Grammar
-(으)며
Meaning
Advanced-(eu)myeo
A written/formal connector attached to a verb or adjective stem meaning 'while ~' or 'and.' It links two actions or states that occur together, in parallel, or simply lists related facts about the same subject. It is a more formal, literary counterpart to -고, common in news writing, essays, and speeches but rare in everyday conversation.
Form
Attach -며 directly after a vowel-final stem, and -으며 after a consonant-final stem: 치다 → 치며, 있다 → 있으며. Past tense: -았/었/였으며 (좋았으며). It attaches to verbs, adjectives, and 이다 (이며) alike.
Examples
고수는 북을 치며 추임새를 넣는다.
The drummer beats the drum while shouting encouragements.
전시회 이름은 '큐비스트'이며, 피카소 작품도 있다.
The exhibition is called 'Cubists,' and it also features Picasso's works.
이 기업은 반도체를 수출하며 경제에 기여한다.
This company exports semiconductors while contributing to the economy.
Common mistakes & nuance
-(으)며 is a written/formal register word — in spoken Korean, -고 or -(으)면서 would be used instead in almost all of these examples.
Similar grammar
- -고
-(으)며 and -고 both mean 'and' when listing actions or facts, but -고 is the everyday spoken default while -(으)며 belongs to formal writing and news.
- -(으)면서
Both can express two actions happening at the same time, but -(으)면서 is neutral and common in speech, while -(으)며 carries a more formal, written tone and is also used for simply listing parallel facts (not just simultaneous actions).