TOPIK 2 Grammar List: Core Patterns for Levels 3-4

TOPIK 2 Grammar List: the Essentials

The TOPIK 2 grammar list rests on one fact: TOPIK II tests grammar through meaning, not through rule names. A reading gap-fill, a listening reply or a writing blank only works if you know what a connector or ending adds to the sentence. TOPIK II has no separate grammar section; the patterns live inside listening, writing and reading, the three sections described on the TOPIK exam format page.

The five groups follow the order most intermediate courses use. A connector is an ending attached to a verb or adjective stem that links two clauses, such as -는데 (background) or -다가 (switching actions). Most TOPIK II core grammar is connectors, so the Korean connectors hub is the best companion to this page. For the test itself, start from the TOPIK 2 hub.

How Are the Patterns Grouped?

The patterns are grouped by function, so each group answers one communication need. Every table uses the same columns: the pattern, its job in plain English, one example, where it is useful on the test, and the lesson link.

Cause and Reason: -기 때문에, -는 바람에, -(으)ㄹ까 봐, -거든요

-거든요 is the clearest case of a spoken-only pattern. In a Q54 essay you would write the reason as -기 때문이다 instead, as in 약속이 있기 때문이다.

Contrast and Condition: -(으)ㄴ/는데, -더라도, -다면, -다가는, -(으)ㄹ 텐데

-(으)ㄴ/는데 is the most frequent pattern in this group and the hardest to translate, because it can mean "and", "but" or "so" depending on what follows. Read the second clause before you decide.

Sequence and Simultaneity: -다가, -(으)면서, -고 나서, -자마자

-다가 and -(으)면서 are a common pair of wrong options. -다가 means the first action stops or is interrupted, while -(으)면서 means both actions run at once. The full contrast is on -다가 vs -(으)면서.

Reported Speech: -다고 하다, -냐고 하다, -(으)라고 하다, -자고 하다

In conversation these forms usually contract: 바쁘다고 해요 becomes 바쁘대요, and 쉬라고 해요 becomes 쉬래요. Listening dialogues use the contracted forms, so learn both shapes together.

Passive, Causative and Nominalisation: 피동, 사동, -기, -(으)ㅁ

Passives matter most in reading and in question 53, where survey results are reported as 조사되었다 (was surveyed) and 나타났다 (turned out). The Korean nominalization hub compares -기, -(으)ㅁ and -는 것 in full. With the five groups mapped, the next step is to see how three look-alike reason patterns differ.

Near-Synonyms: -아/어서, -기 때문에 and -는 바람에

All three patterns give a reason, and TOPIK II reading items often offer two of them as options. The table shows where they part ways.

The three sentences all mean "I was late because I missed the bus", but the third adds that missing the bus was an unlucky surprise. For a reason before a command, switch to -(으)니까, as in 늦었으니까 택시를 타세요. The fuller comparison is on -기 때문에 vs -아/어서.

Register is the other dividing line on this list, and it decides which patterns you should write.

Which Patterns Belong in Writing?

The patterns that belong in writing are the ones that sound natural in the plain written style (-다), because questions 52, 53 and 54 expect that style. Question 51 follows the polite style of its own text instead. The split below is a rule of thumb for the 22 core patterns.

• Safe in Q52-Q54: -기 때문이다, -(으)ㄴ/는데 (background), -더라도, -(ㄴ/는)다면, -(으)면서, passive forms such as 증가한 것으로 나타났다, -기 and reported -다고 한다.
• Spoken, avoid in essays: -거든요, -(으)ㄹ까 봐 in its chatty sense, contracted reported speech such as -대요 and -래요, and -다가는 warnings.
• Notices and memos only: -(으)ㅁ endings such as 회의 없음, which appear in reading items but not in an essay.

For example, the spoken 시간이 없거든요 becomes 시간이 없기 때문이다 in a Q54 essay. The writing questions themselves are explained on TOPIK question 53 and its sister pages. Knowing where each pattern belongs leads to the question of when to learn it.

