-는 둥 마는 둥
-는 둥 마는 둥: Half-Doing It — Barely, Half-Heartedly
Bound noun 둥 「004」: seems to do it and not to — half-hearted / incomplete action (-은/는/을 둥 만/마는/말 둥).
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present adnominal pair | -는 둥 마는 둥 | 먹는 둥 마는 둥 / 듣는 둥 마는 둥 |
| Past adnominal pair | -(으)ㄴ 둥 만 둥 | 한 둥 만 둥 |
| Prospective pair | -(으)ㄹ 둥 말 둥 | 갈 둥 말 둥 |
-는 둥 마는 둥 marks half-doing — barely / half-heartedly.
우리말샘 둥 「004」. Not a clean yes. Not a clean no.
Why this is hard
English kind of is vague. Korean locks a paired frame: do-둥 + not-do-둥. Learners write only one half, or confuse it with pretend -는 척하다.
What it does
You say the action happened only faintly — as if done and not done.
밥은 먹는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.
이야기는 듣는 둥 마는 둥이에요.
숙제는 하는 둥 마는 둥이었죠.
잠은 자는 둥 마는 둥 잤어요.Forms
Adnominal + 둥 + negative twin 마는/만/말 둥.
먹다 → 먹는 둥 마는 둥
하다 → 하는 둥 마는 둥
가다 → 갈 둥 말 둥When not to use it
Do not use it for full refusal — say you did not do it.
Do not use it for proud complete success.
Do not swap in 척하다 when you mean weak effort rather than staged pretence.
Neighbours — and why they differ
| Form | Why it is not this slot |
|---|---|
| -는 척하다 | Pretend performance. |
| -기만 하다 | Only does that — limitation. |
Ask: am I saying it was only half-done? If yes, -는 둥 마는 둥. If staged pretend, use 척하다.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 교재·표준 교육과정 밖의 문법 (Grammar outside of textbooks and standard curriculum) — Advanced Grammar Supplement, Unit 1, on the theme of Curriculum gap. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. Dinner happened only faintly — a few bites, no real meal — and you want the half-done paired frame, not a clean finish. Which line fits?
2. Which line uses the past adnominal pair -(으)ㄴ 둥 만 둥 from the forms table?
3. They were putting on an act of eating for the camera — that is -는 척하다. You mean the meal itself was only half-done. Which line fits?
Common questions
Dictionary?
우리말샘 둥 「004」: in -은/는/을 둥 만/마는/말 둥 — seems to do it and not to.
Tone?
Often critical or descriptive of weak effort — meals, listening, studying.
Vs -기만 하다?
-기만 하다 limits to only that action. 둥 says the action itself is incomplete.
Café soft paraphrase?
건성으로 / 제대로 안 …했다. Keep 둥 when the paired frame matters.