-(으)며
and; while — written style
Covers the work of both -고 and -(으)면서, but in the register of reports and formal prose.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Vowel stems take -며, consonant stems -으며, and stems ending in ㄹ take -며 with the ㄹ intact: 만들며.
Two jobs share the form. Listing, like -고: 이 제품은 값이 싸며 품질도 좋다. Here tense may appear in front: 참석했으며.
Simultaneity, like -(으)면서: 음악을 들으며 공부한다. This reading requires one subject, exactly as -(으)면서 does.
The register is the point. In conversation, -고 and -(으)면서 are what people say; -(으)며 belongs to news, academic writing, and formal announcements.
How to attach it
| Stem type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ends in a vowel | -며 | 싸다 → 싸며 |
| Ends in a consonant | -으며 | 읽다 → 읽으며 |
| Ends in ㄹ | -며, ㄹ stays | 만들다 → 만들며 |
| Listing | tense allowed | 참석했으며 |
| Simultaneity | one subject, no tense | 들으며 공부한다 |
| Spoken versions | -고, -(으)면서 | 싸고 / 들으면서 |
In use
이 제품은 값이 싸며 품질도 우수하다.
This product is inexpensive and of excellent quality.
그는 음악을 들으며 보고서를 작성했다.
He wrote the report while listening to music.
회의에는 열 명이 참석했으며 안건은 세 가지였다.
Ten people attended the meeting, and there were three agenda items.
이 지역은 겨울이 길며 눈이 많이 온다.
Winters in this region are long, and it snows a great deal.
직접 재료를 만들며 품질을 관리하고 있습니다.
We make the ingredients ourselves and manage quality in the process.
그녀는 웃으며 손을 흔들었다.
She waved, smiling.
Compared with
-고
Same listing function, different register. -고 is everyday; -(으)며 signals that you are writing rather than talking.
싸고 좋아요. (speech) / 싸며 우수하다. (writing)
-(으)면서
In the simultaneity reading they are equivalent, and both need one subject. -(으)면서 is what you hear; -(으)며 what you read.
들으면서 공부해요. / 들으며 공부한다.
ㄹ stems
Worth noting that ㄹ survives here, unlike before -는 or -(으)니까. 만들며, not 만드며.
만들며 (correct) / 만드는 (before -는)
Watch out
재료를 만드며 품질을 관리합니다.
재료를 만들며 품질을 관리합니다.
The ㄹ stays before -며, as it does before -(으)면. It only drops before -는, -(으)니까, and -(으)세요.
야, 커피 마시며 얘기하자.
야, 커피 마시면서 얘기하자.
-(으)며 is a written form. Among friends it sounds stiff; -(으)면서 is the spoken equivalent.
제가 음악을 들으며 동생이 공부했다.
제가 음악을 듣는 동안 동생이 공부했다.
In the simultaneity reading, both clauses need the same subject. With two people, use -는 동안.
Next
koreangrammarmap.com