In What Order Should You Study Them?

Study the groups in the order of the tables, but begin hearing reported speech early, because listening uses it from the first dialogues. A practical order for most learners is:

1. -(으)ㄴ/는데, -(으)면서, -고 나서 and -기 때문에. These four connect most sentences in TOPIK II reading.
2. -다고 하다 and its contracted forms (-대요, -래요). Listening depends on them.
3. -다가, -자마자, -는 바람에 and -(으)ㄹ까 봐. These carry the plot of short listening stories.
4. Passive suffixes, -아/어지다 and -기. Reading and question 53 rely on them.
5. -더라도, -(ㄴ/는)다면, -다가는, -(으)ㄹ 텐데 and -거든요, then causatives and -(으)ㅁ.

Steps 1-3 roughly match Level 3, and steps 4-5 complete Level 4. Build each step on the TOPIK 1 grammar list, because every TOPIK II pattern assumes the beginner particles and endings.

Which of These Patterns Are Tested in Listening?

Listening tests the spoken patterns most: -거든요, -(으)ㄴ/는데, -(으)ㄹ 텐데, -다가는, -는 바람에 and contracted reported speech. A typical item asks why a speaker did something, and the answer sits in a -거든요 or -는 바람에 clause. Written patterns such as -(으)ㅁ appear mostly in reading.

Check Yourself: 10 Fill-in Items

Each item gives the meaning in English and one blank. Pick the only option that fits both the meaning and the grammar.

Answers: 1 자는 바람에, 2 올까 봐, 3 들으면서, 4 바쁘다고, 5 도착하자마자, 6 바쁘더라도, 7 열렸어요, 8 쉬라고, 9 놀다가는, 10 하기를.

What Does This List Not Cover?

This TOPIK 2 grammar list is deliberately short: 22 patterns, not a full intermediate syllabus. It leaves out many patterns that intermediate courses teach, such as -느라고, -(으)ㄴ/는 김에 and -는 대로. The level labels are editorial and based on common course-book placement, not on an official TOPIK document. For every intermediate connector and ending with its own lesson, use intermediate Korean grammar. For the formal written patterns of levels 5 and 6, continue with TOPIK 2 grammar advanced, and for all TOPIK grammar pages see the TOPIK grammar hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Grammar Points Are on TOPIK 2?

No official number exists, because TOPIK publishes no grammar syllabus for candidates, and course books count patterns differently. This list keeps 22 core patterns for levels 3 and 4. Intermediate course books teach many more, so treat these 22 as the minimum and add the patterns your textbook teaches as you meet them in past papers.

Which Patterns Are for Writing Only?

None of the 22 core patterns is strictly writing-only, but some sound bookish in conversation. The -(으)ㅁ nominaliser appears mainly in notes, notices and memos, and -기 때문이다 at the end of a sentence is typical of explanations and essays. For the formal written patterns of levels 5 and 6, see the advanced list.

Is Reported Speech Tested?

Yes, constantly, though never by name. Listening dialogues use the contracted forms, such as 비가 온대요 for 비가 온다고 해요 (they say it will rain). Reading passages and charts use the full forms, as in 조사되었다고 한다. If you cannot hear -대요, -래요 and -냬요 as reported speech, you will misread who said what.

What Is the Difference between 바람에 and 때문에?

-기 때문에 gives any reason in a neutral way and suits both speech and writing. -는 바람에 says that an unexpected event caused a result, usually an unwanted one, as in 늦잠을 자는 바람에 늦었어요. Neither can come before a command or suggestion. Use -(으)니까 for that.

Is There a TOPIK 2 Grammar List PDF?

No official PDF exists, because TOPIK does not publish a grammar list. You can print this page: the five group tables print as a compact list of the 22 patterns with examples. For the patterns tested at levels 5 and 6, print the advanced list as well and keep both next to your error log.

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