 바람에 늦었어요.

    I was late because I missed the bus.

  3. 다 여러분 덕분입니다.

    It's all thanks to you.

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