Lesson 22
In this lesson, we are going to look at the suffix -며, which can be used for a variety of purposes, including connecting two nouns or verbs. When connecting nouns, -(으)며 is used, and when connecting verbs, -(이)며 is used.
Conjugation
Verb stem + -(으)며
Noun + -(이)며
Usage 1
-(으)며 can be used to connect two verbs in a parallel manner. It is interchangeable with -고, and is often used to replace -고 to avoid repetition in sentences. It is less commonly used in daily conversation and used more often in formal speech and written Korean.
Ex)
이 컴퓨터는 가볍고, 빠르며, 가격이 높지 않아요.
= This computer is light, fast, and inexpensive.
= 이 컴퓨터는 가볍고, 빠르고, 가격이 높지 않아요.
이 방법은 간편하고, 효과가 좋으며, 누구나 사용할 수 있어요.
= This method is simple and effective, and can be used by anyone.
= 이 방법은 간편하고, 효과가 좋고, 누구나 사용할 수 있어요.
Usage 2
You can also use -(으)며 to connect two actions that are happening at the same time, with the meaning of “while doing something”. It is mostly interchangeable with -(으)면서, but -(으)며 sounds more formal in most cases. One difference between -(으)면서 and -(으)며, however, is that -(으)면서 can be used to mean “even though”, but -(으)며 cannot.
Ex)
아이들은 웃으며 사진을 찍었어요.
= The kids took photos while laughing.
= 아이들은 웃으면서 사진을 찍었어요.
저는 커피를 마시며 책 읽는 걸 좋아해요.
= I like to read a book while drinking coffee.
= 저는 커피를 마시면서 책 읽는 걸 좋아해요.
손님이 지갑을 꺼내며 물었습니다. “얼마예요?”
= The customer asked as he pulled out his wallet, “How much is it?”
= 손님이 지갑을 꺼내면서 물었습니다. “얼마예요?”
Usage 3
When connecting nouns, -(이)며 is used instead of -(으)며. However, the usage of -(이)며 is quite different from other words that mean “and” in Korean. The most common words for listing things are -하고, -와/과, -(이)랑 and 그리고. These words are used to mention a limited number of items, like “A and B” or “A, B, and C”.
But when -(이)며 is used to list nouns, its usage implies that not every existing item is being mentioned, and that there are likely more that could be mentioned.
Examples
- 책이며 공책이며 바닥에 다 떨어져 있었어요.
= Things like books and notebooks were all on the floor.
책이랑 공책이랑 바닥에 다 떨어져 있었어요.
= Books and notebooks were all on the floor.
* -(이)며 tends to be used in repetition, after each noun that is mentioned, just like -(이)랑. - 얼마 전에 이사를 했는데, 식탁이며 의자며 아직도 살 게 많아요.
= I moved recently, and I still have a lot of things to buy, like a kitchen table, chairs, etc.
얼마 전에 이사를 했는데, 식탁이랑 의자를 사야 돼요.
= I moved recently, and I need to buy a kitchen table and chairs.
Please also note that if you see -이며 after what seems like a verb, it is because the verb’s verb stem ends with -이. For example, the verb 움직이다 changes to 움직이며.