Your goal
Set the time, place and ongoing activity, then connect the event that occurred.
Use the past tense you know, while distinguishing a completed event from an activity already in progress.
Before you start
- 기다리다
- wait
- 읽고 있었어요
- was reading at that time
- 전화가 오다
- receive a call
- 갑자기
- suddenly
- 배경
- setting before an event
- 그때
- at that time
Explore the situation
Yuna’s afternoon at the library
토요일 오후 두 시에 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요.
Check the meaning
On Saturday at two, I was reading at the library.
두 시 십 분에 친구에게서 전화가 왔어요.
Check the meaning
At 2:10, a friend called.
친구는 도서관 입구에서 기다리고 있었어요.
Check the meaning
The friend was waiting at the library entrance.
Learn the expressions
책을 읽었어요 reports a past activity. 책을 읽고 있었어요 presents reading as in progress at that moment; it does not by itself say when it ended.
| Action | In progress in the past |
|---|---|
| 읽다 | 읽고 있었어요. |
| 기다리다 | 기다리고 있었어요. |
| 공부하다 | 공부하고 있었어요. |
Connect the two with 책을 읽고 있을 때 전화가 왔어요. Here 있을 때 locates the call during the reading; it is not a future appointment. The overall sentence describes the past.
| Background first | Event then |
|---|---|
| 토요일 오후 두 시에 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요. | 두 시 십 분에 친구에게서 전화가 왔어요. |
Read the conversation
Yuna’s Saturday
그때 무엇을 하고 있었어요?
Show meaning
What were you doing then?
도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요.
Show meaning
I was reading at the library.
언제 전화가 왔어요?
Show meaning
When did the call come?
책을 읽고 있을 때 전화가 왔어요.
Show meaning
The call came while I was reading.
Another setting
어제 오후 세 시에 어디에 있었어요?
Show meaning
Where were you at three yesterday?
교실에서 공부하고 있었어요.
Show meaning
I was studying in the classroom.
Build a sentence
Check the details shown on the cards and try a sentence before revealing the example. Then assemble the sentence pieces.
Compare the flow and express it
When a call came
- Person
- 유나
- Background
- 도서관 · 책 읽는 중
- Event
- 친구에게서 전화가 옴
Example and explanation
도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요. 책을 읽고 있을 때 친구에게서 전화가 왔어요.
Describe the setting, then the event.
When rain began
- Person
- 아키
- Background
- 카페 · 친구를 기다리는 중
- Event
- 비가 오기 시작함
Example and explanation
카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있었어요. 친구를 기다리고 있을 때 비가 왔어요.
Use the same structure with a different place and activity.
Sentence-piece practice
1. Build the ongoing action.
Sentence pieces
- 책을
- 도서관에서
- 읽고 있었어요.
2. Connect background and event.
Sentence pieces
- 전화가
- 책을 읽고 있을 때
- 왔어요.
Practice
Choose a response that fits the situation using the expressions you learned.
1. Reading was in progress at two. Which fits?
- 책을 읽고 있었어요.
- 책을 읽을 거예요.
- 책을 읽지 않았어요.
2. Which is the background?
- 전화를 받았어요.
- 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요.
- 친구에게서 전화가 왔어요.
3. The call came during reading. Choose the connection.
- 전화 때문에 책을 읽지 않았어요.
- 내일 전화를 받을 거예요.
- 책을 읽고 있을 때 전화가 왔어요.
4. Ask when the friend called.
- 언제 전화가 왔어요?
- 누구 책이에요?
- 책이 얼마예요?
Try a new situation
Use the new role information. Write the required details in Korean and try saying them.
Aki’s Sunday
일요일 오전 열한 시에 카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있었어요.
Check the meaning
On Sunday at eleven, I was waiting for a friend at a café.
열한 시 십 분에 비가 오기 시작했어요.
Check the meaning
At 11:10, it began to rain.
비가 온 이유와 친구가 도착한 시각은 기록에 없어요.
Check the meaning
The cause of the rain and the friend’s arrival time are not recorded.
Tasks
Try the tasks first, then compare with the answers and examples in step 10.
1. As Aki, describe waiting for a friend at a café at 11 on Sunday.
Show a hint
Use the pattern and keep the supplied information.
2. Rain began at 11:10. Write the time and event.
Show a hint
Use the pattern and keep the supplied information.
3. It rained during the wait. Connect the two with …때.
Show a hint
Use the pattern and keep the supplied information.
4. Ask what your friend was doing then. End the written question with ?.
Show a hint
Use the pattern and keep the supplied information.
Check your learning
Read the new conditions and distinguish the key information.
1. Aki was waiting for a friend at a café at eleven.
- 카페에 갈 거예요.
- 카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있었어요.
- 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요.
2. Rain began at 11:10. What was the event?
- 친구를 기다리고 있었어요.
