Example Sentences#

1. 근데 간신히 도착했더니 비까지 오고, 줄도 정말 길고 입구 찾기도 힘들었어.¹
   But when I finally managed to get there, it even started raining, the line was super long, and even finding the entrance was hard.
   • 도착하다 means ‘to arrive’.
   • -였- is a past tense marker.
   • -더니 is a connective ending used to link a past situation directly observed or experienced by the speaker to a subsequent change or result, typically expressing the connection as a cause-and-effect relationship, a contrast with the current state, or a discovered outcome. It is composed of -더-, a retrospective suffix conveying the speaker’s recollection of a past personal experience or observation, and -니, a connective ending that marks the speaker’s recognition of the preceding clause as the contextual basis (cause, reason, or relevant information) for the following statement.
   • When the subject is in the first person, -더니 is typically used with the past tense marker as in -였더니, creating temporal distance and allowing the speaker to reflect on their own completed action and what resulted from it.
2. 어느 날, 라사로와 맹인은 알모록스라는 마을에 도착했다.²
   One day, Lazaro and the blind man arrived in a village called Almorox.
   • 도착하다 means ‘to arrive’.
   • 였 is a past tense marker.
   • -다 is the plain declarative ending used to state facts or describe events in an impersonal, neutral tone without addressing a specific listener, found in objective narration (stories, articles, diaries), self-directed speech, announcements, and emphatic exclamations.
3. 어느 날 그들은 강 옆에 도착했는데, 그곳에는 젊고 아름다운 여자가 강을 건너려 하다가 어려움을 겪고 있었다.³
   One day, they arrived beside a river, where there was a young and beautiful woman having difficulty trying to cross the river.
   • 도착하다 means ‘to arrive’.
   • 였 is a past tense marker.
   • -는데 is a connective ending that links clauses by providing circumstances or context for the following statement, whether as background information or as a subtle contrast. It developed through grammaticalization of the modifier suffix -는 (which marks a clause as modifying the following noun) and the dependent noun 데 (meaning ‘place’ or ‘situation’), originally conveying ‘in such a situation…’.
4. 호랑이는 한 집 앞에 도착했습니다.⁴
   The tiger arrived in front of a house.
   • 도착하다 means ‘to arrive’.
   • 였 is a past tense marker.
   • 습니다 is a formal polite ending used in declarative sentences.