-(으)며 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -(으)며 to verbs, adjectives and 이다.
• Tell the "and" use from the "while" use.
• Choose between -(으)며, -고 and -(으)면서.
• Spot where the ending sounds natural, and where it sounds too stiff.

Prerequisites: the lesson on -고, and the lesson on -(으)면서. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -(으)며 is a connective ending. It joins two clauses that belong together.
• It has two meanings: "and" (two descriptions) and "while" (two actions at the same time).
• It belongs to written and formal Korean: news, essays, speeches and descriptions.
• It does not show order. For "and then", use -고.
• The sentence in which it appears often ends in the plain written style, such as 읽는다 and 아름답다.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -(으)며 Grammar Mean?

-(으)며 is a connective ending, an ending that joins one clause to the next. It tells the listener that the two parts go together, as one picture or one scene. It has two uses.

Use 1: and (two descriptions). The ending joins two facts about the same thing. 이 도시는 크며 아름답다 gives two features of one city. The facts have no order. They are a pair.

Use 2: while (two actions at once). The ending joins two actions done by the same person at the same time. 음악을 들으며 책을 읽는다 means that listening and reading happen together.

Both sentences end in the plain written style. This style, called 한다체 (handa-che), is the form used in essays, books and news reports. The verb 읽는다 is the plain present of 읽다. The adjective 아름답다 stays in its dictionary form. The plain style is neutral about the reader and does not use 요. You can read more about styles in Korean speech levels.

The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -(으)며?

The rule has one test. Look at the last sound of the stem. The stem is the dictionary form without 다. For 읽다 the stem is 읽.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

After a vowel, add 며.

No contraction takes place, which makes the ending easy to read: 가며, not 가서. Compare this with -아/어서, where 가 + 아서 becomes 가서.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

After a consonant, add 으며.

For the past, the stem includes 았/었, which ends in the consonant ㅆ. So the ending is 으며: 태어났으며. This is a point learners often miss. 으며 is used after the past marker, because 었 and 았 end in a consonant.

Irregular Stems and Nouns

Irregular stems change before 으며, because 으며 begins with a vowel. ㄹ stems are different: they keep their ㄹ and take 며.

The ㄹ stems are the main contrast with other endings. Before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ, ㄹ drops: 사는데, 삽니다. Before 며 it stays, because 며 begins with ㅁ, a sound that does not trigger the drop. Here -(으)며 behaves like -고 and -지만.

For nouns, use 이며, from 이다 ("to be"). 학생이며 means "is a student, and". After a vowel, writers usually keep 이 (수도이며), although the short 수도며 also occurs. 서울은 한국의 수도이며 가장 큰 도시이다 means "Seoul is the capital of Korea and its largest city." This pattern is common in encyclopaedias and in introductions.

The next section builds a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building 그는 음악을 들으며 책을 읽는다

Say that someone reads a book while listening to music. Follow five steps.

1. Pick the first action. "Listen to music" is 음악을 듣다. The stem is 듣.
2. Check the last sound. 듣 ends in the consonant ㄷ, and ㄷ is an irregular consonant. Before a vowel, ㄷ changes to ㄹ, so 듣 becomes 들. Add 으며: 들으며.
3. Pick the second action. "Read a book" is 책을 읽다. The stem is 읽.
4. Put the last verb in plain style. The plain present of 읽다 is 읽는다.
5. Join them. 그는 음악을 들으며 책을 읽는다.

You'll know it worked when the first verb ends in 으며 with no tense marker and no 요, and the second verb carries the tone of the whole sentence. If you wanted the polite spoken style, the last verb would be 읽어요, but then the sentence would be better with -(으)면서: 음악을 들으면서 책을 읽어요.

The next section covers tense and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -(으)며?

The "while" use and the "and" use behave differently.

In the "while" use, the first verb never has its own tense. Both actions share one time, which the last verb shows. 그는 음악을 들으며 책을 읽었다 means "He read a book while listening to music (in the past)." Do not write 들었으며 here.

In the "and" use, the first clause can have its own tense, because the facts can belong to different times: 그는 서울에서 태어났으며 대학에서 한국어를 가르쳤다 means "He was born in Seoul and taught Korean at a university." The two verbs are both in the past here. Two different subjects are also possible in the "and" use: 형은 의사이며 동생은 교사이다 ("My older brother is a doctor, and my younger sibling is a teacher").

For sentence types, statements are the norm. The ending is rare in questions and commands, because it belongs to description and narration. In a formal announcement, -(으)며 can sit before a formal polite ending: 저희 가게는 아침에 문을 열며 밤에 닫습니다 ("Our shop opens in the morning and closes at night").

The next section compares -(으)며 with -고 and -(으)면서.

How Is -(으)며 Different from -고?

All three can be translated as "and" or "while". Here is how they differ.

The biggest practical difference is order. 밥을 먹고 갔다 tells a sequence: eating happened first. 밥을 먹으며 갔다 puts the two actions together. If your sentence needs "and then", choose -고.

The second difference is the setting. In a speech or a news article, 그는 웃으며 말했다 reads smoothly. In a chat with a friend, 웃으면서 말했어 sounds more natural. The shape -(으)며 does not mean anything different. It is just more formal.

Compare the three on one idea.

• 그는 웃고 말했다. Smiled and then spoke.
• 그는 웃으며 말했다. Spoke with a smile (the usual narrative phrase).
• 그는 웃으면서 말했다. Spoke while smiling (natural in speech and writing).

You can see more in -(으)면서 vs -고.

The next section covers register and set phrases.

