Lesson 13
There are several ways to indicate a reason for something. The expression that is most commonly used is 때문에. You can also use the phrase 덕분에 to mean "thanks to". While 때문에 can be either neutral or negative, 덕분에 is usually positive.
The grammar point for this lesson, -는 바람에, is generally used to talk about a negative result or an outcome that was not the most ideal. 바람 means "wind", so you can think of -는 바람에 as "in the wind of" something that happened.
Structure
Verb stem (reason) + -는 바람에 + outcome (in the past tense)
Ex)
실수를 하는 바람에 = as a result of making a mistake
넘어지는 바람에 = as a result of falling over
갑자기 친구가 들어오는 바람에 = as a result of my friend suddenly coming in
제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말하는 바람에 = as a result of my friend telling everyone
휴대폰을 떨어뜨리는 바람에 = as a result of dropping my cellphone
Replacing -는 바람에 with -아/어/여서
In most contexts, -는 바람에 can be replaced with -아/어/여서, but when doing so the emphasis on a "negative outcome" is lost because -아/어/여서 is more neutral. For example, the phrase 제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말하는 바람에 sounds like it will be followed by a negative result, whereas 제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말해서 can be followed by either a negative or a positive result.
Negative result with -는 바람에
Ex) 제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말하는 바람에, 우리 비밀 계획을 모두 알게 됐어요.
= As a result of my friend telling everyone, they all found out about our secret plan.
Neutral result with -아/어/여서
Ex) 제 친구가 사람들한테 다 말해서, 모두 도와서 일을 빨리 끝냈어요.
= My friend told everyone, so everybody helped and we finished the work early.
Sample Sentences
컴퓨터가 갑자기 고장 나는 바람에 숙제가 다 지워졌어요.
= My computer suddenly broke down, so my homework got deleted.
지갑을 집에 놓고 오는 바람에 선물을 못 샀어요.
= I left my wallet at home, so I could not buy a present.
오늘 아침에 늦게 일어나는 바람에 수업에 지각했어요.
= I got up late this morning, so I was late for class.
Idiomatic expressions using 바람
The word 바람 itself, which means “wind”, also has many interesting idiomatic usages. Now let us look at some of the most commonly used idiomatic expressions related to 바람.
- 무슨 바람이 불어서
= why; why suddenly
(literal translation: what kind of wind blew in order for)
ex) 무슨 바람이 불어서 이렇게 일찍 일어났어요?
= Why did you get up so early, unlike how you usually get up? - 바람을 넣다
= to inflate, to tempt someone to do something (undesirable)
(literal translation: to put in air)
ex) 자전거 타이어에 바람 좀 넣어야 돼요.
= I need to put some air in my bike tires.
ex) 공부 열심히 하고 있는 애한테 왜 바람을 넣어요?
= The kid is studying hard now. Why tempt him (to do something that's not as desirable as studying)? - 바람맞다
= to be stood up
(literal translation: to be hit with wind, to have wind blown at oneself)
ex) 친구랑 약속 있어서 나갔는데 바람맞았어요.
= I had plans to meet with a friend, but I was stood up. - 바람을 쐬다
= to get some fresh air
ex) 집중이 안 돼서 바람 좀 쐬고 올게요.
= I cannot focus, so I will go out and get some fresh air. - 잠옷 바람으로
= while still in one's pajamas
(This is used when you leave the house in your pajamas, without having the time to change into other clothes.)
ex) 전화 받고 급하게 나오느라 잠옷 바람으로 나왔어요.
= I came out in a hurry after getting a phone call, so I came out in my pajamas.