-는 바람에 (Because of)

-는 바람에 expresses an unexpected or undesired cause, meaning "because of," "due to," or "as a result of." It indicates that something (usually negative) happened because of an unforeseen circumstance.

Structure

Verb stem + -는 바람에

Breakdown:

• -는: Present tense modifier
• 바람: Wind, occasion (noun - figurative)
• 에: At/in (particle indicating cause)
• Combined meaning: "Because [unexpected thing happened]"

Literal meaning: "In the wind/occasion of [verb]"

Formation Rules

Action Verbs Only

Verb stem + -는 바람에:

• 늦다 → 늦는 바람에 (because [I] was late)
• 비가 오다 → 비가 오는 바람에 (because it rained)
• 길이 막히다 → 길이 막히는 바람에 (because the road was blocked)
• 전화가 오다 → 전화가 오는 바람에 (because a call came)

Past Tense Form

Verb stem + -(으)ᄂ 바람에:

• 늦었다 → 늦은 바람에 (because [I] was late)
• 비가 왔다 → 비가 온 바람에 (because it rained)
• 넘어졌다 → 넘어진 바람에 (because [I] fell)

Note: Both present and past forms are common

NOT Used With

Does not work with:

• Adjectives (use -아/어서 instead)
• Intentional actions by the speaker
• Planned events

Core Meaning: Unexpected Cause

Unintended Consequence

Something unexpected happened, causing a problem:

• 늦는 바람에 못 봤어요 (Because I was late, I couldn't see it)
• 비가 오는 바람에 취소됐어요 (Because it rained, it was cancelled)
• 길이 막히는 바람에 지각했어요 (Because the road was blocked, I was late)
• 전화가 오는 바람에 놓쳤어요 (Because a call came, I missed it)

Negative Result

Usually implies undesired outcome:

• 깜빡하는 바람에 잊어버렸어요 (Because I forgot momentarily, I forgot it)
• 넘어지는 바람에 다쳤어요 (Because I fell, I got hurt)
• 자는 바람에 못 갔어요 (Because I fell asleep, I couldn't go)

External Causes

Things beyond speaker's control:

• 교통사고가 나는 바람에 막혔어요 (Because there was an accident, it was blocked)
• 정전이 되는 바람에 일을 못했어요 (Because the power went out, I couldn't work)
• 친구가 오는 바람에 늦었어요 (Because my friend came [unexpectedly], I was late)

Common Usage Patterns

Excuses and Explanations

Explaining why something went wrong:

• 알람이 안 울리는 바람에 늦었어요 (Because the alarm didn't ring, I was late)
• 차가 고장 나는 바람에 못 갔어요 (Because the car broke down, I couldn't go)
• 감기에 걸리는 바람에 결석했어요 (Because I caught a cold, I was absent)

Interruptions

Something interrupted or prevented an action:

• 전화가 오는 바람에 집중을 못했어요 (Because a call came, I couldn't concentrate)
• 손님이 오는 바람에 못 끝냈어요 (Because a guest came, I couldn't finish)
• 급한 일이 생기는 바람에 못 만났어요 (Because something urgent came up, I couldn't meet)

Mishaps

Unfortunate events:

• 넘어지는 바람에 다쳤어요 (Because I fell, I got hurt)
• 깨지는 바람에 버렸어요 (Because it broke, I threw it away)
• 잃어버리는 바람에 못 찾았어요 (Because I lost it, I couldn't find it)

Present vs Past Form

-는 바람에 (Present)

Habitual or general cause:

• 비가 오는 바람에 (because it rains)
• Can imply repeated occurrence

-(으)ᄂ 바람에 (Past)

Specific past event:

• 비가 온 바람에 (because it rained)
• Refers to one specific instance

Note: In practice, both are often used for past events

Politeness Levels

Works with All Levels

바람에 itself doesn't change:

