-아/어 대다
Apply, Attach to
-아/어 대다 is used to express that an action is done over and over again, often to an excessive degree and with a sense of annoyance or disapproval.
How It Works
This pattern is used to emphasize that an action is performed repeatedly, continuously, or with great intensity. It often carries a negative connotation, implying that the action is excessive, annoying, or disruptive. It's frequently used in situations of complaint or frustration.
Conjugation:
It follows the same conjugation rules as the -아/어 form.
- Verb stems whose last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ + -아 대다
- 놀다 (to play) → 놀아 대다
- 보다 (to see/watch) → 봐 대다 - Verb stems ending in other vowels + -어 대다
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어 대다
- 떠들다 (to be noisy) → 떠들어 대다 (regular ㄹ-stem; last vowel ㅡ → -어)
- 울다 (to cry) → 울어 대다
- 밀다 (to push) → 밀어 대다 - 하다 verbs → -해 대다
- 전화하다 (to call) → 전화해 대다
- 거짓말하다 (to lie) → 거짓말해 대다
Nuances:
While it can simply mean 'to do something a lot', the context usually implies the speaker's negative feeling about it. For example, '먹어 대다' isn't just 'to eat a lot', but more like 'to keep stuffing one's face', suggesting the eating is excessive or uncontrolled. It's a powerful way to add emotional color to a description of an action.
Examples (4)
- 아이가 하루 종일 울어 대서 아무것도 못 했어요.
The baby kept crying all day, so I couldn't get anything done.
Word by Word: The baby all day long cried repeatedly, so I couldn't do anything.
The use of '울어 대다' emphasizes the continuous and annoying nature of the baby's crying.
- 그 사람이 계속 전화해 대서 그냥 꺼 버렸어요.
That person kept calling and calling, so I just turned my phone off.
Word by Word: That person continuously called repeatedly, so I just turned it off.
'전화해 대다' highlights the excessive and bothersome repetition of the phone calls.
- 밤늦게까지 시끄럽게 떠들어 대지 마세요.
Please don't keep making noise until late at night.
Word by Word: Until late at night, noisily don't make noise repeatedly.
This is a command using the pattern to tell someone to stop a continuous, annoying action.
- 왜 그렇게 먹어 대? 천천히 먹어.
Why are you eating like that (shoveling it in)? Eat slowly.
Word by Word: Why so eat repeatedly? Slowly eat.
'먹어 대다' implies that the person is eating excessively, too quickly, or in a gluttonous way.
Common Mistakes
Using -아/어 대다 for positive or neutral actions.
Different Meaning그는 열심히 공부해 댔어요.Better그는 열심히 공부했어요.-아/어 대다 has a strong negative or excessive nuance. Using it for a positive action like 'studying hard' makes it sound as if the studying was somehow annoying or problematic. For neutral or positive descriptions, a simple past tense is appropriate.
Using it for a single, non-repeated action.
Not Quite친구가 나를 한 번 밀어 댔어요.Better친구가 나를 한 번 밀었어요.The core meaning of -아/어 대다 is repetition or continuation. It cannot be used for an action that happened only once. If the friend pushed repeatedly, you could say '친구가 나를 계속 밀어 댔어요' (My friend kept pushing me).
Learn This First
To express 'apply/attach to', you need verb conjugation.
Related Patterns
- -아/어 버리다Do Completely, Finish Up
Both patterns add a strong emotional nuance. While -아/어 대다 emphasizes annoying repetition, -아/어 버리다 emphasizes the completion of an action, often with a sense of finality, relief, or regret.
- -곤 하다Used to, Often Do
Both describe repeated actions. However, -곤 하다 describes a neutral habit ('used to do', 'sometimes do'). In contrast, -아/어 대다 describes an intense, excessive, and often annoying repetition.
- -는 바람에Because of, Due to
-는 바람에 is used to state that an unexpected (usually negative) event caused a negative result. It pairs well with -아/어 대다, as the excessive action often leads to a negative consequence. For example: '사람들이 밀어대는 바람에 넘어졌어요.' (I fell because people kept pushing.)