If you are studying Korean contrast grammar, this lesson is the one to keep. You will learn how -지만 / -는데 works in real conversation, when to use it, and the mistakes English speakers make first. This is a Korean intermediate grammar guide with examples, romanization, and a five-minute speaking drill.
By the end you should be able to hear -지만 / -는데 in dramas and K-talk, then reuse it in your own sentences. Read once. Say the examples out loud. Then drill the same lines on Practice.
What -지만 / -는데 means
-지만 is a clean but. -는데/(으)ㄴ데 backgrounds a situation, then adds news, a request, or a contrast. English speakers overuse 지만. Native speech lives in 는데.
How to form it
- Verb/adjective + -지만 → 가지만, 비싸지만
- Action present: -는데 → 가는데, 하는데
- Adjective / past: -(으)ㄴ데 → 바쁜데, 갔는데
- Noun: 인데 → 학생인데
-지만 / -는데 examples
Use these Korean contrast grammar example sentences as a speaking list. Korean first, then pronunciation, then English.
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 맛있지만 좀 매워요. | masitjiman jom maewoyo. | It’s good, but it’s a bit spicy. |
| 지금 밖에 비가 오는데 우산 있어요? | jigeum bakke biga oneunde usan isseoyo? | It’s raining outside — do you have an umbrella? |
| 한국어는 재미있는데요, 문법이 어려워요. | hangugeoneun jaemiinneundeyo, munbeobi eoryeowoyo. | Korean is fun, but the grammar is hard. |
| 시간은 있는데 돈이 없어요. | siganeun inneunde doni eopseoyo. | I have time, but I don’t have money. |
| 여기 앉으면 안 되는데… | yeogi anjeumyeon an doeneunde… | You’re not supposed to sit here… |
| 가고 싶지만 오늘은 못 가요. | gago sipjiman oneureun mot gayo. | I want to go, but I can’t today. |
When to use it
- 지만 for balanced contrast in writing.
- 는데 to lead into a question or request.
- 는데 as a soft trailer: 바쁜데요… (so maybe later).
Common mistakes
These are the traps English speakers hit when they translate word-for-word. Fix the pattern, not just the vocabulary.
Watch-out
❌ 바쁜는데
✅ 바쁜데
Adjectives take ㄴ데, not 는데. 예쁜데, 좋은데, 많은데.
Watch-out
❌ Using only 하지만 at the start
✅ Connect with 지만/는데
하지만 is fine, but clause-linking sounds more Korean.
Watch-out
❌ 는데 always meaning but
✅ Often it just sets context
저 지금 나가는데 = I’m heading out (so…). Not always opposition.
Mini dialogue
Read it twice. Second time, cover the English.
| Speaker | Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 주말에 영화 볼까요? | jumare yeonghwa bolkkayo? | Shall we watch a movie this weekend? |
| B | 보고 싶은데 숙제가 많아서요. | bogo sipeunde sukjega manaseoyo. | I want to, but I’ve got a lot of homework. |
| A | 그러면 짧게 커피만 할까요? | geureomyeon jjalge keopiman halkkayo? | Then shall we just grab a short coffee? |
Don’t mix these up
그런데 starts a new sentence. 는데 glues inside one sentence. 지만 is contrast-only. 는데 is contrast or background.
Five-minute Korean speaking practice
Korean speaking practice beats extra grammar notes. Do this once today, then again tomorrow without looking.
- Read each example slowly, Korean only.
- Say it at natural speed. Record yourself if you can.
- Cover the Korean and rebuild the sentence from English.
- Swap in your own details: your job, your city, your weekend.
Starter lines for today:
- 싸고 좋은데 거리가 멀어요.
- 설명은 들었지만 아직 모르겠어요.
- 저 지금 얘기 중인데 조금만 기다려 주세요.
Lesson summary
- Pattern: -지만 / -는데
- Search topic: Korean contrast grammar
- 지만 = but. 는데 = background, then the point. Learn 는데 if you want natural intermediate talk.
- Say it out loud on Practice, then come back to Guides if a particle still feels sticky.
Homework
- Take five 하지만 sentences and recast two as 는데 requests.
- Write three adjective ㄴ데 sentences.
- Record a 는데요 trailer that invites the other person to infer.
Korean contrast grammar: quick answers
는데요 vs 는데?
요 is polite. Same grammar.
은데 vs 는데 after past?
Past action: 갔는데. Past adjective: 예뻤는데.
Keep going
Want a path, not a single grammar point? Open Learn or browse the rest of this series in Korean intermediate.