-(으)며: While / And (Formal & Written) | Korean Grammar

-(으)며 is one of those endings that a learner can read for years without ever needing to say — and that is exactly the point. It is the written-and-formal sibling of two everyday endings you already know: -(으)면서 ("while") and -고 ("and"). -(으)며 does the same two jobs those endings do, but it does them in the register of essays, news articles, résumés, formal speeches, and literary prose. Hearing or reading -(으)며 should light up a signal in your head: this is written or formal style. Because this page teaches a written register, most of its examples appear in the plain written 한다체 (읽는다, 이다), which is where -(으)며 naturally lives — not in the spoken 해요체.

The form: 며 vs 으며

The allomorphy follows the same logic as most Korean endings. Look at the stem's final sound:

Stem ends in…	Ending	Examples
a vowel	-며	가다 → 가며, 마시다 → 마시며, 보다 → 보며
ㄹ (rieul)	-며	살다 → 살며, 만들다 → 만들며
any other consonant	-으며	먹다 → 먹으며, 읽다 → 읽으며, 짓다 → 지으며

The ㄹ-stem behaves like a vowel stem here (살며, not ×살으며) — the same "ㄹ counts as a vowel for the 으 series" pattern you see across the grammar. Consonant stems insert the buffer vowel 으 to make the ending pronounceable: 먹으며, 읽으며.

Job one: simultaneous "while"

Like -(으)면서, -(으)며 can mark two actions performed at the same time by the same subject — doing one thing while doing another.

커피를 마시며 신문을 읽는다.

keopireul masimyeo sinmuneul ingneunda

He reads the newspaper while drinking coffee. (written)

그는 편지를 읽으며 눈물을 흘렸다.

geuneun pyeonjireul ilgeumyeo nunmureul heullyeotda

He shed tears while reading the letter. (literary)

Both of these could be said in casual speech with -(으)면서 (커피를 마시면서 신문을 봐요), and in conversation that is what you should say. -(으)며 here is not a different meaning — it is a register upgrade. Swapping it in makes the sentence sound like a novel or a report.

음악을 들으며 책을 읽는 것을 좋아한다.

eumageul deureumyeo chaegeul ingneun geoseul joahanda

I like reading while listening to music. (written)

💡

For everyday spoken simultaneity, default to -(으)면서. Reserve -(으)며 for what you write: diary entries, essays, articles, formal announcements. Same meaning, different suit of clothes.

Job two: formal listing "and"

The second use of -(으)며 parallels -고: joining two predicates into a list — "A and B." In this role it strings together qualities or facts in polished, formal prose, the kind you find in a product description, an obituary, a company profile, or a speech.

그는 의사이며 대학교수이다.

geuneun uisaimyeo daehakgyosuida

He is a physician and a university professor. (formal)

이 제품은 가볍고 튼튼하며 저렴하다.

i jepumeun gabyeopgo teunteunhamyeo jeoryeomhada

This product is light, sturdy, and inexpensive. (written)

그는 평생 시골에서 살며 농사를 지었다.

geuneun pyeongsaeng sigoreseo salmyeo nongsareul jieotda

He lived in the countryside his whole life and farmed. (literary)

Notice the second example mixes -고 and -(으)며 in one list (가볍고 ... 튼튼하며 ...). That is a common and elegant written pattern: -고 links the earlier items and -(으)며 links the final item into the predicate, giving the sentence a formal cadence. After a noun, -(으)며 attaches through the copula 이- (의사이며 = 의사 + 이- + 며).

행사는 오전에 시작되며 오후에 끝난다.

haengsaneun ojeone sijakdoemyeo ohue kkeunnanda

The event begins in the morning and ends in the afternoon. (formal announcement)

A nuance: -(으)며 is not always -(으)면서

It is tempting to treat -(으)며 as simply "-(으)면서 in a suit," but there is a real difference in reach. -(으)면서 always insists that the two actions genuinely overlap in time (or contrast, "whereas") — it is fundamentally a simultaneity ending. -(으)며 shares that simultaneous use, but it also has the pure listing use that -(으)면서 lacks. When you write 그는 의사이며 교수이다, you are not claiming he is doctoring and professoring at the same instant — you are simply listing two attributes, exactly as -고 would. So in its listing role, -(으)며 is closer to a formal -고 than to -(으)면서.

이 도시는 역사가 깊으며 볼거리가 많다.

i dosineun yeoksaga gipeumyeo bolgeoriga manta

This city has a deep history and many things to see. (written)

The practical upshot: -(으)며 can replace both -(으)면서 (simultaneity) and -고 (listing) in formal writing, which is exactly why it feels so bookish — it is a single ending doing the work of two everyday ones.

Reframing for English speakers

English has no register-graded "and" or "while." You say "and" in a text message and "and" in a constitution; the word doesn't change. Korean, by contrast, sorts its connectives onto a spoken–written ladder, and -(으)며 sits near the formal top of it. This means part of learning Korean is learning to switch endings by situation, something English never forces you to do. The practical rule: if you would use a contraction in English ("I'm drinking coffee and reading"), use -(으)면서/-고 in Korean; if you would write it out in a formal document, -(으)며 is available. For the broader spoken-vs-written picture, see spoken vs. written style.

💡

-(으)며 is a recognition-first ending. You need to parse it instantly when reading news and essays, but in speech you can go years using only -(으)면서 and -고 and never sound wrong. Prioritize reading it over producing it.

Common Mistakes

1. Using -(으)며 in casual conversation. It sounds stiff and bookish among friends. Use -(으)면서 for spoken "while."

❌ 나 밥 먹으며 유튜브 봤어.

Incorrect register — sounds like a written report in casual chat.

✅ 나 밥 먹으면서 유튜브 봤어.

na bap meogeumyeonseo yutyubeu bwasseo

I watched YouTube while eating.

2. Forgetting the 으 after a consonant stem. Consonant stems need the buffer vowel.

❌ 그는 밥을 먹며 신문을 읽었다.

Incorrect — a consonant stem takes -으며, not -며.

✅ 그는 밥을 먹으며 신문을 읽었다.

geuneun babeul meogeumyeo sinmuneul ilgeotda

He read the newspaper while eating. (written)

3. Inserting 으 after a vowel or ㄹ stem. Vowel and ㄹ stems take plain -며.

❌ 그는 시골에서 살으며 농사를 지었다.

Incorrect — a ㄹ-stem takes -며 (살며), never ×살으며.

✅ 그는 시골에서 살며 농사를 지었다.

geuneun sigoreseo salmyeo nongsareul jieotda

He lived in the countryside and farmed. (literary)

4. Clashing registers within a sentence. Pairing the formal -(으)며 with a casual final ending sounds mismatched. Keep the whole sentence in one register.

❌ 커피를 마시며 신문을 봐요.

Incorrect register mix — a written connective with a spoken -요 ending.

✅ 커피를 마시면서 신문을 봐요.

keopireul masimyeonseo sinmuneul bwayo

I read the newspaper while drinking coffee. (spoken)

Key Takeaways

-(으)며 = the formal/written face of -(으)면서 ("while") and -고 ("and"). Same meanings, higher register.
Form: vowel or ㄹ stem → -며 (가며, 살며); other consonant → -으며 (먹으며, 읽으며).
Use it in essays, news, résumés, announcements, and literature; use -(으)면서/-고 in speech.
After a noun it attaches via the copula: 의사이며, 교수이며.
Prioritize reading it fluently over producing it — you rarely need to say it.

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