Variations and Edge Cases of -(으)며

Where It Sounds Right

You will meet -(으)며 in four places.

Narration Collocations

The pattern verb + 으며 + a speaking or moving verb is a stock phrase in stories: 웃으며 말했다 ("said smiling"), 울며 말했다 ("said in tears"), 걸으며 이야기했다 ("talked while walking"). Here the first verb shows the manner of the second.

Writing a List of Three

You can chain the ending, as in 이 방은 넓으며 밝으며 따뜻하다. Most writers use -고 for the first link and -(으)며 for the second to avoid repeating the same ending: 이 방은 넓고 밝으며 따뜻하다.

Joining Nouns

-(으)며 joins clauses, not words. To say "A and B" with two nouns, use 와/과 and with particle. To say "A or B", use (이)나 or particle.

A Different Word: -는 동안

When two actions happen at the same time with different subjects, the "while" use of -(으)며 does not work. Use -는 동안(에) instead: 제가 책을 읽는 동안 동생은 TV를 봤어요 ("While I read, my sibling watched TV").

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)며?

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

Learners often use -(으)며 in casual chat. Actually it sounds stiff, like reading a news script. Wrong in a chat: 나는 음악을 들으며 공부해. Right: 나는 음악을 들으면서 공부해. Fix: in speech, choose -고 or -(으)면서.

Learners often forget that ㄹ stays. Actually ㄹ stems keep ㄹ. Wrong: 사며 and 사으며. Right: 살며. Fix: do not apply the ㄹ drop of -(으)ㄴ/는데 here.

Learners often use it for "and then". Actually it does not show order. Wrong: 밥을 먹으며 학교에 갔다 (to mean "ate, then went"). Right: 밥을 먹고 학교에 갔다. Fix: use -고 for order.

Learners often apply the wrong irregular change. Wrong: 덥으며 and 듣으며. Right: 더우며 and 들으며. Fix: change ㅂ and ㄷ stems first, then add 으며.

Learners often put a tense inside the "while" use. Wrong: 들었으며 책을 읽었다 (to mean "read while listening"). Right: 들으며 책을 읽었다. Fix: the last verb carries the tense.

Learners often use it with different subjects for "while". Wrong (to mean "while I read"): 나는 책을 읽으며 동생은 TV를 봤다. Fix: use -는 동안, or split into two sentences.

Learners often add 요 inside. Wrong: 방이 커요며 밝다. Right: 방이 크며 밝다. Fix: attach to the bare stem.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: attach -(으)며. Write the form with -(으)며.

1. 읽다
2. 살다
3. 덥다
4. 걷다
5. 학생

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

1. 그는 서울에서 사으며 일한다.
2. 밥을 먹으며 학교에 갔다. (the speaker wants to say "ate, then went")
3. 나는 친구랑 이야기하며 놀아. (casual chat; make it sound natural)

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "She is kind and popular." and "I walk while listening to music."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence that joins two descriptions of a place, and one that joins two actions done at once.

Answer key

1. (1) 읽으며 (2) 살며 (3) 더우며 (4) 걸으며 (5) 학생이며
2. (1) 그는 서울에서 살며 일한다. (2) 밥을 먹고 학교에 갔다. (3) 나는 친구랑 이야기하면서 놀아.
3. 그녀는 친절하며 인기가 많다. 나는 음악을 들으며 걷는다.
4. Sample answers: 이 공원은 넓으며 조용하다. 아침에 운동하며 하루를 시작한다. Any pair is correct if each first verb ends in 며 or 으며 and nothing else is wrong.

If task 1 was correct, you have the formation rule. If task 2 was hard, check whether you changed ㄹ or put a tense inside. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -(으)며 Grammar?

After -(으)며, learn the spoken partners that do the same jobs: -고 for "and" and "and then", and -(으)면서 for "while".

For a wider view, the parent page And / But Connectors lists every connector in this group. -(으)며 sits at level B1 on the Intermediate Grammar list.

This lesson covers -(으)며 in written and formal style. It does not cover every literary use. 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)며 Mean?

-(으)며 joins two clauses with the sense of "and" or "while". It can link two descriptions, as in 이 도시는 크며 아름답다 ("big and beautiful"), or two actions done at once, as in 음악을 들으며 책을 읽는다 ("reads while listening to music"). It sounds written and slightly formal.

How Do I Attach -(으)며 to a Verb or Adjective?

Add 며 to a stem ending in a vowel: 크며, 하며. Add 으며 to a stem ending in a consonant: 읽으며, 좋으며. ㄹ stems keep ㄹ and take 며: 살며. ㅂ and ㄷ irregulars change before 으며: 아름다우며, 들으며. For a noun, use 이며: 학생이며.

Can -(으)며 Be Used in the past Tense?

Yes, in the "and" meaning. Put 았/었 before it: 태어났으며, 학생이었으며. The final verb carries the tense of the sentence. In the "while" meaning, the two actions happen together, so the first verb has no tense marker of its own and takes the tense of the last verb.

Is -(으)며 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?

It is used mostly in writing, news, speeches and formal descriptions. In everyday conversation, it sounds stiff, and speakers say -고 for "and" or -(으)면서 for "while". You may hear -(으)며 in presentations, announcements and storytelling, especially in the form 웃으며 말했다 ("said with a smile").

What Is the Difference between -(으)며 and -고?

Both mean "and". -고 is neutral and works in every setting. It can also mean "and then". -(으)며 is more formal and does not show order. 밥을 먹고 갔다 means "ate and then left". 밥을 먹으며 갔다 means "went while eating". Use -고 when the order matters.

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