Nuances of Korean Past Tense: Understanding ~던 and ~았/었던 (1)

안녕하세요 여러분! I'm Vaibhavi from India.

Before beginning this lesson, please review and understand the concept of (으)ㄴ/는 것 . To review and learn, visit the link.

https://www.koreanstudyjunkie.com/post/%EC%9C%BC-%E3%84%B4-%EB%8A%94-%EA%B2%83-lesson-modifying-verbs-1 . You'll benefit from the lesson if you are familiar with (으)ㄴ/는 것 beforehand.

You can also read the previously published post that discusses how to use ~던 and ~았/었던 with verbs. Check here: https://www.koreanstudyjunkie.com/post/던-and-았-었던-lesson-used-to-in-korean

Introduction

However, in this lesson, we're going to go a little bit further into how to use ~던 with verbs and adjectives. However the use of ~았/었던 with verbs and adjectives will be discussed in next part. Let's begin!!

As previously discussed, the past tense can be described as follows with (으)ㄴ/는 (것):

Past tense: 은 (것) with a consonant ending final vowel: ㄴ (것). In addition to the (으)ㄴ/는 (것)

principle, ~던 and ~았/었던 principle can also be used to describe past actions.

Understanding ~던

Currently, you may be wondering why (으)ㄴ/는 and  ~던 are still taught as two distinct grammatical principles when they can both be used to describe past events.

~던 is part of a complex grammatical construction ~더~. The term ~더~ refers to recalling past moments, facts, or experiences. When 더 is attached to ~ㄴ/은 (the past tense form of a noun), it creates ~던, which serves as a past tense modifier for unfinished or repeated actions. ~더~ is a highly advanced concept. For this lesson, remember that the verb/adjective + 던 indicates a past action with the feeling of recalling (remembering) past experiences.

Attaching ~던 to the verb stem can have three meanings:

1) The action began but has not yet ended (basically the action is left undone).

2) The action has occurred multiple times (used to happen repeatedly) in the past.

3) The action that has repeatedly occurred up to now but will not continue for some reason.

Difference between (으)ㄴ/는 것 and  ~던

To better grasp the differences, let's look at an example.

Sentence 1: 엄마가 읽은 책  (읽 + 은)

Sentence 2: 엄마가 읽던 책  (읽 + 던)

The above two sentences appear to have the same meaning: "that book that mom read," but the nuance differs.

Sentence 1 indicates that the action occurred in the past and was completed. A simple fact. There is no more information. It does not have the sensation of recalling a memory. This does not imply that you do not recall mom readinl alsog that book in the past; rather, the recalling part is not expressed explicitly because it has not occurred repeatedly in the near past; the fact that the action occurred once in the past (when she read the book and finished reading it) is all that matters.

Sentence 2 can have one of three meanings, as discussed above.

1) It refers to a book that mom is currently reading but has not finished.

2) that book that mom used to read repetitively or regularly.

3) That book that mom has been reading repeatedly but will not continue reading now (for some reason).

Now, if we stick to the meaning that 던 gives (the act of recalling), it will be something like:

1) That book that (I recall) Mom is reading but hasn't finished.

2) That book that, as far as I recall, my mother used to read on a regular basis.

3) That book that (I recall) mom has been reading repeatedly but (I think) won't continue reading it now (for some reason)

One more way to ensure strict differentiation between (으)ㄴ/는 것 and  Now, let's learn how you can tell which of the three meanings is conveyed by using "symbol"usage is to use the verb itself to indicate that you are doing so, as in the following example:

1. 미소가 태어난 도시.

2. 미소가 태어나던 도시.

   
   

태어나다 = (To be born) is a one-time event that cannot be repeated or left undone. The sentence "미소가 태어나던 도시" is meaningless in this context.

Now that you understand how the two grammatical principles differ, let us focus solely on understanding ~던 with more examples, as well as how to determine which of the three possible meanings ~던 conveys.

More Examples:

1. 어렸을 때 자주 가던 공원에 다시 갔어요. = I went back to the park I used to go to often when I was young.

2. 그 사람이 자주 읽던 책이에요. = This is the book that person used to read often.

