-(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach 데다가 to adjectives, verbs, 있다/없다 and 이다.
• Choose between the present modifier and the finished modifier.
• Keep both facts good or both facts bad.
• Tell -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 apart from -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라, -고 and the look-alike particle 에다가.

Prerequisites: the modifier endings -는 and -(으)ㄴ, and the linking ending -고. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• 데다가 means "on top of that." It stacks a second fact onto the first.
• Adjectives take -(으)ㄴ (추운 데다가). Verbs take -는 for a present or habitual fact and -(으)ㄴ for a finished one.
• The two facts lean the same way: both good, or both bad.
• Textbooks treat 데 as a dependent noun, so 데다가 is written as a separate word after the modifier.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Grammar Mean?

데 is a dependent noun that means "a situation" or "a case." 다가 is usually explained as the particle 에다가 ("onto, in addition to") with its 에 merged into 데. Put together, 데다가 means "onto that situation, further." The speaker is saying, "Here is one fact, and here is another that piles onto it."

Two ideas follow from that meaning.

• The second fact adds weight to the first. It does not contrast with it or follow it in time.
• Both facts push the same way. The listener hears a growing list of reasons to be pleased, or a growing list of problems.

In the first example both facts are unpleasant. In the second, both are pleasant. In each, the particle 도 ("also") in the second clause echoes the "on top of that" idea. The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가?

Use a modifier ending before 데다가. A modifier ending turns a verb or adjective into a word that describes what follows. Here, what follows is the dependent noun 데. The rule depends on the word class.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

After a vowel the adjective modifier is just ㄴ added to the last syllable. The verb present modifier is 는.

The RR ttokttokan keeps the tense letters tt and kk from the spelling, and it shows the aspirated k that comes from ㄱ and ㅎ meeting. The spoken form is [그 사라믄 똑또칸 데다가 친절해요.].

Stems Ending in a Consonant

After a final consonant the adjective modifier is 은, and the verb present modifier is 는.

The sentence 이 집은 넓은 데다가 깨끗해요 ("This house is spacious, and on top of that it is clean") is said [이 지븐 널븐 데다가 깨끄태요.]. The 넓 ends in ㄹ plus ㅂ, and before the vowel of 은 the ㅂ moves across: 넓은 is [널븐].

Irregular Stems and Nouns

• ㄹ stems drop ㄹ before ㄴ. 길다 (be long) becomes 긴 데다가, and the verb 불다 (blow) becomes 부는 데다가 (present) and 분 데다가 (finished). 살다 becomes 사는 and 산.
• ㅂ-irregular adjectives turn ㅂ into 우 before 은. 춥다 becomes 추운 데다가, and 덥다 becomes 더운 데다가.
• Past states use -았/었던: 추웠던 데다가, 비쌌던 데다가. The past of an adjective is not -(으)ㄴ.
• 있다 and 없다 take -는, not -은: 맛있는 데다가, 재미있는 데다가, 돈이 없는 데다가.
• Nouns take 이다 plus the modifier, and the modifier is 인 after both consonants and vowels: 학생인 데다가, 의사인 데다가.

The next section builds a full sentence from scratch.

Worked Example: Building 날씨가 추운 데다가 바람도 불어요

Say that the day was cold and, worse, windy. Follow five steps.

1. Write the first fact. "The weather is cold" is 날씨가 춥다. The word 춥다 is a descriptive verb (an adjective).
2. Turn it into a modifier. 춥다 is ㅂ-irregular, so ㅂ becomes 우 before 은 and the form is 추운.
3. Add 데다가 after a space. 추운 데다가.
4. Write the added fact. "The wind blows" is 바람이 불어요. Swap 이 for 도 ("also") to echo the stacking: 바람도 불어요.
5. Join the parts. 날씨가 추운 데다가 바람도 불어요.

You'll know it worked when the first clause ends in a modifier (ㄴ), a space follows, 데다가 comes next, and the second clause adds a fact with the same feeling. If you tried to add "but the shop is lovely," the feeling would flip, and you would need -지만 instead.

The next section covers tense and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가?

