501 words
3 minutes

그런데: Vocabulary #141

2026-03-19
2026-05-31

Example Sentences#

  1. 그런데 나는 기쁠 때 으르렁거리고, 화가 나면 꼬리를 흔들어.1
    But I growl when I’m happy, and I wag my tail when I’m angry.
    • 그런데 is a conjunction used to change the direction of a story while relating it to the preceding statement, to introduce something opposed to the previous statement, or to begin or continue a conversation without a special meaning. It can mean ‘but’, ‘however’, ‘by the way’, ‘nonetheless’ or simply ‘well’, depending on the context. It derives from 그렇다 (to be so) combined with -ㄴ데, a pattern used to connect clauses by introducing background information or subtle contrast.
  2. 그런데 왜 그렇게 생각하시나요?”2
    Why do you think so?”
    • 그런데 is a conjunction used to change the direction of a story while relating it to the preceding statement, to introduce something opposed to the previous statement, or to begin or continue a conversation without a special meaning. It can mean ‘but’, ‘however’, ‘by the way’, ‘nonetheless’ or simply ‘well’, depending on the context. It derives from 그렇다 (to be so) combined with -ㄴ데, a pattern used to connect clauses by introducing background information or subtle contrast.
  3. 그런데 왜 아직도 그 여자를 마음속에 두고 있는가?”3
    Why are you still carrying her?”
    • 그런데 is a conjunction used to change the direction of a story while relating it to the preceding statement, to introduce something opposed to the previous statement, or to begin or continue a conversation without a special meaning. It can mean ‘but’, ‘however’, ‘by the way’, ‘nonetheless’ or simply ‘well’, depending on the context. It derives from 그렇다 (to be so) combined with -ㄴ데, a pattern used to connect clauses by introducing background information or subtle contrast.
  4. 유나: 그런데 나는 매운 거 잘 못 먹어.4
    Yuna: But I can’t handle spicy food well.
    • 그런데 is a conjunction used to change the direction of a story while relating it to the preceding statement, to introduce something opposed to the previous statement, or to begin or continue a conversation without a special meaning. It can mean ‘but’, ‘however’, ‘by the way’, ‘nonetheless’ or simply ‘well’, depending on the context. It derives from 그렇다 (to be so) combined with -ㄴ데, a pattern used to connect clauses by introducing background information or subtle contrast.

Footnotes#

  1. Sentence from Alice And The Cheshire Cat Story. ↩

  2. Sentence from Lazaro And The Blind Man. ↩

  3. Sentence from The Girl At The River Story. ↩

  4. Sentence from What Is On The Menu Tonight. ↩

그런데: Vocabulary #141
https://koreanstorylab.com/posts/vocabulary/그런데/
Author
Korean Story Lab
Published at
2026-03-19
License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0