-던 참이다
I Was Just About to
Use -던 참이다 to say 'I was just about to...' It highlights a coincidence or perfect timing between your intended action and another event.
How It Works
-던 참이다 is used to express that the speaker was just on the verge of performing an action.
1. Structure:
It attaches directly to an action verb stem.
- 가다 (to go) → 가던 참이다
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹던 참이다
- 전화하다 (to call) → 전화하던 참이다
2. Usage and Nuance:
This pattern emphasizes the immediacy and the specific moment right before an action begins. It's often used in two main situations:
- Coincidence: When someone suggests or does something that you were just about to do yourself. This expresses a sense of 'great timing' or 'what a coincidence'.
- Interruption: When an external event happens right as you were about to start an action, either interrupting it or changing your plans.
3. Tense and Formality:
- Present Tense: -던 참이다 (plain), -던 참이에요 (polite), -던 참입니다 (formal)
- Past Tense: -던 참이었다 (plain), -던 참이었어요 (polite), -던 참이었습니다 (formal). The past tense is very common, as you are often describing a moment that has just passed.
4. Related Forms:
Examples (4)
- 막 샤워하던 참이었는데 전화가 왔어요.
I was just about to take a shower when the phone rang.
Word by Word: Just shower-was doing moment-was but phone call came.
- A: 배고픈데 우리 피자 시킬까요? B: 좋아요! 저도 막 주문하려던 참이었어요.
A: I'm hungry, shall we order pizza? B: Great! I was just about to order it myself.
B uses -려던 참이었어요 (a common variation) to show that A's suggestion perfectly coincided with their own intention.
- 가게 문을 닫던 참이었는데 손님이 들어왔어요.
A customer came in just as I was about to close the store.
Word by Word: Store door close-was doing moment-was but customer came in.
- 마침 잘 오셨어요. 저희도 이제 막 저녁을 먹던 참이었어요.
You've come at a good time. We were just about to have dinner.
마침 ('just in time', 'coincidentally') is often used with this pattern to emphasize the perfect timing.
Common Mistakes
Using it with descriptive verbs (adjectives).
Not Quite날씨가 좋던 참이다.Better날씨가 좋아서 나가려던 참이다.-던 참이다 describes an action that is about to happen. It cannot be used with descriptive verbs like 좋다 (to be good). Instead, you can use the good weather as a reason for an action you were about to take.
Confusing it with the simple past tense.
Different Meaning어제 숙제하던 참이었어요.Better어제 숙제하고 있었어요.Using -던 참이다 without a coinciding event sounds unnatural. It implies a specific, interrupted moment. For simply stating a past continuous action, use -고 있었어요 (was doing). You would only use the incorrect example if you were adding context, like '...그때 친구가 놀러 왔어요' (...when my friend came over to hang out).
Learn This First
To express 'was just about to', you need retrospective forms and 이다.
Related Patterns
- -(으)려던 참이다Was Just About to
Almost identical in meaning and often interchangeable. -려던 참이다, derived from -려고 하다, can place a slightly stronger emphasis on the speaker's intention to do the action.
- -던Had Been -ing
This is the retrospective adnominal ending that forms the core of -던 참이다. It modifies the noun 참 ('moment') by describing an action that was in progress or about to happen in the past.
- -던 참에Just When/as I Was -ing
This is the connective form of the pattern. It's used to link the 'just about to...' moment to another clause, meaning 'just as I was about to X, (Y happened)'. It functions similarly to -는데 in this context.
- -자마자As Soon as
Provides a useful contrast in timing. While -던 참이다 refers to the moment just before an action, -자마자 refers to the moment immediately after an action is completed. (e.g., 집에 오자마자 - as soon as I got home).