경험과 변화 이야기Life Experiences and Change
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Narrate a personal experience or a period of change across several connected sentences, rather than a single isolated event.
- Use -는데 to supply background information that sets up a following statement, distinguishing this use from simple contrast.
- Use -고 있다 to describe actions and situations that were or are ongoing, including ongoing states with certain verbs.
- Use time clauses such as -(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, and -(으)ㄴ 후에 to sequence events in a narrative.
- Read a short narrative text and identify how background, ongoing action, and time sequencing organize the story.
- Write a connected narrative describing a change in your life over time.
- Speak about a personal experience in an extended turn that moves smoothly from background to event to result.
This chapter's principal new systems are extended narration, background information with -는데, the ongoing aspect -고 있다, and time clauses. It recycles the cohesion tools from Chapter 1 — connectors, omission, and discourse expressions — inside longer narrative tasks.
Communication Scenario
지영's discussion group meets for its second session. This week, 라일라 wants to tell the group about a period of real change in her life: moving to a new city and starting to learn Korean seriously. 지영 notices that 라일라's account keeps jumping straight from one finished event to the next, with no sense of what was happening in the background or how long anything took. She introduces three tools — background information, ongoing action, and time clauses — to help 라일라 turn a list of events into a narrative that shows how one thing led to another.
- This chapter builds directly on the cohesion tools from Chapter 1: connectors, omission, and discourse expressions.
- This chapter's new focus is background information with -는데, ongoing aspect with -고 있다, and time-sequencing with -(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, and -(으)ㄴ 후에.
- The chapter's task is to narrate a real or imagined period of personal change as a connected story with clear background, sequence, and result.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports narration of personal experience and change. Most items are new; a few discourse expressions are recycled from Chapter 1.
| Korean | Meaning | Category / Pattern | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 경험 | experience | noun; 경험이 있다/없다, 경험을 하다 | new |
| 변화 | change | noun; 변화가 있다, 변화하다 | new |
| 이사하다 | to move (residence) | action verb; 에/으로 이사하다 | new |
| 적응하다 | to adjust, adapt | action verb; 에 적응하다 | new |
| 그 당시 | at that time | time expression | new |
| 처음에는 | at first | time expression | review, expanded |
| 시간이 지나면서 | as time passed | time expression | new |
| 점점 | gradually, more and more | adverb | new |
| 갑자기 | suddenly | adverb | new |
| 힘들다 | to be difficult, hard; ㄹ irregular | descriptive verb | review |
| 외롭다 | to be lonely; ㅂ irregular | descriptive verb | new |
| 낯설다 | to be unfamiliar, strange; ㄹ irregular | descriptive verb | new |
| 계기 | turning point, occasion | noun; -는 계기가 되다 | new |
| 돌아보다 | to look back (on) | action verb; 을/를 | new |
| 지금 생각해 보면 | looking back now, thinking about it now | discourse expression | new |
Learners should also continue to use vocabulary and discourse expressions from Chapter 1 — 예를 들면, 다시 말해서, and 결론적으로 — while narrating in this chapter.
Pronunciation and Speech Focus
This chapter introduces no new sound-change rule. The speech focus instead continues from Chapter 1, applying intonation and pausing patterns to longer narrative turns.
When -는데 introduces background information rather than closing a sentence, speakers typically use a slight rising or level pitch at -는데, signaling to the listener that more information is coming. This differs from a falling pitch, which would suggest the idea is complete. Practice reading the Model Dialogue aloud, giving -는데 a gentle lift rather than a full stop.
Time clauses such as 이사했을 때 or 적응하기 전에 are usually spoken with only a brief pause, if any, before the main clause continues. Treat the whole time clause and the following idea as one breath group when possible, rather than pausing heavily after the clause.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter's principal focus is extended narration: giving background with -는데, describing ongoing action or states with -고 있다, and sequencing events with time clauses. No new particle, honorific, or speech-level system is introduced.
1. Background Information with -는데
Learners often first meet -는데 as a way to show mild contrast, similar to "but." In narration, -는데 more often introduces background circumstances that make the next sentence easier to understand — a situation, a setting, or a state of mind that explains what follows. The clause before -는데 is not necessarily opposed to what comes after; it simply sets the stage.
Attach -는데 to action verb and 있다/없다 stems; attach -(으)ㄴ데 to descriptive verb stems and 인데 to the copula. Past background uses -았/었는데.
- 작년에 새 도시로 이사했는데, 처음에는 아는 사람이 한 명도 없었어요. I moved to a new city last year, and at first I didn't know a single person. -았는데 (background, past) sets up the following statement about being alone
- 그 도시는 아주 조용한 곳인데, 저는 원래 시끄러운 도시에서 살았어요. That city is a very quiet place, and I originally lived in a noisy city. descriptive verb + -(으)ㄴ데 (background)
2. Ongoing Aspect: -고 있다
-고 있다 attaches to an action-verb stem to describe an action that is or was in progress. With certain verbs of wearing, holding, or maintaining a state, such as 살다 (to live) or 다니다 (to attend, commute to), -고 있다 can describe an ongoing state rather than a moment-by-moment action. Both uses are common in narration about a period of change.
