Lesson 8
Listing two actions using “while”
When you talk about doing one action “while” doing another action, you can use the basic grammar point -(으)면서. It can be used in sentences like the following.
Ex)
집에 가면서 음악을 들었어요.
= I listened to music while I was going home.
일을 하면서 커피를 마셨어요.
= I drank coffee while I was working.
As shown in the examples above, -(으)면서 is used when talking about two actions that are happening at the same time. However, there is a different grammar point you must use when listing two states or one action and one state.
Linking one state with another state or action using “while”
The main word to understand in this grammar point is 채. 채 is a “dependent noun” (의존명사 in Korean), which means that it can only be used as part of a longer expression.
채 means “the way it is right now” or “the existing state”, and is usually followed by -로. 채로 can be used in the following forms depending on whether the main verb is conjugated into the past tense or the present tense.
An action that happened in the past: -(으)ㄴ 채로
An action that is taking place right now: -는 채로
Note that the “tense” we are referring to above is not the tense of the entire sentence. The entire sentence itself can be in any tense. Let us take 앉다 as an example.
앉다 means “to sit”. 앉은 is the past tense modifier form for 앉다. “Someone who sat” is 앉은 사람, and “the place where I sat” is 제가 앉은 곳. So if you use 앉은 채로, it means that you have sat down, and you are maintaining that state.
Ex)
앉은 채로 = while seated; still sitting
앉은 채로 잤어요. = I slept while seated.
앉은 채로 자고 있어요. = He/she is sleeping while seated.
앉은 채로 잘 거예요. = I will sleep while seated.
Sample Sentences
앉은 채로 들으세요.
= Listen to me while remaining seated.
앉은 채로 두 팔을 높이 들어 보세요.
= Try raising both of your arms high while seated.
앉은 채로 옆으로 조금만 가 보세요.
= Try moving slightly to the side while seated.
If you look at the sentences above, the action of “sitting down” has already happened in the (near) past. You are already seated, and it is your current state. You are linking this current state with another action.
More examples
옷을 입다 = to put on clothes
옷을 입은 채로 수영장에 들어갔어요. = I went into the swimming pool while still wearing my clothes.
신발을 신다 = to put on shoes
신발을 신은 채로 방에 들어갔어요. = I went into the room while still wearing my shoes.
컵을 손에 들다 = to hold a cup in one’s hand
컵을 손에 든 채로 뛰었어요. = I ran while holding the cup in my hand.
침대에 눕다 = to lie down on the bed
침대에 누운 채로 영화를 봤어요. = I watched a movie while lying on my bed.
안경을 쓰다 = to put on glasses
안경을 쓴 채로 선크림을 발랐어요. = I put on some sunblock while wearing my glasses.
Dropping -로 at the end
While -(으)ㄴ 채로 is the full expression, the particle -로 is also commonly dropped.
컵을 손에 든 채로 뛰었어요.
= I ran while holding the cup in my hand.
= 컵을 손에 든 채 뛰었어요.
안경을 쓴 채로 선크림을 발랐어요.
= I put on some sunblock while wearing my glasses.
= 안경을 쓴 채 선크림을 발랐어요.
When is -는 채로 used?
-는 채로 is used with verbs like 있다, 없다, 알다, and 모르다 that describe a state rather than an action.
Sample Sentences
교과서를 잃어버려서 책이 없는 채로 학교에 갔어요.
= I lost my textbooks, so I went to school without them.
저는 아무것도 모르는 채로 그 방에 들어갔어요.
= I went into that room without knowing anything.
In colloquial Korean, people often say 모른 채로 instead of 모르는 채로. It is technically grammatically incorrect, but its usage like this is usually accepted.
저는 아무것도 모르는 채로 그 방에 들어갔어요.
= 저는 아무것도 모른 채로 그 방에 들어갔어요.
-는 채로 can still be used with action verbs when you want to emphasize something that is ongoing. However, when used like this the verb is usually used in the present progressive tense.
Sample Sentences
아이를 울고 있는 채로 놔두고 왔어요.
= I left a crying baby.
컵을 손에 들고 있는 채로 뛰었어요.
= I ran while holding the cup in my hand.