-는 편이다

How It Works

Examples (5)

1. 저는 아침을 매일 먹는 편이에요.

   I tend to eat breakfast every day.

   Word by Word: I breakfast every day eat tend to be.

2. 제 동생은 키가 큰 편이에요.

   My younger sibling is on the tall side.

   Word by Word: My younger sibling height is big tend to be.

   This doesn't mean they are extremely tall, but taller than average or taller than expected.

3. 이 동네는 다른 곳에 비해 조용한 편이에요.

   This neighborhood is on the quiet side compared to other places.

   Word by Word: This neighborhood other places compared to quiet tend to be.

4. 어렸을 때는 채소를 잘 안 먹은 편이었어요.

   When I was young, I tended not to eat vegetables much.

   Word by Word: When young, vegetables well not eat tended to be.

   This uses the past tense form for an action verb (먹다 -> 먹은 편이었다) to describe a past tendency.

5. 그 시험은 생각보다 쉬운 편이었어요.

   That test was on the easier side than I thought.

   Word by Word: That test than thought easy tend to was.

   This describes a past characteristic. Note that the adjective '쉽다' uses its present modifier form '쉬운', and the past tense is shown in '이었어요'.

Common Mistakes

• Using -는 편이다 with adjectives instead of -ㄴ/은 편이다.

  Not Quite이 가방은 비싸는 편이에요.

  Better이 가방은 비싼 편이에요.

  For descriptive verbs (adjectives) like 비싸다 (to be expensive), you must use the adjective noun modifier form, which is -ㄴ. The form -는 is used for action verbs in the present tense.

• Using the pattern for a specific, one-time event.

  Not Quite어제 친구를 만나는 편이었어요.

  Better어제 친구를 만났어요.

  '-는 편이다' describes a general tendency or habit, not a single action that happened once. For a specific event in the past, use the simple past tense.

Learn This First

To express 'tend to, rather', you need verb modification and 이다 knowledge.

• 이다To Be

  This construction uses 이다 to express tendencies.

Related Patterns

• -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다Seems Like, Looks Like

  Both patterns soften a statement. '-는 편이다' describes a general, objective tendency (e.g., 'He is on the tall side'). '-ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다' expresses a subjective guess or feeling (e.g., 'He seems tall').

• -ㄴ/은Adjective Noun Modifier

  The grammar of '-는 편이다' is built on noun-modifying forms. '편' is a noun, so adjectives must be changed into their -ㄴ/은 modifier form (e.g., 예쁘다 → 예쁜) to describe it.

• -기도 하다Sometimes, Even

  Both describe actions that are not absolute. '-는 편이다' implies something happens more often than not (a tendency). '-기도 하다' implies something happens 'sometimes' or 'also' happens, often as a secondary or less frequent action.

• -ㄴ/는 셈이다It's Like, Can Be Considered

  Both are used to make a summary judgment. '-는 편이다' classifies something based on its general characteristics. '-ㄴ/는 셈이다' is used when reaching a conclusion after some calculation or consideration, meaning 'it's basically...' or 'it amounts to...'.

Words in This Pattern