-(은/ㄴ/는)데
(eun/n/neun)de
Grammar · 2 senses
...and?, ...but?
Examples
오늘은 좀 바쁜데...
Today is a bit busy...
제가 머리가 많이 아픈데.
My head hurts a lot.
When you'd hear it
Common in spoken Korean, from casual conversation to polite workplace or service interactions, when a speaker trails off and leaves space for the listener to respond or infer a request. It is much less typical in formal expository writing.
What learners get wrong
Learners often translate it as “but” every time. In this sentence-final use, the unfinished intonation invites a response; connective -(은/ㄴ/는)데 followed by another clause explicitly links two clauses.
Background information
Examples
신발이 조금 작은데 더 큰 사이즈 있어요?
My shoes are a little small. Do you have a bigger size?
음식이 너무 매운데 물을 좀 더 넣어 주시면 좋겠어요.
The food is too spicy. Could you add more water?
When you'd hear it
This is common in everyday conversation, including shops, restaurants, and dramas, where it often introduces a situation before a request or suggestion. It also appears in writing, but casual spoken uses are especially frequent.
What learners get wrong
Learners often treat it like -지만, but -(은/ㄴ/는)데 does not always mark a strong contrast; it can simply provide background or make a request sound less abrupt. Use -지만 when the contrast itself is the main point.
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