Duration 동안 (during, for)

At its core, 동안 marks a period of time. You can use it in two main ways: with nouns or with verbs.

When you use it with a noun, you're usually talking about an event or a specific time unit. For example, 방학 동안 (during vacation) or 3일 동안 (for three days). It’s like putting a label on a box that contains all the minutes and seconds of that event.

When you use it with a verb, it gets a little fancy. You attach -는 to the verb stem to create -는 동안. This allows you to say things like "while I was eating" or "while she was sleeping." It's perfect for describing two things happening at the same time, even if different people are doing them.

Yes, even native speakers occasionally forget the difference between a point in time and a duration, so don't sweat it if you feel a bit confused at first. Think of it like a grammar traffic light: 에 is for the exact moment you stop at the light, but 동안 is for the entire time you're waiting for it to turn green.

1. 1Using 동안 is quite straightforward, but there are two distinct paths depending on what you're attaching it to:
2. 2For Nouns (Event or Time Units):
3. 3Pattern: [Noun] + [Space] + 동안
4. 4Examples: 1시간 동안 (for one hour), 점심시간 동안 (during lunch time), 며칠 동안 (for several days).
5. 5For Verbs (Actions):
6. 6Pattern: [Verb Stem] + -는 동안
7. 7Step 1: Take the verb, like 자다 (to sleep).
8. 8Step 2: Drop the 다. Now you have the stem: 자.
9. 9Step 3: Add -는 동안. Result: 자는 동안 (while sleeping).
10. 10This works regardless of whether the stem ends in a vowel or a consonant. 먹다 becomes 먹는 동안.

You'll find yourself reaching for 동안 in almost every conversation once you start using it. Here are some common real-world scenarios:

• Ordering Food: "Please keep the heater on while we eat." (먹는 동안)
• Travel: "I stayed in Seoul for two weeks." (2주 동안)
• Work: "Don't call me during the meeting." (회의 동안)
• Daily Life: "I listened to music while I exercised." (운동하는 동안)

It’s especially helpful when you want to emphasize the continuity of an action. If you’re telling a friend about a long flight, you wouldn’t just say "I was on a plane"; you’d say "I watched five movies during the flight" (비행기 동안—actually, 비행기 타는 동안 is more natural, but you get the idea!).

One of the biggest traps for learners is using 동안 when you really just need a time marker like 에.

If you want to say "at 3 o'clock," use 3시에. If you say 3시 동안, you're saying "during 3 o'clock," which sounds like you're stuck in a time loop in a sci-fi movie.

Also, avoid using it for things that happen in a single, instantaneous moment. You wouldn't say "During the moment I blinked." Duration implies a stretch. If there's no stretch, 동안 feels out of place. It’s like trying to use a ruler to measure the weight of an apple—just the wrong tool for the job.

1. 1Confusing 'Time' with 'Duration': This is the #1 mistake. Remember: 시 is the point on the clock (3:00), and 시간 is the length of time (one hour). Always use 시간 with 동안.

• ✗ 3시 동안 (Wrong)
• ✓ 3시간 동안 (Correct - for 3 hours)

1. 1Forgetting the space: In written Korean, there should be a space between the noun and 동안. It’s a small detail, but it makes your writing look professional.

1. 1Tense Confusion: For -는 동안, you don't need to put the -는 part into the past tense, even if the whole sentence is about the past. The main verb at the end of the sentence handles the tense for everyone.

• ✗ 잤는 동안 (Wrong)
• ✓ 자는 동안 (Correct - while I was sleeping)

You might have encountered -(으)면서 already. Both can mean "while," but there’s a big difference.

-(으)면서 is used when one person does two things at the same time. For example, "I study while listening to music."

동안, however, doesn't care if it's one person or two different people. You can say, "While I was studying, my brother was playing games." You cannot use -(으)면서 for that, unless you have some very impressive multitasking skills (or a split personality!).

There’s also 사이에, which means "between." While 동안 covers the whole duration, 사이에 often implies something happened *sometime* within that period, rather than the whole time.