Past-progressive narration commonly uses -고 있었다 to describe what was ongoing at a particular past moment, often right before a time clause introduces a new development.
- 그때 저는 새 회사에 다니고 있었는데, 일이 익숙하지 않아서 스트레스를 많이 받았어요. At that time I was working at (commuting to) a new company, and since the work wasn't familiar yet, I got a lot of stress. -고 있었는데 (ongoing state, past) + background
- 지금은 그 도시에서 벌써 이 년째 살고 있어요. Now I've already been living in that city for two years. -고 있다 (ongoing state, present) with 살다
3. Time Clauses: Sequencing a Narrative
-(으)ㄹ 때 means "when" and marks the time during which something happens or happened. -기 전에 means "before," attaching directly to the dictionary-form stem regardless of tense in the main clause. -(으)ㄴ 후에 means "after," attaching to the past-tense-like stem form and always describing a completed event before the next one.
| Ending | Meaning | Attaches to | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -(으)ㄹ 때 | when | verb stem | 이사할 때 친구들이 도와줬어요. |
| -기 전에 | before | dictionary-form stem | 이사하기 전에 계획을 많이 세웠어요. |
| -(으)ㄴ 후에 | after | past-stem form | 이사한 후에 새 동네에 적응하기 시작했어요. |
- 한국어를 배우기 전에는 한국 문화에 별로 관심이 없었어요. Before I learned Korean, I wasn't very interested in Korean culture. -기 전에 (before) with negative background
- 한국어 수업을 들은 후에 한국 친구를 사귀고 싶어졌어요. After taking Korean classes, I came to want to make Korean friends. -(으)ㄴ 후에 (after) sequencing two completed events
[background with -는데/-(으)ㄴ데] + [ongoing state or action with -고 있었다] + [turning point with time clause] + [result, connected with 그래서 or -아/어서] + [closing reflection with 지금 생각해 보면]
A change narrative typically opens by describing the situation before the change, states what was ongoing at that time, marks the turning point with a time clause, connects the result, and closes with a brief reflection.
삼 년 전에 저는 작은 회사에서 일하고 있었는데, 그 당시에는 이 일이 제 적성에 맞는지 잘 몰랐어요. 그러다가 새 프로젝트를 맡게 됐을 때, 처음으로 이 분야가 재미있다는 걸 느꼈어요. 그 후에 관련 공부를 더 하기 시작했고, 지금은 이 일을 훨씬 자신 있게 하고 있어요. 지금 생각해 보면, 그 프로젝트가 제 인생의 계기가 된 것 같아요.
Three years ago I was working at a small company, and at that time I didn't really know if this work suited me. Then, when I was given a new project, I felt for the first time that this field was interesting. After that I started studying more about it, and now I do this work with much more confidence. Looking back now, I think that project became a turning point in my life.
Practice — Building a narrative
- Write one sentence describing a background situation using -는데 or -(으)ㄴ데.
- Write one sentence describing what was ongoing at that time using -고 있었어요.
- Write one sentence marking a turning point using -(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, or -(으)ㄴ 후에.
- Write one closing sentence using 지금 생각해 보면.
Model Dialogue
Setting: 지영's discussion group, second session. 라일라 tells the group about moving to a new city and starting to learn Korean.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- How did 라일라 feel right after moving, and why?
- Identify one sentence in the dialogue that uses -고 있다 to describe an ongoing state.
- What time clause introduces the moment 라일라 started learning Korean?
Guided Practice
- Choose a period of change in your own life (a move, a new job, a new skill, or a similar experience).
- Write one background sentence with -는데 or -(으)ㄴ데 describing the situation before the change.
- Write one sentence with -고 있었어요 describing what was ongoing at that time.
- Write one sentence with a time clause (-(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, or -(으)ㄴ 후에) marking the turning point.
- Write one result sentence connected with 그래서 or -아/어서.
- Write one closing sentence with 지금 생각해 보면.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
수진 씨의 이야기
수진 씨는 대학교를 졸업하기 전에는 요리에 전혀 관심이 없었는데, 졸업한 후에 우연히 요리 학원에 다니게 됐어요. 처음에는 칼도 제대로 못 잡았는데, 시간이 지나면서 점점 실력이 늘었어요. 요즘은 매일 저녁에 새로운 요리를 연습하고 있는데, 그 시간이 하루 중에서 제일 즐거운 시간이 됐다고 해요. 지금 생각해 보면, 그 요리 학원이 수진 씨의 인생을 바꾼 계기가 된 셈이에요.
