Korean grammar patterns › Level 2
-는 동안
while, during (a span of time); N 동안 = for/during N
Level 2 · TOPIK I · beginner
How to use it
Marks the period of time during which something else happens; the two clauses can have different subjects. With time nouns: 3년 동안 'for three years', 방학 동안 'during the vacation'.
Forming it
| 자다 | → 자는 동안 |
| 읽다 | → 읽는 동안 |
| 살다 | → 사는 동안 |
| 방학 | → 방학 동안 |
Use -는 even for past events: ✗ 제가 없은 동안 → 제가 없는 동안. 동안 is a duration; for a point in time use -(으)ㄹ 때.
Examples
제가 요리하는 동안 남편은 청소를 했어요.
While I cooked, my husband cleaned.
방학 동안 고향에 다녀왔어요.
I visited my hometown during the vacation.
Compared with similar patterns
-(으)면서 needs one subject doing two things at once; -는 사이(에) stresses a short gap in which something (often unexpected) happens; -는 도중(에) means in the middle of an action or trip.