Progressive habit: -곤 하다

At its core, -곤 하다 expresses an action or state that happens repeatedly or habitually. It's not a one-time thing. It’s also not necessarily a strict, rigid routine. Instead, it suggests a *tendency* or a *recurring pattern*. Imagine you sometimes go for a walk when you feel stressed. That’s -곤 하다 territory! It implies that this action is part of your typical behavior, even if it's not on a fixed schedule. It describes something you *find yourself doing* from time to time. This pattern attaches to both verbs and adjectives. When you use it, you're emphasizing the recurring nature of an action or state. It paints a picture of a consistent, yet possibly slightly informal, habit. It’s like saying, 'Yeah, that’s just something I do' or 'That’s how I am sometimes.' Don't confuse it with just 'often'; it's about the *habitual nature*, not just the sheer frequency. For example, 'I often go to the cafe' could be 자주 카페에 가요. But 'I tend to go to the cafe when I need to clear my head' uses -곤 하다 perfectly: 머리 식힐 때 카페에 가곤 해요. See the difference? It adds a layer of personal reflection to the action.

1. 1Ready to put -곤 하다 into action? Good news! It’s super straightforward. This pattern attaches directly to the verb or adjective stem. No tricky batchim rules here, which is always a relief, right?
2. 2Find the Verb or Adjective Stem: Just remove the 다 from the end of the dictionary form.
3. 3* Example Verb: 먹다 (to eat) → 먹
4. 4* Example Adjective: 바쁘다 (to be busy) → 바쁘
5. 5Attach -곤 하다: Simply add -곤 하다 to the stem.
6. 6* 먹 + -곤 하다 → 먹곤 하다
7. 7* 바쁘 + -곤 하다 + 바쁘곤 하다
8. 8Conjugate 하다: The 하다 part at the end is like any other verb. You'll conjugate it according to the tense, formality, and mood you need.
9. 9* Present Tense (informal-polite): 먹곤 해요 (tend to eat)
10. 10* Present Tense (formal-polite): 먹곤 합니다 (tend to eat)
11. 11* Past Tense (informal-polite): 먹곤 했어요 (used to eat / tended to eat)
12. 12* Past Tense (formal-polite): 먹곤 했습니다 (used to eat / tended to eat)
13. 13* Future Tense (informal-polite): 먹곤 할 거예요 (will tend to eat, though less common for habits)
14. 14Easy peasy, right? No complex transformations. Just connect and conjugate. You've got this!

This pattern is your friend for several scenarios. Let's look at where it shines:

• Expressing current habits or tendencies: Things you regularly do or find yourself doing.
• 주말에는 늦잠을 자곤 해요. (On weekends, I tend to sleep in.) – A common habit.
• Describing past habits or recurring actions: What you *used to do* or *tended to do* in the past. Just conjugate 하다 to 했어요 or 했습니다.
• 어렸을 때는 혼자 놀곤 했어요. (When I was young, I used to play alone.) – A nostalgic memory.
• Highlighting a recurring emotional or physical state: It's not just for actions. Adjectives work too!
• 피곤하면 기분이 안 좋곤 해요. (When I'm tired, I tend to be in a bad mood.) – Relatable, isn't it?
• Explaining a general truth or characteristic: Something that is generally true for a person or situation.
• 그 친구는 중요한 날엔 항상 늦곤 해요. (That friend always tends to be late on important days.) – A consistent trait.
• Casual or informal settings: While it can be used formally, it often pops up in friendly conversations, making your speech sound natural and fluid. For example, when catching up with a friend about their weekend plans, they might say 주말엔 주로 영화를 보곤 해 (On weekends, I usually tend to watch movies).

