-는 바람에 connects an unexpected cause to its result, typically negative. The cause is often sudden, unintended, or beyond your control.
Unexpected events - Sudden things that happened
Negative results - Usually leads to undesirable outcomes
Excuse/explanation - Explaining why something went wrong
Because I missed the bus, I was late.
Only used with action verbs in present tense form (-는), regardless of when the event happened.
-는 바람에 = because (unexpected cause)
- 늦잠을 자는 바람에 (because I overslept)
Only with action verbs
- ✅ 가는 바람에
- ❌ 예쁜 바람에
Result is usually negative/undesirable
Because I missed the bus, I was late.
Because it suddenly rained, my clothes got all wet.
Because my friend came late, we couldn't see the movie.
Find real examples
Discover this pattern in manga, dramas & more
Save for spaced repetition
Add sentences to your study deck
Practice -는 바람에 and other grammar patterns with manga, dramas, and more.
Start learning free