Used to / Recall

The pattern -던 is a retrospective adnominal ending. It attaches to verb stems to modify a following noun, describing an action or state from the past.

Two Key Meanings

Habitual Past Action: Something you did repeatedly in the past but don't do anymore.

자주 가던 식당 (A restaurant I used to go to often)

옛날에 살던 집 (The house I used to live in)

Interrupted Past Action: An action that was in progress at a specific point in the past but was not completed.

내가 먹던 빵 (The bread I was eating)

아까 보던 책 (The book I was reading a moment ago)

Formation

Action Verbs: Attach -던 directly to the verb stem.

가다 -> 가던

먹다 -> 먹던

Descriptive Verbs & Completed States: For states or actions that are fully in the past, -았/었던 is used. The script includes examples like 예뻤던 (which was beautiful) and 좋았던 (which was good).

예쁘다 -> 예뻤던

좋다 -> 좋았던

자주 가던 식당이야. / 내가 먹던 거야. / 예뻤던 기억이 나. / 좋았던 옛날로 돌아가고 싶어.

Learners often confuse -던 with -(으)ㄴ. Both modify nouns by describing a past action, but they have a critical difference in nuance related to completion.

-던 (Incomplete or Habitual)

This implies the action was ongoing, repeated, or interrupted. The action itself is the focus, not its completion.

읽던 책 means "the book I was reading" or "the book I used to read." It suggests you might not have finished it.

내가 먹던 빵 means "the bread I was eating." You were in the middle of eating it.

-(으)ㄴ (Completed)

This indicates a one-time action that is finished and complete. The result of the action is more important.

읽은 책 means "the book I have (already) read." You finished it.

내가 먹은 빵 means "the bread I ate." The act of eating is complete.