~는 중, ~는 동안, ~는 길에: while and on the way
By Daniel Buckley · 11 minute read · TOPIK 2
Vocabulary
- 중 - the middle
- 동안 - a stretch of time
- 사이 - a gap, between
- 길 - road, way
- 회의 - meeting
- 찾다 - to look for
- 돌아오다 - to come back
- 들르다 - to stop by
- 떠나다 - to leave
- 잠깐 - for a moment
Text a friend who's late and the answer may be 가는 중이에요 or 가는 길이에요, and both come out as "I'm on my way". Neither has a word for "while" in it. Each is a verb from lesson 32 in front of an ordinary noun: 중, the middle, and 길, the road.
동안 and 사이 work the same way. All four normally take 는, so the main thing to learn is what each noun brings to the sentence.
~는 중: in the middle of
중 means the middle. After a noun it makes the short labels you see on signs and phones: 회의 중, in a meeting, or 공사 중, under construction. After a verb it takes 는, and 이에요 finishes the sentence.
Making ~는 중
- Verb: 는 중이에요.먹는 중이에요가는 중이에요
- Noun: 중이에요.회의 중이에요수업 중이에요
- In the middle of a sentence: 중에.운전 중에밥을 먹는 중에
Pick a verb
먹다먹먹는 중이에요
지금 집에 가는 중이에요.
Now (I) am in the middle of going home.
저녁을 만드는 중이에요.
(I) am in the middle of making dinner.
새 집을 찾는 중이에요.
(I) am in the middle of looking for new house.
지금 회의 중이에요.
Now (I) am in the middle of meeting.
운전 중에 전화가 왔어요.
In the middle of driving, phone call came.
먹고 있어요 and 먹는 중이에요 often swap freely. 는 중 stresses that something is under way right now, so it suits a task. ~고 있다 is wider and also covers habits and states: 서울에 살고 있어요 is natural, and 서울에 사는 중이에요 sounds odd.
※ 는 중 is mostly for what people are doing. For the weather, 비가 오고 있어요 is the usual way to say it. The 중 in 이 중에서 is the "among" from lesson 21, which is the same word used for a group.
~는 동안: for as long as
In lesson 16 동안 came after a length of time or an event. Put 는 in front and it follows a verb, and it covers the whole time that action lasts. The two clauses can have different subjects, as in example 2.
Pick a verb
자다자자는 동안
기다리는 동안 책을 읽었어요.
While (I) waited, (I) read book.
친구가 요리하는 동안 저는 청소를 했어요.
While friend cooked, I cleaned.
제가 없는 동안 고양이를 봐 주세요.
While I am not here, please look after cat.
한국에 있는 동안 친구를 많이 만났어요.
While (I) was in Korea, (I) met many friends.
Examples 1, 2 and 4 are all about the past, and the verb still has 는. The end of the sentence sets the time, and the 는 stays. This is the one that catches English speakers, because "while I waited" has a past tense in it.
~는 사이에: in the gap
사이 means the gap between two things. In time it's the same picture: a gap, and something slips into it. It's usually short, and often the person in the first clause doesn't see what happens.
Making ~는 사이에
- While something goes on: 는 사이에.자는 사이에
- While someone's gone: ㄴ/은 사이에, with verbs like 가다 and 나가다.간 사이에나간 사이에
제가 자는 사이에 눈이 왔어요.
While I slept, snow came.
아이가 자는 사이에 빨래를 했어요.
While child slept, (I) did laundry.
제가 모르는 사이에 친구들이 파티를 준비했어요.
While I didn't know, friends prepared party.
잠깐 나간 사이에 전화가 왔어요.
While (I) was out for a moment, phone call came.
화장실에 간 사이에 버스가 떠났어요.
While (I) had gone to toilet, bus left.
The ㄴ/은 in examples 4 and 5 makes sense if you picture it: the gap opens once you've left, and it lasts until you're back.
동안 and 사이에 overlap, and 제가 자는 동안 눈이 왔어요 is fine too. 동안 measures the whole stretch, so it suits something that fills the time, like reading while you wait. 사이에 picks out a moment inside it, and feels closer to "while my back was turned".
~는 길에: on the way
길 is a road, so 집에 가는 길 is simply the road you take home. Add 에 and it's "on the way". It needs a verb of going or coming, and the second clause says what you did en route.
Making ~는 길에
- Verb of movement + 는 길에.가는 길에오는 길에돌아오는 길에나가는 길에
- At the end of a sentence: 는 길이에요.가는 길이에요
집에 가는 길에 빵을 샀어요.
On the way home, (I) bought bread.
회사에 오는 길에 친구를 만났어요.
On the way to work, (I) met friend.
학교에서 돌아오는 길에 우체국에 들렀어요.
On the way back from school, (I) stopped by post office.
나가는 길에 쓰레기 좀 버려 주세요.
On the way out, please throw away rubbish.
지금 회사에 가는 길이에요.
Now (I) am on the way to work.
가는 길이에요 and 가는 중이에요 overlap for "I'm on my way". 중 works for any task, and 길 only for travelling, so 먹는 길이에요 means nothing. As with 동안, the 는 stays even in a story about the past.
Which noun?
지금 밥을 ___.
I'm in the middle of eating right now.
제가 ___ 고양이를 봐 주세요.
Please look after my cat while I'm away.
집에 ___ 우유를 샀어요.
I bought milk on the way home.
화장실에 ___ 버스가 떠났어요.
The bus left while I'd gone to the toilet.
친구가 ___ 저는 청소를 했어요.
I cleaned while my friend cooked.
- A
지금 어디예요?
Now where (are you)?
- B
회사에서 집에 가는 길이에요.
(I) am on the way from company to home.
- A
그럼 오는 길에 우유 좀 사 주세요.
Then on the way here, please buy milk.
- B
네, 알겠어요. 뭐 해요?
Yes, understood. What (are you) doing?
- A
저녁을 만드는 중이에요.
(I) am in the middle of making dinner.
- B
제가 없는 동안 혼자 다 먹지 마세요.
While I am not there, don't eat all alone.
Listen and type
1 / 3
Play it as often as you like.
Common mistakes
어제 기다린 동안 책을 읽었어요.
어제 기다리는 동안 책을 읽었어요.
The waiting was in progress, so it takes 는 even about the past. The end of the sentence carries the tense.
어제 집에 갔는 길에 빵을 샀어요.
어제 집에 가는 길에 빵을 샀어요.
는 can't follow 았/었 here. Keep 가는 and let 샀어요 carry the past.
지금 공부하는 길이에요.
지금 공부하는 중이에요.
길 is for going and coming. Use 중 for a task.
Check yourself
Quick check
1 / 6
지금 집에 ___. (가다, with 중이에요) I'm on my way home now.
Verb + 는 + 중이에요.
Summary
Four nouns after 는
- 중, the middle: a task under way. 는 중이에요, 는 중에.밥을 먹는 중이에요
- 동안, a stretch: for as long as something lasts.기다리는 동안 책을 읽었어요
- 사이, a gap: something slips in. Also ㄴ/은 사이에.자는 사이에 눈이 왔어요
- 길, a road: on the way, with verbs of movement.집에 가는 길에 빵을 샀어요
- In a past story: an action in progress keeps 는, and the end of the sentence sets the tense.
Now you can say
지금 가는 중이에요.
Now (I) am in the middle of going.
제가 없는 동안 고양이를 봐 주세요.
While I am not here, please look after cat.
오는 길에 우유 좀 사 주세요.
On the way here, please buy milk.
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