-던
Had Been -ing
-던 modifies a noun, meaning 'used to...' or 'was -ing...'. It's for recalling past actions.
How It Works
-던 is a retrospective adnominal ending. This means it attaches to a verb stem to turn it into a descriptive word (like an adjective) that modifies a noun. It's used to talk about past events or states that you are recalling.
It has two primary meanings:
1. Recalling a Habitual or Repeated Past Action
This usage is similar to 'used to' in English. It describes something that happened regularly in the past but doesn't happen anymore.
- 어렸을 때 자주 가던 공원
The park I used to go to often when I was young. - 학생 때 매일 듣던 음악
The music I used to listen to every day as a student.
2. Recalling an Incomplete or Interrupted Past Action
This usage describes an action that was in progress at a certain point in the past but was not finished.
- 어제 읽던 책
The book I was reading yesterday (implying I didn't finish it). - 마시던 커피
The coffee someone was drinking (implying it's not finished).
Key Comparisons:
-던 vs. -ㄴ/은 (Simple Past Modifier)
The biggest point of confusion for learners. The difference is about completion.
- -ㄴ/은 describes a single, completed action in the past.
어제 본 영화 - The movie I saw yesterday (I finished watching it). - -던 describes an action that was in progress or repeated.
어제 보던 영화 - The movie I was watching yesterday (I was in the middle of it; it was interrupted).
-던 vs. -았/었던 (Past Perfect Modifier)
Both refer to the past, but -았/었던 emphasizes that the action or state is completely over and disconnected from the present.
- 내가 살던 집 - The house I used to live in (focuses on the memory and habit of living there).
- 내가 살았던 집 - The house I had lived in (emphasizes the fact is completely in the past and I no longer live there).
The difference is subtle, but -았/었던 often implies a more distant past or a stronger sense of finality.
Examples (4)
- 이것은 제가 고등학생 때 자주 듣던 노래예요.
This is a song I used to listen to often when I was in high school.
Word by Word: This is I high school student when often listened to song.
듣던 modifies 노래 (song). It indicates a habitual action in the past: the act of listening to the song repeatedly.
- 마시던 커피는 어디에 뒀어요?
Where did you put the coffee you were drinking?
Word by Word: Was drinking coffee where did you put?
마시던 modifies 커피 (coffee). This implies the action of drinking was in progress and interrupted. The coffee is not finished.
- 읽던 책을 덮고 잠이 들었어요.
I closed the book I was reading and fell asleep.
Word by Word: Was reading book closed and sleep fell.
This clearly shows an interrupted action. The speaker was in the middle of reading (읽던 책) when they stopped to sleep.
- 우리가 자주 가던 식당이 문을 닫았어요.
The restaurant we used to go to often has closed.
Word by Word: We often used to go restaurant door closed.
가던 modifies 식당 (restaurant), indicating that going there was a repeated, habitual action in the past.
Common Mistakes
Using -던 for a single, completed past action instead of -ㄴ/은.
Different Meaning어제 먹던 사과가 정말 맛있었어요.Better어제 먹은 사과가 정말 맛있었어요.If you ate the entire apple yesterday, the action is complete. Therefore, you must use the simple past modifier -ㄴ/은 (먹은). Using 먹던 implies you were in the middle of eating the apple, which doesn't fit the context of the apple being delicious (implying you finished it and know).
Learn This First
To express habitual past experience 'had been -ing', you need retrospective modification.
Related Patterns
- -ㄴ/은Adjective Noun Modifier
-ㄴ/은 is the simple past noun modifier. It's crucial to distinguish it from -던. Use -ㄴ/은 for a single, completed action in the past (e.g., 먹은 밥 - the meal I ate), whereas -던 is for repeated or incomplete actions (e.g., 먹던 밥 - the meal I was eating).
- -더-Past Observation Marker
-더- is the core retrospective marker that forms the basis of -던. -더- itself is used in verb endings to indicate the speaker is recalling something they personally witnessed or experienced (e.g., 춥더라 - I recall it was cold). -던 combines this retrospective meaning with a noun-modifying function.
- -는/ㄹVerb Noun Modifier
These are the present (-는) and future (-ㄹ) noun modifiers. Understanding them helps place -던 in the full context of how verbs modify nouns across different tenses. For example: 먹는 사람 (person who is eating), 먹을 사람 (person who will eat), 먹던 사람 (person who was eating/used to eat).
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.