-는 바람에 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -는 바람에 to verb stems, including ㄹ stems.
• Use the same -는 form for events that already happened.
• Keep the result bad and the cause sudden.
• Tell -는 바람에 apart from -느라고, -아/어서 and 덕분에.

Prerequisites: the lesson on -아/어서 and the modifier ending -는. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -는 바람에 means "because of an unexpected event." The cause is sudden and out of your control.
• It attaches to verbs as -는 바람에, even when the event is already over.
• The result is bad. For a good result, use 덕분에.
• The two clauses may have different subjects.
• 바람 is a dependent noun here, so it is written after a space.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -는 바람에 Grammar Mean?

바람 is a dependent noun here. It names the knock-on effect of something that has just happened. It looks the same as the word for "wind," but it is a different word. The whole phrase -는 바람에 means "as a result of the effect of X happening."

Three ideas follow.

• The cause is an event. Something happens: the road gets jammed, it starts to rain, a phone dies.
• The event is sudden and out of your control. You did not plan it, and you did not choose it.
• The result is bad. You are late, you are soaked, you cannot do something.

Both examples describe something that happened to the speaker. Neither describes something the speaker chose. The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -는 바람에?

Attach -는 바람에 to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. The -는 is the present modifier ending, and it is used even when the event is over.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

Add 는 바람에 directly.

The sentence 휴대폰이 꺼지는 바람에 전화를 못 받았어요 means "My phone went off, so I couldn't take the call." The 꺼지는 바람에 clause is the sudden event, and 못 받았어요 is the cost.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

The ending is the same. There is no 으 and no change to -는.

The consonant meets the ㄴ of 는, so it changes sound. 잊는 is [인는], 듣는 is [든는], 쏟는 is [쏜는] and 젖는 is [전는]. The sentence 깜빡 잊는 바람에 숙제를 못 냈어요 means "I forgot for a moment, so I couldn't hand in my homework."

Irregular Stems and Nouns

• ㄹ stems drop ㄹ before ㄴ. 만들다 becomes 만드는 바람에, and 살다 becomes 사는 바람에.
• ㄷ-irregular verbs keep their ㄷ before 는, because the ending begins with a consonant. 듣다 stays 듣는 바람에: 알람 소리를 못 듣는 바람에 늦잠을 잤어요 ("I couldn't hear the alarm, so I overslept").
• ㅂ and ㅅ verbs also keep their stem before 는: 돕는 바람에, 짓는 바람에.
• Adjectives do not take it. Wrong: 추운 바람에 감기에 걸렸어요. Use -아/어서: 추워서 감기에 걸렸어요.
• Nouns do not take it. Say 눈 때문에 or 눈이 오는 바람에, not 눈 바람에.
• Past events use the same -는. There is no separate past form: 사장님이 갑자기 바뀌는 바람에 계획이 취소됐어요 describes something that has already happened.

The next section builds a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building 길이 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요

Say that you were stuck in traffic and missed the start of a meeting. Follow five steps.

1. Name the sudden event. "The road got jammed" is 길이 막히다. The event happens to the road, not to you.
2. Remove 다. The stem is 막히.
3. Add 는 바람에. 막히 + 는 바람에 = 막히는 바람에. Keep the space before 바람에.
4. Write the result. "I was late for the appointment" is 약속에 늦었어요. The tense goes here, on the last verb.
5. Join the parts. 길이 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요.

You'll know it worked when the first verb ends in -는, 바람에 follows after a space, and the result is something bad that you did not choose. If you were late because you were busy, the sentence would change to -느라고.

The next section covers tense and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -는 바람에?

The first clause always uses -는. The last verb carries the tense and the speech level.

Most sentences end in a past statement, because the pattern explains something that already went wrong. The first clause does not change for the past. Where other connectors use 았/었, -는 바람에 stays in the -는 form.

A question with -는 바람에 is unusual. Instead people ask 왜 늦었어요? and the answer contains the pattern. 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.

Commands and suggestions do not fit. The pattern reports a bad result, so there is nothing to order.

The next section compares -는 바람에 with -느라고.

How Is -는 바람에 Different from -느라고?

Both explain a bad result. They differ in what caused it.

Compare these sentences.

• 길이 막히는 바람에 늦었어요. "I was late because the road got jammed." An event happened to the speaker.
• 공부하느라고 늦었어요. "I was late because I was busy studying." The speaker was busy doing something.
• 비가 와서 늦었어요. "I was late because it rained." A plain reason, with no blame or surprise attached.

The test: if the cause is something you were doing, use -느라고. If the cause is a sudden event, use -는 바람에. If the cause is plain, use -아/어서. In -는 바람에 the subjects may differ, as in 동생이 넘어지는 바람에 제 커피를 쏟았어요 ("My sibling fell over, so I spilled my coffee").

For a full side-by-side with practice, see -느라고 vs -는 바람에.

For the cause that places blame, there is a close partner: -(으)ㄴ/는 탓에, which names a cause that you blame. For a good outcome, see -(으)ㄴ/는 덕분에.

The next section covers set phrases and edge cases.

Variations and Edge Cases of -는 바람에

The Set Phrase 그 바람에

그 바람에 begins a new sentence. It means "as a result of that." Use it when the event is a full sentence and the result follows: 길이 막혔어요. 그 바람에 약속에 늦었어요. The meaning is the same as 길이 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요.

A Different Subject Is Fine

The subject of the event does not have to be the speaker. 동생이 넘어지는 바람에 제 커피를 쏟았어요 has two subjects: 동생 (the sibling) and the speaker (understood). This is a key difference from -느라고.

