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Grammar / Level 1 / Lesson 16

전, 후, 동안, 마다: time words

By Daniel Buckley · 11 minute read · TOPIK 1

Vocabulary

  1. 전 - before, ago
  2. 후 - after, later
  3. 동안 - for, during
  4. 이내 - within
  5. 아까 - a while ago
  6. 이따가 - a little later
  7. 마다 - every
  8. 씩 - each, at a time
  9. 수업 - class
  10. 시간 - time, hour

English says "two hours ago" and "before class" and uses a different word each time. Korean uses 전 for both: 두 시간 전에, 수업 전에. The word comes after the time, the way particles do.

Time words are mostly vocabulary, so this lesson is shorter on rules than the last few. Numbers and counters have their own guides, Korean numbers and Korean counters. Keep them open if 세 시간 and 십 분 give you any trouble.

전 and 후: before and after

전 means the time before a point and 후 means the time after it. Both are nouns, so they take 에 from lesson 13. The word in front decides the English: after an event you get "before" and "after", and after a length of time you get "ago" and "later".

전에 and 후에

  • After an event or a clock time: before, after.수업 전에수업 후에세 시 전에
  • After a length of time: ago, later.일주일 전에두 시간 후에

  1. 수업 전에 커피를 마셔요.

    Before class (I) drink coffee.

  2. 수업 후에 친구를 만나요.

    After class (I) meet friend.

  3. 세 시 전에 도착했어요.

    (I) arrived before three o'clock.

  4. 세 시간 전에 도착했어요.

    (I) arrived three hours ago.

  5. 일주일 전에 서울에 왔어요.

    (I) came to Seoul one week ago.

  6. 두 시간 후에 출발해요.

    (I) depart two hours later.

  7. 일 년 후에 한국에 갈 거예요.

    (I) will go to Korea one year later.

Compare examples 3 and 4. 세 시 is a point on the clock and 세 시간 is a length of time, and that one syllable flips the meaning. English would say "in two hours" for example 6, and 후에 covers that too.

※ You'll also hear 뒤에, which means the same as 후에 here. To use 전 and 후 with verbs you need ~기 전에, in lesson 34, and ~ㄴ/은 후에, in lesson 40.

동안: for, during

동안 means the whole stretch of a period of time. After a length of time, English says "for". After an event, English says "during". Korean has no need for two words, because in both cases you're pointing at a stretch of time.

  1. 두 시간 동안 공부했어요.

    (I) studied for two hours.

  2. 삼 년 동안 서울에 살았어요.

    (I) lived in Seoul for three years.

  3. 일주일 동안 한국에 있었어요.

    (I) was in Korea for one week.

  4. 방학 동안 집에 있었어요.

    During school holiday (I) was at home.

  5. 수업 동안 말을 안 했어요.

    During class (I) didn't talk.

※ After a length of time you can leave 동안 out: 두 시간 공부했어요. Verbs need ~는 동안, which comes in lesson 37.

이내: within

이내 sets a limit: something happens inside that amount of time and no later. It sounds official, so you'll see it on notices and delivery pages. In speech, most people say 안에, the same 안 as "inside".

  1. 일주일 이내에 보낼 거예요.

    (I) will send (it) within one week.

  2. 한 시간 이내에 도착해요.

    (It) arrives within one hour.

  3. 십 분 안에 도착해요.

    (I) arrive within ten minutes.

지금, 아까, 이따가

Three short words place things around the present moment. 아까 means earlier, usually today, and 이따가 means later, usually today. If "later" could be next month, use 나중에 instead.

Around now

  • 아까: a while ago. Past tense.아까 먹었어요
  • 지금: now.지금 먹어요
  • 이따가: in a while. Future tense or present.이따가 먹을 거예요
  • 나중에: at some later time.나중에 먹을 거예요
A

지금 어디에 있어요?

Now where (are you)?

B

회사에 있어요. 아까 점심을 먹었어요.

(I) am at company. A while ago (I) ate lunch.

A

이따가 시간 있어요?

In a while (do you) have time?

B

네, 여섯 시까지 일해요.

Yes, (I) work until six o'clock.

A

그럼 이따가 봐요.

Then in a while (let's) see (each other).

Days and weeks

The days around today are plain vocabulary, and they take no 에. The days of the week all end in 요일, and they do take 에. So do words for parts of the day and the weekend.

