Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Korean 1 · expression

-기에 앞서(서)

-기에 앞서(서): Before Doing… — Prior to the Step

Connective: before the action named by -기 — prior step / preparation frame.

Before this, make sure you know: -기 , -기 전에 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Verb + -기에 앞서	-기에 앞서	시작하기에 앞서 / 말하기에 앞서
With 서	-기에 앞서서	시작하기에 앞서서

-기에 앞서(서) means before doing… — prior to the step you name.

Why this is hard

It sounds formal next to everyday -기 전에. Learners paste the heavy frame into café chat and sound like a memo. The job is sequenced preparation: before X, do Y — often in plans, notices, and careful speech.

What it does

You mark a prior step that should come first.

말하기에 앞서 자료를 읽으세요.
출발하기에 앞서 확인해요.
결정하기에 앞서 상의했어요.
시작하기에 앞서 이름을 적어요.

Forms

Verb + -기에 앞서 / -기에 앞서서.

When not to use it

Do not use it as the only soft ‘before’ in casual chat. Do not confuse it with -기 때문에 cause. Do not attach it when no prior step is intended.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-기 전에	Everyday before doing — lighter.
-은 후에	After doing — opposite order.
-기에 따라	Depending on — not ‘before’.

Notices, presentations, and study plans love this frame. If the sentence only needs soft timing, do not climb the register for free.

Classroom examples should keep the meaning concrete: one clear scene beats three vague glosses. If a neighbour form already says the same thing more lightly, prefer the lighter tool unless register demands this one.

Ask: am I naming a careful prior step before X? If yes, -기에 앞서. If you need café before, -기 전에 is enough.

Do not confuse it with

-기 전에

before doing — the mirror of -은 후에

-은 후에

after doing — plain sequence, no stress on finishing

-기에

because, so — the written reason, often with a judgment

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -자기에 because one decides to… — contracted -자고 하기에 (청유 인용 + 이유), pair of -는다기에 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 법하다 likely to… — a reasonable prediction -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another -으려나 보다 I guess they mean to… — reading someone's likely intention 를 가지고 with, using — taking that as the means or topic -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition 에도 불구하고 despite — in spite of that noun situation -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged -는데도 불구하고 even so — despite the whole preceding clause

Words used above

Tap the speaker to hear it read aloud by your browser.

-기에 앞서-gie apseobefore doing…

-기에 앞서서-gie apseoseobefore doing… (with 서)

시작sijakstart

설명seolmyeongexplanation

준비junbipreparation

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. You are opening a meeting with a careful prior step — explain first, then start — in notice-like register, not café timing. Which line?

2. You need the forms-table shape 말하기에 앞서 for ‘before speaking…’. Which line uses it?

3. Same verb 시작하다 — careful prior step in stiff register, not the lighter everyday ‘before’. Which line?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 앞서다 「002」: 【…에】【-기에】【…보다】 — the action takes place first.

Vs -기 전에?

Both ‘before doing’. 앞서(서) often frames speeches, meetings, careful steps.

앞서 adverb?

Noun/adverb 앞서 ‘earlier / ahead’ is related family; this page is -기에 앞서(서).

After?

For after, use -(으)ㄴ 후에 / -고 나서 — not 앞서.

Seen in the wild

Lessons where this pattern showed up in real Korean — news, slang, drama lines.

Expressions Advanced

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