📘 Grammar 59: How to Use ~던 – Describing Repeated Past Actions or States in Korean

📘 How to Use ~던 – Describing Repeated Past Actions or States in Korean

Want to say “the house I used to live in,” “the food I used to eat,” or “the teacher who always smiled” in Korean?

Then it’s time to learn ~던, a very expressive Korean grammar particle that helps you describe repeated past actions, incomplete memories, or habitual states.

This is an essential grammar point if you want to sound more natural and emotional in your Korean expressions.

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📌 What Does ~던 Mean?

~던 is attached to verbs and adjectives to describe:

• ✔️ An action that used to happen repeatedly in the past
• ✔️ A past action or state that was in progress when interrupted
• ✔️ A memory or impression of something in the past

Structure:

• Verb/Adjective stem + ~던

✔️ ~던 is placed before a noun to describe it.
✔️ It often gives a “nostalgic” or “remembered” feeling.

📘 Example Sentences

• 내가 살던 집 – the house I used to live in
• 우리가 자주 가던 식당 – the restaurant we used to go to often
• 항상 웃던 선생님 – the teacher who always smiled
• 제가 듣던 음악이에요 – This is the music I used to listen to

📊 Grammar Table – ~던 Forms

Verb/Adj	Form	Meaning	Example Phrase
살다	살던	used to live	살던 동네 (neighborhood I lived in)
보다	보던	was watching	보던 드라마 (the drama I was watching)
좋다	좋던	was good (back then)	좋던 시절 (the good old days)
듣다	듣던	used to hear	듣던 음악 (music I used to listen to)

💡 When to Use ~던

• ✔️ When you want to describe a past action that happened repeatedly
• ✔️ When you remember something that was ongoing in the past
• ✔️ When expressing nostalgia or personal memory

Compare:

• 먹은 음식 → food that I ate (completed action)
• 먹던 음식 → food that I used to eat (repeated, remembered)

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 살은 집 → ✅ 살던 집
• ❌ 보다던 드라마 → ✅ 보던 드라마
• Don’t confuse ~던 with ~던지 or ~었/았던 (those are different forms!)

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “The school I used to go to”?
   a) 다닌 학교
   b) 다니던 학교
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 다니던 학교

2. Translate: “The song I used to listen to.”
   a) 들은 노래
   b) 듣던 노래
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 듣던 노래

3. Which is correct for “The clothes I used to wear”?
   a) 입던 옷
   b) 입은 옷
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 입던 옷

✅ Conclusion

Now you can use ~던 to describe memories, habits, and repeated past experiences in Korean!

• Attach it to verb stems or adjectives
• Use before nouns to describe what you “used to do”
• Great for storytelling, emotions, and descriptions

Practice these:

• “The teacher I liked” → 좋아하던 선생님
• “The food we used to eat together” → 같이 먹던 음식

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~나 보다 / ~은가 보다 – Expressing Guess or Assumption in Korean
Learn how to say “I guess it’s cold,” “I think she’s tired,” and more!

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