The modifier before 데다가 carries the time. The last verb carries the speech level, and it carries the tense of the whole sentence. This is different from many other connectors, where you can put 았/었 inside the first clause.

Most sentences end with a statement, because the pattern lists facts. A question is possible when the facts are known, as in 왜 그렇게 늦었어요? after a list of problems. A wh-question puts the stress on the question word and often ends with a fall or a rise-fall, rather than a sharp rise. A command or suggestion does not fit, because there is nothing to act on.

For a finished event, choose -(으)ㄴ. 비가 온 데다가 길도 막혀서 늦었어요 says, "On top of the rain, the road was jammed too, so I was late." Notice that the second clause can continue with -아/어서 to give the result. The pattern 데다가 itself only stacks the two facts.

For a state that was true earlier, use -았/었던.

The next section compares 데다가 with its two closest neighbours.

How Is -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Different from -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라?

Both patterns add a second fact. They differ in tone, in grammar, and in what the second clause can be.

Compare these three sentences about the same shop.

• 그 가게는 싼 데다가 맛도 좋아요. The speaker stacks two good points and sounds delighted.
• 그 가게는 쌀 뿐만 아니라 맛도 좋아요. "Not only cheap, but the food is also good." The tone is a little more formal.
• 그 가게는 싸고 맛있어요. "That shop is cheap and the food is tasty." This is a plain list.

A good rule of thumb: use -고 when you just list. Use 데다가 when you want the listener to feel the second fact arrive on top of the first. Use -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 when you want the "not only" emphasis, especially in writing or a speech.

The subjects of the two clauses can differ with both patterns, as in 날씨가 추운 데다가 바람도 불어요, where 날씨 and 바람 are different subjects. The choice between them is about tone, not about subjects.

The next section covers short forms and traps.

Variations and Edge Cases of -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가

The Shortened Form 데다

In everyday speech you will hear 데다 without 가. It means the same: 이 책은 재미있는 데다 값도 싸요 ("This book is interesting, and it is cheap too"). Both are standard.

Adding 도 and 까지

The second clause often carries 도 ("also") or 까지 ("even"). 까지 makes the added fact feel like the last straw: 감기에 걸린 데다가 열까지 나요 ("I caught a cold, and I even have a fever").

The Sentence Adverb 게다가

게다가 is a separate word that begins a new sentence: 날씨가 추워요. 게다가 바람도 불어요. It means "on top of that," and it is a handy way to say the same thing when the first fact is already a full sentence.

Do Not Confuse It with the Particle 에다가

에다가 after a noun is a particle that means "on" or "onto," as in [책쌍에다가 채글 노아써요.] ("I put the book on the desk"). It is attached to the noun, and it has nothing to do with adding a fact. Learn the connector 데다가 as a separate word after a modifier. For other particles that add or join, see (이)나 and 와/과.

Pairing a Good Fact with a Bad One

If the two facts push in opposite directions, 데다가 sounds off. 비싼 데다가 맛있어요 puts a bad point (expensive) next to a good one (tasty), and it reads as if the pieces do not fit. Say 비싸지만 맛있어요 with -지만 instead. When both are bad, 데다가 works well: 비싼 데다가 맛도 없어요.

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가?

Learners make six predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often join 데다가 to the modifier. Textbooks treat 데 as a dependent noun and write it after a space: 추운 데다가, 싼 데다가. You may see 추운데다가 written together in some print, but this site and most course books use the spaced form. Fix: follow the spacing in your course book and keep it consistent.

Learners often use the verb form on an adjective. Actually adjectives take -(으)ㄴ, not -는. Wrong: 춥는 데다가. Right: 추운 데다가. Fix: ask whether the word describes a state (adjective) or an action (verb).

Learners often put -았/었 inside the first clause. Wrong: 추웠는 데다가 and 비가 왔는 데다가. Right: 추웠던 데다가 (past state) and 비가 온 데다가 (finished verb). Fix: show the past with the modifier, not with 았/었 plus 는.

Learners often mix a good and a bad fact. The pattern expects both facts to lean the same way. 비싼 데다가 맛있어요 sounds unbalanced. Fix: use -지만 for a contrast, or make both facts the same kind.

