동안(에) & 때(에) / while, during, when, at times

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동안 indicates the time for which the act of state mentioned in the preceding statement lasts. 동안 can follow either a verb or a noun indicating a period of time or an action or activity, like a class(수업) or lunch(점심) that takes a period of time.

때 is used to talk about time in Korean. It's used in many expresions that mean "while", "during", "when", "at times", and the like. However the meaning's different from 동안 because 때 means a certain moment of part of the time.

-에 can be attached to 동안 & 때.

 

동안	때:
하다 --> 하는 동안(에) 먹다 --> 먹는 동안(에)	하다 --> 할 때(에) 먹다 --> 먹을 때(에)
방학 동안 - during the school vacation 며칠 동안 - for a few days 잠시 동안 - for a while 십 년 동안 - for ten years	방학 때 (O) 며칠 때 (X) 잠시 때 (X) 십 년 때 (X)
내가 책을 읽는 동안 - while I read a book 내가 청소하는 동안 - while I am cleaning up 내가 어린 동안(X)	내가 책을 읽을 때 - {when, while} I read a book 내가 청소할 때 - {when, while} I clean up 내가 어릴 때 - when I was little

 

Additional words

• 그동안: The previously-mentioned period, or a certain period of the before one sees or contacts someone again; meantime, meanwhile
• 오랫동안: For a very long time
• 한동안: A long duration of time 
• 때때로: Sometimes