며/으며 ...?

[holdfast]

i keep coming across 며/으며 and i can't figure out what it means.

it is a conjunction of some kind, but it seems to have a different meaning than 면/으면.

could anyone explain it? i can't find an explanation anywhere..


감사합니다!

[hyunwoo]

Think of it as basically the same as -고

A lot of people mix 고 and 며 in a long sentence (mostly written) to avoid simplicity.

저는 한국 사람이고, 29살이고, 서울에 살고 있고, ......

--> 저는 한국 사람이고, 29살이며, 서울에 살고 있고, .........

[holdfast]

고마워! ^^

다른 뜻이 없지?

[manyakumi]

They also have the meanings of 면서/으면서

나는 노래를 들으며 공부를 하고 있다.
I'm listening to music while I'm studying.

그가 웃으며 내게 다가왔다.
He came to me with a smile.

[holdfast]

고마워요!

hmmm... so, do you think the meaning is usually obvious from the context? or is it used as one more than the other?

[hyunwoo]

고마워요!

hmmm... so, do you think the meaning is usually obvious from the context? or is it used as one more than the other?

Emily,

it's usually very obvious from the context, but whichever meaning -며 takes, it is usually for written language

[holdfast]

오캐이! i will probably not use it, but it is good to know. it is coming up in my harry potter book a lot!