Learners often use -은 with 있다 and 없다. Actually they take -는, as in 맛있는 데다가 and 돈이 없는 데다가. Wrong: 맛있은 데다가. Fix: remember that 있다 and 없다 behave like verbs here.

Learners often end with a command. Wrong: 추운 데다가 나가세요. Fix: end with a statement or a question about the stacked facts.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: choose the form. Write the form with 데다가.

1. 싸다
2. 넓다
3. 춥다
4. 오다 (finished, "it rained")
5. 학생 (noun, with 이다)

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 춥은 데다가 바람도 불어요.
2. 춥는 데다가 바람도 불어요.
3. 비가 왔는 데다가 길도 막혔어요.

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "That house is spacious, and on top of that it is clean." and "I caught a cold, and I even have a fever."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence that stacks two good facts about a place, and one sentence that stacks two problems from your day.

Answer key

1. (1) 싼 데다가 (2) 넓은 데다가 (3) 추운 데다가 (4) 온 데다가 (5) 학생인 데다가
2. (1) 추운 데다가 바람도 불어요. (2) 추운 데다가 바람도 불어요. (3) 비가 온 데다가 길도 막혔어요.
3. 그 집은 넓은 데다가 깨끗해요. 감기에 걸린 데다가 열까지 나요. Other correct versions exist, for example 이 집은 넓은 데다가 깨끗하기까지 해요.
4. Sample answers: 이 식당은 조용한 데다가 음식도 맛있어요. 아침에 늦게 일어난 데다가 비까지 와서 힘들었어요. Any pair is correct if the modifier is right, a space comes before 데다가, and both facts lean the same way.

If task 1 was correct, you have the modifier rule. If task 2 was hard, check whether the word is an adjective or a verb, and check the ㅂ-irregular rule. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Grammar?

After -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가, learn -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라, the "not only ... but also" pattern, and review -고, the plain way to list. Then compare it with -지만 when your two facts pull in opposite directions.

For a wider view, the parent page And / But Connectors lists every pattern in this group. -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 sits at level B2 on the Advanced Grammar list. This level is an editorial estimate, so check it against your own textbook. TOPIK is run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), and topik.go.kr is the place to confirm what the exam covers.

This lesson covers -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 in speech and writing. It does not cover every spoken shortening. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. Revised Romanization follows the national rules and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Mean?

-(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 means "on top of that" or "in addition to". The first clause gives one fact, and the second clause piles another fact onto it. 날씨가 추운 데다가 바람도 불어요 means "On top of being cold, the wind is blowing too." Both facts usually point the same way, good or bad.

How Do I Attach -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 to a Verb or Adjective?

Put a modifier ending before 데다가 and keep a space. Adjectives take -(으)ㄴ (추운 데다가, 넓은 데다가). Action verbs take -는 for a present fact (오는 데다가) and -(으)ㄴ for a finished one (온 데다가). 있다 and 없다 take -는. Nouns take 인: 학생인 데다가.

Can -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Be Used in the past Tense?

Yes, but the past is shown by the modifier, not by 았/었 inside the clause. A finished verb uses -(으)ㄴ (비가 온 데다가). A past state of an adjective uses -았/었던 (추웠던 데다가). The last verb of the sentence also carries the past tense, for example 늦었어요 or 왔어요.

Is -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?

It is common in both. In everyday talk people often shorten it to 데다, as in 재미있는 데다 값도 싸요. In writing and formal speech it appears in full. It sounds natural when you list reasons to be pleased or upset, and it is not stiff or literary.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가?

The most common mistake is joining a good fact and a bad fact, as in 비싼 데다가 맛있어요. The pattern stacks facts that lean the same way, so this pair sounds unbalanced. Use -지만 for a contrast. Another frequent slip is leaving out the space: write 추운 데다가, not 추운데다가.

What Is the Difference between -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 and -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라?

Both add a second fact. 데다가 sounds conversational and stacks one fact on another, often a list of reasons to be pleased or upset. -(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 means "not only ... but also", sounds a little more formal, and usually has 도 in the second clause.

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