3. 매일 아침 조깅하던 곳이 이 공원이에요. = This park is where I used to jog every morning.

4. 읽던 책을 마저 읽었어요. = I finished reading the book I was reading.

5. 하다 만 숙제를 마저 해야겠어요. = I should finish the homework I was doing.

6. 보던 영화를 나중에 다시 봐야겠어요. = I'll have to watch the movie I was watching later.

7. 옛날에 살던 집이 기억나요. = I remember the house I used to live in long ago.

8. 고등학교 때 자주 가던 카페가 문을 닫았어요. = The cafe I used to go to often in high school has closed down.

9. 가끔씩 생각나는 내가 어렸을 때 놀던 곳이 있어요. = There’s a place I used to play when I was little that I sometimes think about.

10. 전화하던 중에 갑자기 전원이 꺼졌어요. = The power suddenly went off while I was on the phone.

Now let's learn how you can tell which of the three meanings is conveyed by using "~던"

Remember? 1. Action left undone 2. Repeatedly occurring action 3. Action used to happen but not anymore.

Tip 1: Context! Context! Context!

Korean is a language where it is easy to differentiate between nuances and meaning if you know the backstory (context). Here are some examples :

1. 학교에 다니던 시절이 그리웠어요 = I miss my school days.

   Explanation : The context makes it obvious that the speaker is an adult who has finished school and misses his school days. Consequently, meaning 3 is suitable in this instance.

2. 매일 운동하던 사람이 갑자기 운동을 안 해요. = The person who used to exercise every day suddenly stopped exercising.

   Explanation : In this sentence, the person who used to work out every day has stopped for an unknown reason, and it is not stated whether he will resume or not, so meaning 3 is appropriate.

3. 내가 살던 동네가 많이 변했어요. = The neighborhood I used to live in has changed a lot.

   Explanation : Meaning 3 because it is evident from the sentence that the speaker no longer resides there.

4. 내가 쓰던 책이 이제는 너무 오래되어서 낡았어요. The book I used to use is now too old and worn out.

   Explanation: Since the context indicates that the speaker used to use the book frequently, meaning 2 is more appropriate in this instance.

Tip 2: Time adverbs

Search for words that indicate a time period, such as time adverbs.

1. 엄마가 어제 읽던 책. = The book that mom started reading yesterday but hasn’t finished yet.

   Explanation: From the adverb 어제 itself you are aware that yesterday was the start of the action 읽다 = to read 어제. It cannot therefore mean "regularly." The interpretation "the book that mom started reading yesterday, but hasn't finished yet" is the only one that makes sense.

2. 어린 시절 내가 자주 보던 만화책이 이제는 찾기 힘들어요.= It's hard to find comic books that I used to read when I was young.

   Explanation: Here, 어린= young (indicates speaker is talking about past) 자주 = frequently,

   as the comic books are hard to find the repeatedly occurring action has stopped.

Adjective ~ 던

When you add ~ㄴ/은 to an adjective, it acts as a present tense modifier, giving the meaning that the noun currently possesses that quality. For example:

예쁜 여자 = A pretty girl

In this case, the girl is considered pretty right now. The use of ~ㄴ/은 suggests that her beauty is ongoing, and there's an implicit understanding that she may have been pretty in the past as well.

On the other hand, when you add ~던 to an adjective, it modifies the noun to indicate a quality that existed in the past but may no longer be true. For instance:

예쁘던 여자 = The girl who used to be pretty

Here, ~던 gives the impression that the girl was pretty at some point in the past, but for some reason, she is not anymore. It could be due to age, circumstances, or simply the passage of time. The use of ~던 adds a layer of nostalgia or loss, making it a powerful tool for expressing how things have changed.

Here are some more examples:

1. 뚱뚱했던 아빠는 살이 많이 빠졌고 지금은 말랐어요. = My dad who used to be fat lost a lot of weight and he’s now thin.

2. 내가 어렸을때, 친절하던이모가 돌아가셨었어요. = When I was young, my kind aunt died.

   
   

That's it for post. See you in the next post... Visit koreanstudyjunkie.com for more such free lessons.