-는 바람에 vs -느라고

Intermediate · TOPIK II

Both give a cause for an unwanted result. -는 바람에 is a sudden, unexpected event that caused it; -느라고 means 'because I was busy doing A (which took time/effort), I couldn't do B'.

-는 바람에An expression used to indicate that an act or state mentioned in the preceding statement is the cause or reason for the following statement.-느라고A connective ending used when the action of the preceding statement is the purpose or cause of the following statement.

Rules of thumb

-는 바람에: a sudden, unplanned cause; the two clauses can have different subjects (비가 오는 바람에 …).
-느라고: an intentional, ongoing action; both clauses share the same subject; verbs only.
Neither takes -았/었 in the first clause, and neither can be followed by a command or suggestion.
-는 바람에 usually ends in the past tense; -느라고 typically pairs with 못 하다, 늦다, 바쁘다, 힘들다.
The result after -는 바람에 is occasionally positive, but mostly negative.

Example sentences

-는 바람에
It suddenly started raining, and my clothes got soaked.
-느라고
I was busy playing games, so I didn't get my homework done.
-는 바람에
My alarm didn't go off, so I was late for work.
-느라고
I've been swamped lately getting ready to move.
비가 오느라고 소풍을 못 갔어요.
Incorrect
Because it rained, we couldn't go on the picnic. [Wrong: rain isn't the subject's intentional activity; use -neun barame]

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