Cause and (negative) effect: 은/는 탓에

A/V + 은 탓에 is used to link a cause to its negative effect. Usually the outcome is avoidable and something/one (possibly yourself) is to blame. It roughly translates to ‘because this happened… that (negative thing) happened…’:

빨간 신호등을 무시하고 달리는 탓에 과태료를 냈어요.

I ignored the red light so I had to pay a fine.

열심히 공부하는 대신에 밤에 새우고 넷플릭스로 GOT를 본 탓에 시험을 망쳤어요.

Since they stayed up all night watching Game of Thrones on Netflix instead of studying, they failed the test.

내가 늦잠을 잔 탓에 버스를 놓쳤잖아요!

You know we missed the bus because you overslept!

바레인에 살았을 때 집 안에 자주 머무르는 탓에 체중이 늘었어요.

When I lived in Bahrain I often stayed inside so I put on weight.

퇴원한 후에 목발을 짚지 않은 탓에 지금 다리가 정말 아팠어요.

After I was discharged from hospital I didn’t use my crutches so now my legs really hurt.

Learning Korean?
Want to see my favorite and most comprehensive Korean course?
Yes, show me