• 늦는 바람에 못 봤습니다 (formal)
• 늦는 바람에 못 봤어요 (polite)
• 늦는 바람에 못 봤어 (casual)

Common Expressions

Common Excuses

• 늦는 바람에 (because I was late)
• 비가 오는 바람에 (because it rained)
• 감기에 걸리는 바람에 (because I caught a cold)
• 잊어버리는 바람에 (because I forgot)
• 길이 막히는 바람에 (because the road was blocked)

Unexpected Events

• 전화가 오는 바람에 (because a call came)
• 손님이 오는 바람에 (because a guest came)
• 일이 생기는 바람에 (because something came up)
• 사고가 나는 바람에 (because an accident happened)

Mishaps

• 넘어지는 바람에 (because I fell)
• 깨지는 바람에 (because it broke)
• 고장 나는 바람에 (because it broke down)
• 물을 쏟는 바람에 (because I spilled water)

Comparison with Similar Patterns

-는 바람에 vs -아/어서

-는 바람에: Unexpected, often negative cause

• 비가 오는 바람에 못 갔어요 (Because it rained [unexpectedly], I couldn't go)
• Implies surprise or inconvenience

-아/어서: Neutral reason

• 비가 와서 못 갔어요 (Because it rained, I couldn't go)
• Neutral statement of cause

-는 바람에 vs -기 때문에

-는 바람에: Unexpected event, usually negative

• 늦는 바람에 못 만났어요 (Because I was late [unfortunately], I couldn't meet)
• Only with action verbs

-기 때문에: General reason, neutral

• 늦기 때문에 못 만났어요 (Because I'm/was late, I couldn't meet)
• Works with all verb types

-는 바람에 vs -는 통에

-는 바람에: More common, unexpected cause

• 비가 오는 바람에 (because it rained)

-는 통에: Similar meaning, slightly more colloquial

• 비가 오는 통에 (because it rained)
• Less common in modern Korean

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 좋은 바람에

Cannot use with adjectives

✅ Correct: 좋아서 (use -아/어서)

Use different pattern for adjectives

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❌ Incorrect: 제가 가는 바람에

Cannot use for intentional speaker actions

✅ Correct: 제가 가서 (use -아/어서)

Use -아/어서 for intentional actions

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❌ Incorrect: 공부하는 바람에 성공했어요

Should not be used for positive planned outcomes

✅ Correct: 공부해서 성공했어요

Use -아/어서 for positive/planned results

Summary Table

Form	Example	Meaning
Present	비가 오는 바람에	Because it rains
Past	비가 온 바람에	Because it rained
Common excuse	늦는 바람에	Because I was late
Mishap	넘어지는 바람에	Because I fell
Interruption	전화가 오는 바람에	Because a call came

Restrictions

Only Use When:

✅ Unexpected events ✅ Unintended consequences
✅ External causes ✅ Usually negative outcomes ✅ Action verbs only

Don't Use When:

❌ Describing adjective states ❌ Intentional speaker actions ❌ Positive planned outcomes ❌ General reasons (use -아/어서 or -기 때문에)

Usage Context Guide

Use -는 바람에 for:

• Making excuses
• Explaining mishaps
• Describing unexpected interruptions
• Unplanned negative consequences
• External events beyond control

Common contexts:

• Being late (늦는 바람에)
• Weather problems (비 오는 바람에)
• Technical issues (고장 나는 바람에)
• Unexpected visitors (오는 바람에)
• Accidents and mishaps

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Unexpected cause: Usually unintended events
• ✅ Often negative: Implies undesired outcome
• ✅ Action verbs only: Cannot use with adjectives
• ✅ External events: Things beyond control
• ✅ Present or past: Both -는 and -(으)ᄂ forms
• ✅ Common in excuses: Explaining why things went wrong

-는 바람에 is essential for explaining unexpected events that caused undesired outcomes, particularly useful when making excuses or explaining why something didn't go as planned.