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| What was 수진's relationship to cooking before graduating? | ______ |
| What is 수진 doing now, and how does she feel about it? | ______ |
| What time clause introduces the beginning of 수진's cooking classes? | ______ |
Reading Practice
Below is a short narrative similar to the one you will write in this chapter's Writing Workshop. Read it and answer the questions below.
새로운 도시, 새로운 나
저는 재작년까지 부모님 집 근처에서 살고 있었는데, 그때는 혼자 살아 본 경험이 한 번도 없었어요. 이사하기 전에는 혼자 지내는 것이 그렇게 힘들 거라고 생각하지 않았어요. 하지만 새 도시로 이사한 후에, 요리부터 관리비 내는 것까지 모든 걸 혼자 해결해야 해서 처음 몇 달은 정말 낯설고 힘들었어요.
시간이 지나면서 점점 익숙해졌고, 지금은 혼자 사는 생활에 완전히 적응했어요. 지금은 직접 요리도 하고 있고, 동네 이웃들하고도 편하게 인사하고 있어요. 지금 생각해 보면, 그 이사가 저를 훨씬 더 독립적인 사람으로 만든 계기가 된 것 같아요.
This passage recycles vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 1 and this chapter, and demonstrates the narrative frame introduced in the Grammar section above.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What background situation does the writer describe before the move?
- Find one sentence using -고 있다 and explain whether it describes an action or a state.
- How does the writer feel about the move, looking back now?
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task is a short narrative: 경험과 변화 이야기 ("A Story of Experience and Change"), modeled on the Reading Practice passage above.
- Choose your change. Select a real or plausible period of change in your life — a move, a new job, a new habit, or a similar experience.
- Describe the background. Write one or two sentences with -는데 or -(으)ㄴ데 describing the situation before the change.
- Add the ongoing state. Write one sentence with -고 있었어요 describing what was happening or true at that time.
- Mark the turning point. Use a time clause (-(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, or -(으)ㄴ 후에) to introduce the moment things changed.
- Connect the result. Use 그래서, -아/어서, or 점점 to show how the change developed.
- Close with a reflection. Use 지금 생각해 보면 to comment on the change from your present perspective.
- Revise. Check your draft against the checklist below.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- At least one background clause with -는데/-(으)ㄴ데 appears.
- At least one sentence uses -고 있다 (present or past) correctly.
- At least one time clause (-(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, or -(으)ㄴ 후에) appears.
- At least one connector from Chapter 1 links two ideas.
- A closing reflection with 지금 생각해 보면 or a similar expression appears.
- Speech level is consistent everyday polite -아요/어요 throughout.
- Only Hangeul is used; no romanization appears in the final draft.
- Spacing and particles are accurate throughout.
- No grammar or vocabulary beyond Volume II, Chapter 1, and this chapter appears productively.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 시간 순서로 말하기
Take three events from your week and narrate them aloud in order, using at least one time clause (-기 전에 or -(으)ㄴ 후에) to connect them.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 변화 이야기하기
With a partner, take turns telling the story of a change in your life in at least six connected sentences, including background, an ongoing state, a turning point, and a closing reflection. Your partner should identify which grammar points they heard.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself telling your change story twice: once focusing only on events, and once adding background and ongoing-state information. Compare how much easier the second version is to follow.
Culture and Communication
In South Korean conversation, especially among peers or in discussion and study groups, sharing a personal turning point — a 계기 — is a common way to build closeness and mutual understanding. Listeners often ask follow-up questions about what a person was thinking or feeling at a specific moment, which naturally invites background and ongoing-state language of the kind practiced in this chapter.
Relocating to a new city for work, study, or family reasons is common across South Korea, and adjusting to a new neighborhood, workplace, or social circle is a frequent topic of everyday conversation. Framing such a move as difficult at first but ultimately valuable, as in this chapter's readings, reflects a common way such stories are told, though not every person's experience follows the same pattern.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Assuming -는데 always signals contrast, and therefore avoiding it or misusing it when the two clauses are not actually opposed.
Correction: Recognize that -는데 very often introduces background information that simply sets up the next idea, with no contrast implied, as in the narrative examples above.
Error: Attaching -고 있었어요 to any past action, including single completed events, rather than reserving it for genuinely ongoing actions or states.
Correction: Use -았/었어요 for a completed past event and -고 있었어요 only for something that was in progress or an ongoing state at a particular past moment.
Error: Attaching a past-tense form before 전에, producing an incorrect form such as 이사했기 전에.
Correction: -기 전에 always attaches to the plain dictionary-form stem, regardless of the tense of the main clause: 이사하기 전에, never 이사했기 전에.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. Give the meaning of 적응하다, 계기, and 점점.
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Combine these two sentences using -는데: 저는 새 도시에 살아요. 저는 아직 친구가 별로 없어요.
