-다가
daga
Grammar · 2 senses
and then
Examples
밥을 먹다가 전화를 받았습니다.
I was eating when I received a phone call.
누워서 영상을 보다가 핸드폰을 손에서 놓쳤어요.
I was lying down watching a video when I dropped my phone.
When you'd hear it
This is a common neutral pattern in spoken Korean and appears frequently in conversations, dramas, and informal writing. It often describes an ongoing action that is interrupted by or shifts to another action.
What learners get wrong
Unlike -고, which simply links actions in sequence, -다가 presents the first action as already in progress when the second action occurs. It is therefore natural for an interruption or change of activity, not just a planned next step.
while I was doing
Examples
잠을 자다가 무서운 꿈을 꿨어요.
I was sleeping and had a scary dream.
집에 오다가 친구를 만났어요.
I was on my way home when I met a friend.
When you'd hear it
-다가 is common in everyday conversation, including casual speech and polite dialogue in dramas. It also appears frequently in narrative writing and personal accounts.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse -다가 with -면서. -다가 presents the first activity as interrupted or giving way to the next event, while -면서 emphasizes that two activities happen at the same time.
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