Korean -었더니, -다가, -으려다(가): Getting a Device Repaired

Korean -었더니 reports that you did something and then noticed a result — 컴퓨터를 껐다 켰더니 다시 잘돼요 (I turned it off and on, and then it works again) — while -다가 switches mid-action (쓰다가 화면이 꺼졌어요, the screen died while I was using it) and -으려다가 is “I tried to but…” (고치려다가 포기했어요, I tried to fix it but gave up). When a device breaks, these three patterns are exactly how you narrate what happened.

You can already handle the bank. Now comes a universal headache — something stops working. Let’s learn to describe a breakdown and get it repaired.

Ten words for a broken device

These come up the second your phone or laptop acts up.

What does 껐다 켰더니 mean? — -었더니

To say “I did X (in the past), and then I found Y,” attach -었더니 / -았더니 to a verb. The first action is yours, in the past; the second clause is the result you then noticed.

The subject of the first clause is almost always I (1st person, past), and the second clause is what you discovered as a result. So 껐다 켰더니 잘돼요 = “I did the off-and-on, and then it works.” Don’t confuse it with -으니까 (which gives a reason).

It stopped while I was using it — -다가

To show one action getting interrupted part-way by another, attach -다가 (often shortened to -다) to the first verb. The first action never finishes.

The feel is “right in the middle of X, Y happened.” That’s different from -고 (and then), which lists two completed actions in order: 쓰고 껐어요 = I used it and then turned it off.

I tried to fix it, but… — -으려다(가)

To say “I was about to / I tried to do X, but it didn’t pan out,” use -으려다(가) (from -으려고 하다가). There’s always a twist — the plan stalls, fails, or backfires.

So -으려다가 sets up a plan that goes sideways — perfect for the all-too-real “I tried to fix it and made it worse.”

Why these three go together

A real breakdown story uses all three in sequence: something dies mid-use (-다가), you tinker and discover a result (-었더니), and one of your attempts backfires (-으려다가). Notice the subjects and timing differ — -다가 interrupts, -었더니 reports your past action plus its outcome, and -으려다가 derails an intention. Keep them straight and you can tell any repair story.

At the service center

Watch all three describe one broken laptop:

See them work together: -다가 marks the interruption (쓰다가 꺼졌어요), -었더니 reports the off-and-on trick and what followed (껐다 켰더니 됐는데요), and -으려다가 confesses the backfired DIY (고치려다가 더 이상해졌어요). That’s a complete Level-3 repair story.

FAQ

What exactly does -었더니 mean, and who is the subject? -었더니 reports that the SPEAKER did some action in the past, and then observed a result: 컴퓨터를 껐다 켰더니 다시 잘돼요 = I turned the computer off and on, and (then I found) it works again. The first clause is almost always 1st-person past (“I did…”), and the second clause is the discovery or outcome that followed. Compare plain -으니까 (which gives a reason). Use -었더니 when YOUR past action led to something you then noticed.

How is -다가 different from just listing two actions? -다가 means you were in the MIDDLE of one action when it switched or got interrupted by another: 쓰다가 화면이 꺼졌어요 = it shut off while I was using it; 가다가 다시 돌아왔어요 = I was going, then came back. The first action stops part-way — it doesn’t finish. That’s different from -고 (and then), which simply lists one completed action after another: 쓰고 껐어요 = I used it and (then) turned it off.

When do I use -으려다가? -으려다가 (from -으려고 하다가) means ‘I was about to / I tried to do X, but…’ — the intention gets dropped or backfires: 직접 고치려다가 더 망가뜨렸어요 = I tried to fix it myself but broke it more; 나가려다가 비가 와서 안 나갔어요 = I was about to go out, but it rained so I didn’t. There’s always a twist: the plan changes, fails, or leads somewhere you didn’t intend.

---

Next: exchanges and refunds — 사이즈가 작아 가지고 교환하러 왔어요. Previous: opening a bank account — -어야 / 대로. Full path: curriculum hub.