Days, weeks and years

  • Around today: two days ago, yesterday, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow.그저께, 어제, 오늘, 내일, 모레
  • Monday to Sunday.월요일, 화요일, 수요일, 목요일, 금요일, 토요일, 일요일
  • Last, this and next: week, month.지난주, 이번 주, 다음 주지난달, 이번 달, 다음 달
  • Last year, this year, next year.작년, 올해, 내년

  1. 내일 친구를 만나요.

    Tomorrow (I) meet friend.

  2. 모레 서울에 도착해요.

    The day after tomorrow (I) arrive in Seoul.

  3. 월요일에 시험이 있어요.

    On Monday there is an exam.

  4. 지난주에 부산에 갔어요.

    Last week (I) went to Busan.

  5. 다음 주 토요일에 만나요.

    (We) meet on Saturday next week.

  6. 작년에 한국어를 배웠어요.

    Last year (I) learned Korean.

※ The days are named after the moon, fire, water, wood, metal, earth and sun, in that order. For dates and clock times, see telling time in Korean.

마다: every

마다 goes after a noun and means "every" or "each". It works on time words and on ordinary nouns. 매 does the same job from the front, in a handful of fixed words: 매일, 매주, 매달, 매년.

  1. 주말마다 공원에 가요.

    Every weekend (I) go to park.

  2. 아침마다 커피를 마셔요.

    Every morning (I) drink coffee.

  3. 일요일마다 부모님께 전화해요.

    Every Sunday (I) phone parents.

  4. 버스가 십 분마다 와요.

    Bus comes every ten minutes.

  5. 세 시간마다 약을 먹어요.

    (I) take medicine every three hours.

  6. 사람마다 달라요.

    Each person is different.

  7. 매일 한국어를 공부해요.

    Every day (I) study Korean.

※ For how many times in a period, use 에 with no 마다: 일주일에 두 번, twice a week.

씩: so much each

씩 goes after an amount and says that amount repeats: the same share for each person, or the same step each time. 하나씩 can mean "one each" or "one at a time", and the sentence tells you which. 조금씩, a little at a time, is the one you'll use most.

  1. 사과를 하나씩 먹었어요.

    (We) ate apple, one each.

  2. 아이들한테 사탕을 두 개씩 줬어요.

    (I) gave children sweets, two each.

  3. 한 사람씩 들어왔어요.

    One person at a time came in.

  4. 매일 조금씩 공부해요.

    Every day (I) study a little at a time.

  5. 하루에 세 번씩 약을 먹어요.

    (I) take medicine three times each day.

※ 마다 marks what comes round, and 씩 marks how much goes with it. They can share a sentence: 아침마다 조금씩 공부해요, every morning (I) study a little.

Which word?

  1. ___ 친구를 만났어요.

    I met a friend a little while ago.

  2. 두 시간 ___ 공부했어요.

    I studied for two hours.

  3. 일주일 ___ 한국에 왔어요.

    I came to Korea a week ago.

  4. ___ 전화할 거예요.

    I'll call you later today.

  5. 일요일___ 부모님께 전화해요.

    I call my parents every Sunday.

  6. 매일 조금___ 공부해요.

    I study a little every day.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 세 시 동안 공부했어요.

    세 시간 동안 공부했어요.

    시 is a point on the clock. For a length of time, use 시간.

  2. 아까 전화할 거예요.

    이따가 전화할 거예요.

    아까 is before now and 이따가 is after now. They're easy to swap.

  3. 매일마다 공부해요.

    매일 공부해요.

    매 and 마다 both mean "every", so this says it twice. The 마다 version is 날마다.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

두 시간 ___ 공부했어요. I studied for two hours.

The length of the studying.

Summary

Time words

  • 전에, 후에: before and after an event, or ago and later after a length of time.
  • 동안: for a length of time, or during an event.
  • 이내에, 안에: within. 이내 is formal and 안 is everyday.
  • 아까, 지금, 이따가: earlier, now, later today.
  • 마다: every, after the noun. 매 does the same in front of it.
  • 씩: that amount each, or that amount at a time.

Now you can say

  1. 세 시간 전에 도착했어요.

    (I) arrived three hours ago.

  2. 일요일마다 부모님께 전화해요.

    Every Sunday (I) phone parents.

  3. 이따가 전화할 거예요.

    In a while (I) will call.

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