# 읽은책 / 읽던책 /  읽었던책



## popotla

Hello, I'd like to ask about the difference between  the three particles 은, 던 and 었던, which I've combined here with _read ....book_ to make an example. (The "Talk to me in Korean" Verb Tables book I have, by the way, tries to explain this in a way I find unclear and poor.)

First, I understand 읽은책 to mean _the book (which) I read_, but 읽던책 appears to mean the same thing (UNLESS it means _the book I was reading)._ We then come to 읽었던책, which-it seems-can also be used to mean _the book (which) I read._

Or is it the case that the three respective meanings are _read_ (completed action), _was reading_ (uncompleted action) and had read (action I completed before another [subsequent] action)? 

E.g. The book I read last week was exciting. / The book I was reading when my friend phoned is exciting. / I'd already read the book before I went on holiday.

But does Korean make these distinctions?

감사합니다


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## boomluck

It is an interesting but very confusing topic. I think most Koreans do use the three particles, but never have thought when to use which.



popotla said:


> Or is it the case that the three respective meanings are _read_ (completed action), _was reading_ (uncompleted action) and had read (action I completed before another [subsequent] action)?



This is probably right, I guess.

For me, 은, 던, and 었던 give the following nuances.

읽은 책 : a book that I _read_ (simple past tense or present perfect tense); I completed reading the book in the past.
읽던 책 : a book that I _was reading_ (not exactly past progressive but very close to it in meaning); I was reading the book a moment ago or sometime in the past. I have not yet completed reading it.
읽었던 책 : a book that I _had read_ (past perfect tense or past tense); I remember that I read the book in the past. -었- here gives the hint of further back in time than 읽던 does.

I can't tell which one, among the three, corresponds to which tense in English.
Now I am confused.


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## popotla

Hello boomluck, thanks for your reply.



boomluck said:


> I can't tell which one, among the three, corresponds to which tense in English.
> Now I am confused.



As adult learners of another language, we often (not always) use our own language (or another one we know) to "get there" but this can be less than satisfactory. We find that sometimes there are equivalencies/sometimes there are but only to some extent/sometimes there aren't. And when one tries to discuss such matters, one problem is that we may be using different terminology. (Thus I don't entirely agree, having looked further into this, with your "nuances of meaning".) In the case of the matter I asked about, there are equivalencies to some extent but the use of these particles, I've discovered, goes well beyond their "English language equivalent".

The following explanation, with examples, is quite long but I like it and find it very helpful.

How to study Korean  |  Lesson 27: Using ~던/었던 to Describe Past Tense


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## boomluck

popotla said:


> The following explanation, with examples, is quite long but I like it and find it very helpful.
> 
> How to study Korean | Lesson 27: Using ~던/었던 to Describe Past Tense



I am sorry that I couldn't be any help. As it is written in the link, it is hard for native Koreans to figure out the differences among -ㄴ/은, -던, and -었/았던. Please take this case as my excuse for not being able to distinguish them. 

By the way, I found the link VERY helpful, too, in many aspects. This amazingly well-organized page is a good material to take a look at. Learned a lesson. Thanks!


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## popotla

Hey, it's very nice of you to say "sorry" but you really don't need to. Thanks very much for helping.


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## CharlesLee

읽은 책 is the book I finished reading, which focus on the action done.

읽던 책 is the book I have yet to read or keep reading. 읽었던 책 is the book I had or have finished reading, which usually

emphasising on the memory or experience.


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