V+아/어 두다

Table of content

Maintain Prepare Spacing 아/어 두다 vs 아/어 놓다

Maintain

to keep it as it is

Indicates the continuation of a state after an action is being done or just maintaining a certain state.

Example

서랍 안에 중요한 것이 많아서 항상 잠가 둡니다.

There are many important things in the drawer, so I always lock it.
코트는 이 옷걸이에 걸어 두세요.

Hang the coat on this hanger.
라면을 많이 사 뒀어요.

I bought a lot of ramen.

Prepare

do something in advance

Doing an action in advance to prepare for a future event.

Example

발표할 때 실수하지 않으려면 연습을 많이 해 두세요.

If you don't want to make a mistake during the presentation, practice a lot in advance.

Spacing

Both versions [아/어]두다 and 아/어 두다 (with space) exist and can be used interchangeably.

V+아/어 두다 vs V+아/어 놓다

In many case both are the same and can be used interchangeably. However, there are some cases where one is more appropriate than the other. V+아/어 두다 is more often used to indicate a long period of time, therefore it is often used with things related to storage.

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