jabi-다가
-다가: Switching Mid-Action
Connective: one action or state is interrupted / shifts, and another takes over.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb stem | stem + -다가 | 가다 → 가다가 / 먹다 → 먹다가 |
| After past -었- | -었다가 | 갔다가 / 앉았다가 |
-다가 marks an action that is underway — then something else takes over.
세종 초급2’s public-service unit title: 약속 장소에 가다가 돌아왔어요 — I was on my way to the meeting place, then I came back.
우리말샘’s connective -다가 includes the sense: an action or state stops / changes into another.
학교에 가다가 친구를 만났어요.
I was going to school when I ran into a friend.
영화를 보다가 잠들었어요.
I was watching a movie and (then) fell asleep.
의자에 앉았다가 일어났어요.
I sat down, then got up.Forms
| Shape | Example |
|---|---|
| stem + -다가 | 가다가, 먹다가 |
| -었다가 | 갔다가, 앉았다가 |
Not plain -고
| Ending | Job |
|---|---|
| -고 | and / sequence |
| -다가 | mid-action switch |
*학교에 가고 돌아왔어요 lists two moves. 가다가 돌아왔어요 says the going was interrupted or redirected.
Not -아서/어서 cause
-아서 / -어서 claims because / so. This lesson’s -다가 is the interruption reading. Dictionary entries also list a cause-flavoured -다가 — leave that for later input; do not teach every -다가 as reason.
vs -고 있다
-고 있다 paints still doing. -다가 paints was doing → then pivoted.
Practice rule
If English wants on the way / in the middle of… then…, try -다가. If you only need and then, -고 is enough.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
In the Sejong course this appears in 약속 장소에 가다가 돌아왔어요 — Sejong Korean 2, Unit 11, on the theme of 공공서비스. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. What does 가다가 돌아왔어요 highlight?
2. How does -다가 differ from -고?
3. Is -다가 the same job as -아서/어서?
Common questions
Does -다가 always mean interruption?
Dictionaries list more senses (including cause and alternating -다가 -다가). This beginner page follows the unit's switch reading — 가다가 돌아왔어요. Meet other senses in later input; do not force them here.
Can I use -었다가?
Yes — the dictionary allows -었- before -다가. 앉았다가 일어났어요 is a clear stand-up-after-sitting switch. The unit title itself uses present-stem 가다가.
How is this different from -고 있다?
[[g:go-itda]] holds an ongoing state. -다가 moves you out of an action into another. Progressive vs pivot.
Is the particle 다가 the same?
No. Particle combinations like 에다가 are a different slot. This page is the connective ending -다가 on verb stems.