While -곤 하다 is incredibly useful, it's not a universal habit-expresser. Here are times when it might not fit:

• One-time events or actions: This pattern is all about recurrence. If something happened just once, or will only happen once, -곤 하다 is not the right choice. 어제 친구 만났어요 (I met a friend yesterday) is a one-off, not a habit.
• Strict, rigid schedules or routines: If you always do something at a specific time, like 'I eat breakfast at 7 AM every day,' simple present tense with 매일 (every day) or 항상 (always) is more appropriate. 매일 아침 7시에 아침을 먹어요 is clearer than 매일 아침 7시에 아침을 먹곤 해요, which suggests some irregularity.
• Future plans or intentions (for strict habits): While you can technically say 먹곤 할 거예요, it's less common for expressing a *definite future habit* or plan. It sounds more like 'I will tend to do this,' which is a bit vague. For a firm future plan, use future tense like -(으)ㄹ 거예요.
• Actions that have just started or are currently in progress: This pattern describes established habits, not actions in the moment. 지금 밥 먹고 있어요 (I'm eating rice now) is present continuous, not habitual.
• When 'always' is truly meant: If you want to convey that something *always* happens without fail, use 항상 (always) instead. 저는 항상 일찍 일어나요 (I always wake up early) is stronger than 저는 일찍 일어나곤 해요 (I tend to wake up early), which suggests there might be exceptions.

Don't worry, everyone makes mistakes! Learning from them is how we grow. Here are a couple of common pitfalls with -곤 하다:

• Confusing it with simple frequency adverbs: Learners sometimes use -곤 하다 when they just mean 자주 (often) or 항상 (always). Remember, -곤 하다 adds the nuance of a *habit or tendency*, not just how often. 저는 자주 영화를 봐요 (I often watch movies) is about frequency. 스트레스 받으면 영화를 보곤 해요 (When I'm stressed, I tend to watch movies) describes a coping habit. It’s a subtle but important difference! Think of it like this: 자주 is a number on a scale; -곤 하다 is a personality trait.
• Forgetting to conjugate 하다: The 하다 part is a verb and needs to be conjugated for tense and politeness. Simply leaving it as 먹곤 하다 in a sentence is like saying 'to eat habit' instead of 'I tend to eat.' Always remember to finish your sentences with 해요, 합니다, 했어요, etc. It's a common oversight, like leaving the cap off your pen!
• Using it for non-recurrent events: As mentioned, this is for things that happen repeatedly. Using it for a one-off event will sound very awkward. 어제 밤새 술을 마시곤 했어요 (I tended to drink all night yesterday) sounds strange if it was just last night; 어젯밤 밤새 술을 마셨어요 (I drank all night last night) is correct. But 예전에는 밤새 술을 마시곤 했어요 (I used to drink all night) works because it refers to a past habit.

Korean has many ways to express frequency and habits, so let's clarify how -곤 하다 stands out from its neighbors.

• -곤 하다 (Tend to / Used to habitually): Focuses on a recurring habit or tendency, often implying a natural, sometimes irregular, pattern of behavior. It’s about *what one finds themselves doing*. 주말에는 책을 읽곤 해요. (On weekends, I tend to read books.) – It's my habit, but not necessarily every single weekend.

• 자주 / 항상 (Often / Always): These are adverbs of frequency. They directly state *how often* something happens. 자주 means 'often,' 항상 means 'always.' They don't carry the nuance of a personal tendency or habit as much as -곤 하다 does. 저는 자주 책을 읽어요. (I often read books.) – States the frequency directly.

• -(으)ㄹ 때마다 (Every time / Whenever): This pattern indicates something happens every single time a specific condition is met. It implies a rigid, 100% correlation. 책을 읽을 때마다 졸려요. (Every time I read a book, I get sleepy.) – No exceptions; it happens without fail.

• -는 편이다 (Tend to be / Tend to do): This describes a general characteristic or tendency about someone or something. It classifies something as being 'on the side of' a particular trait. It’s about a general disposition. 저는 책을 많이 읽는 편이에요. (I am the type to read a lot of books / I tend to read a lot of books.) – Describes a general characteristic about my reading habits.

Think of it like this: 항상 is a traffic light that's always green. 자주 is a green light that often comes on. -(으)ㄹ 때마다 is a green light that turns on precisely when another car approaches. And -곤 하다 is a green light that *tends to* turn on when you're in a hurry – it's a pattern, but maybe not 100% predictable. Choosing the right one makes your Korean super precise!