2. Write one sentence describing an ongoing state using -고 있어요.
3. Write one sentence using -기 전에 and one sentence using -(으)ㄴ 후에 about the same event.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. Summarize the Reading Practice passage in three to four English sentences, naming at least two grammar points the writer uses.
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write your own "경험과 변화 이야기" narrative following the Writing Workshop steps and checklist.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. Present your change story aloud to a partner, instructor, or recording, following the Speaking Practice guidance above.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles the cohesion tools from Chapter 1 — connectors, omission, and discourse expressions — as well as vocabulary, particles, and speech-level control from Volume II, and introduces background clauses with -는데, the ongoing aspect -고 있다, and time clauses as new productive tools. No new particle, honorific, or speech-level system is introduced.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제
경험과 변화 이야기 — A Story of Experience and Change
You will produce a connected written narrative and a corresponding spoken account describing a real or plausible period of change in your life, showing background, an ongoing state, a turning point, and a result.
- Written: Write your full narrative from the Writing Workshop, following the narrative frame and editing checklist.
- Spoken: Present the same narrative aloud as one connected spoken turn, without reading it word for word.
- Reflection: Write one to two English sentences identifying which tool (background clauses, ongoing aspect, or time clauses) you found easiest, and which you would like to keep practicing.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Narrative organization | Background, ongoing state, turning point, and result appear in a clear order |
| Background clauses | At least one accurate use of -는데/-(으)ㄴ데 to set up following information |
| Ongoing aspect | At least one accurate use of -고 있다 for an ongoing action or state |
| Time clauses | At least one accurate use of -(으)ㄹ 때, -기 전에, or -(으)ㄴ 후에 |
| Cohesion from Chapter 1 | Connectors, omission, and at least one discourse expression are used naturally |
| Speech-level consistency | Everyday polite -아요/어요 maintained throughout, in writing and speech |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout, no romanization |
| Scope discipline | No structures used productively beyond Volume II, Chapter 1, and this chapter |
Answer Key
Grammar — Practice
1. Sample answer: 그 당시에 저는 작은 마을에 살고 있었는데, 문화가 많이 달라서 좀 힘들었어요.
2. Sample answer: 그때 저는 새 학교에 다니고 있었어요.
3. Sample answer: 한국에 오기 전에는 한국어를 전혀 몰랐어요. 한국에 온 후에 한국어 공부를 시작했어요.
4. Sample answer: 지금 생각해 보면, 그 경험이 저를 더 강하게 만든 것 같아요.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- 라일라 felt lonely right after moving because everything was unfamiliar and it was hard to talk comfortably with her new coworkers.
- Sample sentence with an ongoing state: 그때 저는 새 회사에 다니고 있었는데... ("At that time I was working at a new company...").
- The time clause 이사한 후에 몇 달 지나서 ("a few months after I moved") introduces when 라일라 started learning Korean.
Listening comprehension
- Before graduating, 수진 had no interest in cooking at all.
- 수진 now practices new dishes every evening and considers that time the most enjoyable part of her day.
- The time clause is "after graduating" (졸업한 후에), which introduces when she started going to cooking classes.
Reading comprehension
- The writer describes living near their parents' house and never having lived alone before the move.
- Sample sentence: 지금은 직접 요리도 하고 있고... — this describes an ongoing action (currently cooking).
- Looking back, the writer feels the move made them a more independent person.
Chapter Review — Section B
1. Sample answer: 저는 새 도시에 사는데, 아직 친구가 별로 없어요.
2. Sample answer: 저는 요즘 새 언어를 배우고 있어요.
3. Sample answer: 시험을 보기 전에 열심히 공부했어요. 시험을 본 후에 마음이 편해졌어요.
Section D — Sample "경험과 변화 이야기" excerpt
저는 일 년 전까지 운동을 전혀 하지 않았는데, 그때는 체력이 별로 좋지 않았어요. 그 당시에 저는 매일 늦게까지 일하고 있었는데, 갑자기 건강 문제가 생겨서 걱정이 됐어요. 병원에 다녀온 후에 운동을 시작하기로 결심했어요. 처음에는 삼십 분도 힘들었지만, 시간이 지나면서 점점 체력이 좋아졌어요. 지금 생각해 보면, 그 건강 문제가 오히려 제 생활을 더 건강하게 바꾼 계기가 된 것 같아요.
Check that: the narrative includes background, an ongoing state, a time clause, a connected result, and a closing reflection, and that no structures beyond Volume II, Chapter 1, and this chapter appear productively.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can narrate a period of personal change across several connected sentences, using background clauses, the ongoing aspect, and time clauses to show how one thing led to another, while keeping consistent everyday polite speech level and the cohesion tools from Chapter 1. This narrative foundation prepares you for the cause-and-result language of Chapter 3.