Weather and Accidents

-는 바람에 is the natural choice for weather and accidents, because they are sudden events: 눈이 많이 오는 바람에 비행기가 취소됐어요 ("It snowed a lot, so the flight was cancelled").

A Good Result Needs 덕분에

If the result is welcome, switch to 덕분에: 도와주신 덕분에 잘됐어요 ("Thanks to your help, it went well"). Trying 도와주는 바람에 잘됐어요 sounds unnatural, because 바람에 expects a bad result.

Your Own Slip

You can use -는 바람에 for your own accident or mistake, such as 버스를 놓치는 바람에 or 깜빡 잊는 바람에. The slip is sudden and unplanned. If the cause is long effort, use -느라고.

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -는 바람에?

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

Learners often use it for good results. It sounds unnatural: 도와주는 바람에 잘됐어요. Better: 도와주신 덕분에 잘됐어요. Fix: use 덕분에 for credit and -아/어서 for neutral reasons.

Learners often put a past tense inside. Wrong: 왔는 바람에 and 늦었는 바람에. Right: 오는 바람에 늦었어요. Fix: keep -는 and put the past on the last verb.

Learners often use it with adjectives. Wrong: 추운 바람에 감기에 걸렸어요. Right: 추워서 감기에 걸렸어요. Fix: 바람에 follows verbs only.

Learners often write 바람에 without a space. Wrong: 막히는바람에. Right: 막히는 바람에. Fix: standard spelling treats 바람 as a dependent noun, and a dependent noun is written after a space.

Learners often use it for planned causes. Wrong: 일부러 늦게 나가는 바람에 늦었어요. Fix: a planned or deliberate action does not fit. Use -아/어서.

Learners often end with a command. Wrong: 길이 막히는 바람에 서두르세요. Fix: end with a statement about the bad result.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: add the ending. Write the form with -는 바람에.

1. 막히다
2. 놓치다
3. 잊다
4. 듣다
5. 만들다

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

1. 비가 왔는 바람에 옷이 젖었어요.
2. 추운 바람에 감기에 걸렸어요.
3. 길이 막히는 바람에 서두르세요.

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "My phone went off, so I couldn't take the call." and "I lost my wallet, so I couldn't buy lunch."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence about a sudden event that spoiled your plan, and one about a sudden event that happened to someone else.

Answer key

1. (1) 막히는 바람에 (2) 놓치는 바람에 (3) 잊는 바람에 (4) 듣는 바람에 (5) 만드는 바람에
2. (1) 비가 오는 바람에 옷이 젖었어요. (2) 추워서 감기에 걸렸어요. (3) 길이 막히는 바람에 늦었어요.
3. 휴대폰이 꺼지는 바람에 전화를 못 받았어요. 지갑을 잃어버리는 바람에 점심을 못 샀어요. Other correct versions exist.
4. Sample answers: 갑자기 비가 오는 바람에 소풍이 취소됐어요. 동생이 넘어지는 바람에 컵이 깨졌어요. Any sentence is correct if the first verb ends in -는 바람에, the event is sudden, and the result is bad.

If task 1 was correct, you have the form rule. If task 2 was hard, review the -는 rule and the verbs-only rule. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -는 바람에 Grammar?

After -는 바람에, learn -(으)ㄴ/는 탓에, the "blame" pattern, and review -느라고, the pattern for your own busy action. When the result is good, see -(으)ㄴ/는 덕분에.

For a wider view, the parent page Cause and Reason lists every pattern in this group. -는 바람에 sits at level B2 on the Advanced Grammar list, which is an editorial estimate. For the tense that goes on the last verb, see past tense -았/었-. TOPIK is run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED); check topik.go.kr for what the exam covers.

This lesson covers -는 바람에 in everyday Korean. It does not cover every idiom that uses 바람. 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 -는 바람에 Mean?

-는 바람에 means "because of an unexpected event", and the result is bad. The first clause names something that suddenly happened, and the second clause tells what went wrong. 길이 막히는 바람에 약속에 늦었어요 means "The road got jammed, so I was late for the appointment." The cause is out of the speaker's control.

How Do I Attach -는 바람에 to a Verb or Adjective?

Attach it to verbs only. Remove 다 and add -는 바람에: 막히는 바람에, 잊는 바람에. ㄹ stems drop ㄹ (만들다 becomes 만드는 바람에). ㄷ-irregular verbs keep ㄷ (듣는 바람에). Adjectives do not take it; use -아/어서 instead, as in 추워서 감기에 걸렸어요. Keep a space before 바람에.

Can -는 바람에 Be Used in the past Tense?

The first clause stays in the -는 form even for a finished event, so there is no 았/었 inside it. Wrong: 왔는 바람에. Right: 오는 바람에. Put the past tense on the last verb: 갑자기 비가 오는 바람에 옷이 젖었어요. The whole sentence is read as past because of 젖었어요.

Is -는 바람에 Used in Speech or Only in Writing?

It is common in everyday speech and also appears in informal writing. People use it to explain delays, cancellations, accidents and slips. It is natural when you talk to friends, coworkers or a teacher, with the polite -어요 ending. In very formal writing, other connectors such as -(으)므로 are more usual.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -는 바람에?

The most common mistake is using it for a good result, such as 도와주는 바람에 잘됐어요, which sounds unnatural. Use 덕분에 for credit. Learners also put 았/었 inside the first clause or attach the pattern to an adjective. Keep -는 on a verb, and put the past tense on the last verb.

What Is the Difference between -는 바람에 and -느라고?

-는 바람에 blames a sudden, unwanted event, and the subjects may differ. -느라고 explains a problem caused by your own busy action, and both clauses share a subject. 길이 막히는 바람에 늦었어요 means the road got jammed. 공부하느라고 늦었어요 means you were busy studying.

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