- 카페가 비쌌어요.
- 비가 오기 시작했어요.
3. Choose the past progressive of 읽다.
- 읽고 있었어요.
- 읽고 있을 거예요.
- 읽고 있어요.
4. It rained while waiting for a friend. Choose the sentence.
- 친구가 비를 기다릴 거예요.
- 친구를 기다리고 있을 때 비가 왔어요.
- 비가 와서 친구가 되었어요.
5. What does 공부하고 있었어요 alone establish?
- It ended at ten at night.
- An exam will be passed tomorrow.
- Studying was in progress then.
6. Which order sets the scene first?
- Waiting in the café → rain began
- Only state the outcome and change the place
- Invent an unknown cause first
Reflect on your reading
Tick only what you actually checked. Feedback from another person is optional and is not required to finish the lesson.
Answers and explanations
Show answers and explanations
Practice questions
1. Reading was in progress at two. Which fits?
Answer: 책을 읽고 있었어요.
It was ongoing then.
- 책을 읽을 거예요. — This is a future plan.
- 책을 읽지 않았어요. — This says no reading occurred.
2. Which is the background?
Answer: 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요.
It is the ongoing setting before the event.
- 전화를 받았어요. — This is a subsequent action.
- 친구에게서 전화가 왔어요. — This is the event that occurred.
3. The call came during reading. Choose the connection.
Answer: 책을 읽고 있을 때 전화가 왔어요.
It links the background and the event at that time.
- 전화 때문에 책을 읽지 않았어요. — This invents a cause and absence of reading.
- 내일 전화를 받을 거예요. — No tomorrow plan is given.
4. Ask when the friend called.
Answer: 언제 전화가 왔어요?
언제 asks about time.
- 누구 책이에요? — This asks who owns the book.
- 책이 얼마예요? — This asks the price.
Learning check
1. Aki was waiting for a friend at a café at eleven.
Answer: 카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있었어요.
Both place and action match.
- 카페에 갈 거예요. — Aki was already there, not planning to go.
- 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요. — This is not Aki’s setting.
2. Rain began at 11:10. What was the event?
Answer: 비가 오기 시작했어요.
It is what started during the waiting.
- 친구를 기다리고 있었어요. — This is the background.
- 카페가 비쌌어요. — No price information is given.
3. Choose the past progressive of 읽다.
Answer: 읽고 있었어요.
있었어요 places it in the past.
- 읽고 있을 거예요. — This points to a future state.
- 읽고 있어요. — This is present progressive.
4. It rained while waiting for a friend. Choose the sentence.
Answer: 친구를 기다리고 있을 때 비가 왔어요.
It connects the ongoing wait with the rain.
- 친구가 비를 기다릴 거예요. — The subject and time frame have changed.
- 비가 와서 친구가 되었어요. — Becoming friends is not the event.
5. What does 공부하고 있었어요 alone establish?
Answer: Studying was in progress then.
Only the ongoing past activity is explicit.
- It ended at ten at night. — No end time is stated.
- An exam will be passed tomorrow. — The exam and result are not known.
6. Which order sets the scene first?
Answer: Waiting in the café → rain began
Set the ongoing situation before adding the event.
- Only state the outcome and change the place — Changing the place changes the account.
- Invent an unknown cause first — Do not invent missing reasons.
Example answers
Written responses are examples. Other wording can also meet the same conditions.
1. As Aki, describe waiting for a friend at a café at 11 on Sunday.
일요일 오전 열한 시에 카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있었어요.
일요일 오전 11시에 카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있었어요.
Include time, place and ongoing action.
2. Rain began at 11:10. Write the time and event.
오전 열한 시 십 분에 비가 오기 시작했어요.
오전 11시 10분에 비가 오기 시작했어요.
A new event occurred after the background was established.
3. It rained during the wait. Connect the two with …때.
친구를 기다리고 있을 때 비가 왔어요.
카페에서 친구를 기다리고 있을 때 비가 왔어요.
Preserve the time relationship.
4. Ask what your friend was doing then. End the written question with ?.
그때 무엇을 하고 있었어요?
그때 뭐 하고 있었어요?
Use 그때 with the past progressive.
Sentence-piece practice
1. Build the ongoing action.
도서관에서 책을 읽고 있었어요.
-고 있었어요 shows an action in progress then.
2. Connect background and event.
책을 읽고 있을 때 전화가 왔어요.
The call came during reading.
Review and continue
Come back to these
Recall with the example closed
Set the time, place and ongoing activity, then connect the event that occurred.
Change one detail
Change a person, action or time and make two sentences.
Combine with earlier expressions
Make a short exchange with a question and response.
Review what felt difficult
Review this expressionDescribe the background of an event →Earlier learningReconnect the foundation →Look separately at activity completion and core learning results.