Korean Grammar 203: V-ㄴ 채로/-은 채로
"한국에서는 신발을 신은 채로 집에 들어가면 안 돼요."
(“In Korea, you shouldn’t enter the house with your shoes on.”)
"텔레비전을 켠 채로 잠들었어요."
(“I fell asleep with the television on.”)
Both sentences use the form ‘-ㄴ 채로 / -은 채로’ after a verb. What does this expression mean?
Today, we’ll learn the grammar ‘Verb-ㄴ 채로 / -은 채로’, which is used when one action or state remains unchanged while something else happens.
💡 Usage
- ‘-ㄴ 채로 / -은 채로’ is attached to a verb stem and is used to express that a certain action or state remains unchanged.
- ↳ It’s often used when one action or state continues while another action occurs.
- You can shorten it to ‘-ㄴ 채 / -은 채.’
- Similar expressions include ‘-아/어 놓은 채로,’ ‘-둔 채로,’ ‘-고 있는 채로.’
📘 Explanation
1. Verb-은 채로
"신발을 신은 채로 집에 들어가면 안 돼요."
(“You shouldn’t enter the house with your shoes on.”)
① Form
신다 + 은 채로 → Here, ‘신은 채로’ is formed by attaching ‘-은 채로’ to the verb ‘신다 (to wear on feet).’
Since the verb stem ‘신-’ has a final consonant, we use ‘-은 채로.’
② Meaning
It means to enter the house while keeping the shoes on — the state of wearing shoes remains unchanged.
③ Dialogue Example
나나: 호주나 미국에서는 신발을 신고 집에 들어가도 괜찮죠?
미소: 네. 그런데 한국에서는 신발을 신은 채로 집에 들어가면 안 돼요.
나나: 아. 그래서 현관에서 신발을 벗는 거군요.
Nana: In Australia or the U.S., it’s okay to go inside with shoes on, right?
Miso: Yes. But in Korea, you must not enter the house with your shoes on.
Nana: Ah, that’s why people take off their shoes at the entrance.
→ Here, ‘신은 채로’ means “in the same state of having one’s shoes on.”
2. Verb-ㄴ 채로
"텔레비전을 켠 채로 잠들었어요."
(“I fell asleep with the television on.”)
① Form
켜다 + ㄴ 채로 → Here, ‘켠 채로’ is formed by attaching ‘-ㄴ 채로’ to the verb ‘켜다 (to turn on).’
Since the verb stem has no final consonant, we use ‘-ㄴ 채로.’
② Meaning
It means “I turned on the TV and then fell asleep without turning it off.” The state of the TV being on remained unchanged.
③ Dialogue Example
미소: 네. 텔레비전을 켠 채로 잠들었더라고요.
나나: 아. 그래서 아침까지 텔레비전 소리가 들렸군요.
Nana: Did you watch TV late last night?
Miso: Yes. I must have fallen asleep with the TV on.
Nana: Oh, so that’s why I could hear the sound all morning.
→ ‘켠 채로’ also means “in the same state of having turned the TV on.”
🧩 Combination Rules
‘-ㄴ 채로 / -은 채로’ is used after a verb stem.
| Condition | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With the final consonant | -은 채로 | 먹다 → 먹은 채로 |
| Without the final consonant | -ㄴ 채로 | 서다 → 선 채로 |
| Final consonant ㄹ | ‘ㄹ’ drops + -ㄴ 채로 | 만들다 → 만든 채로 |
✏️ Practice
1. 잠옷을 (입다) 편의점에 갔어요.
2. 너무 피곤해서 지하철에서 (서다) 깜빡 졸았어요.
3. 어젯밤에 창문을 (열다) 잠들어서 감기에 걸렸어요.
- I went to the convenience store (wearing pajamas).
- I was so tired that I dozed off (while standing) on the subway.
- I slept (with the window open) and caught a cold.
❐ Answers
1. 잠옷을 입은 채로 편의점에 갔어요. (입다 + 은 채로)
2. 너무 피곤해서 지하철에서 선 채로 깜빡 졸았어요. (서다 + ㄴ 채로)
3. 어젯밤에 창문을 연 채로 잠들어서 감기에 걸렸어요. (열다 (ㄹ탈락) + ㄴ 채로)
- I went to the convenience store wearing pajamas.
- I dozed off while standing on the subway.
- I slept with the window open and caught a cold.
💬 Applied Dialogue Example
나나: 미소 시, 어제 밤새웠어요? 밤새 방에 불이 켜져 있던데요.
미소: 아.. 아니요. 불을 켠 채로 잠들었더라고요. 숙제하다가 그냥 잠든 것 같아요.
나나: 숙제는 다 했어요?
미소: 아니요. 숙제는 커녕 불을 켜 놓은 채로 자서 그런지 머리도 띵하고 눈도 아파요.
Nana: Miso, did you stay up all night? The light in your room was on all night.
Miso: Oh… yes. I must’ve fallen asleep with the light on. I was doing homework and just passed out.
Nana: Did you finish your homework?
Miso: No, not at all. Maybe because I slept with the light left on, my head feels heavy and my eyes hurt.
→ The grammar we learned today is ‘켠 채로’ and ‘켜 놓은 채로.’
① Form
켜다 + -ㄴ 채로 → ‘켠 채로’ is made by adding ‘-ㄴ 채로’ to the verb ‘켜다’.
켜다 + -어 놓은 채로 → ‘켜 놓은 채로’ is made by adding ‘-어 놓은 채로’ to ‘켜다.’
② Meaning
Both expressions describe a situation where the light was turned on and left on while sleeping.
However, ‘켜 놓은 채로’ emphasizes that the state continued.
🎯 Conclusion
Today, we learned the grammar ‘Verb-ㄴ 채로 / -은 채로’, which describes a situation where one action or state remains unchanged.
Try making your own sentences using this grammar! Then download the free quiz PDF below to review and practice.
🎥 Watch the lesson on YouTube
📘 Download the free quiz PDF
Korean Grammar Quiz 203: V-ㄴ 채로 / -은 채로
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