Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 8 - Advanced Korean #1 (Lessons 211 to 240) ᚛ Lesson 219 - Although, despite in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는데도] [-(으)ㅁ에도 불구하고]
Although, despite in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는데도] [-(으)ㅁ에도 불구하고]
To express opposition in Korean, it is possible to combine the contrast marker -(으)ㄴ/는데 with the concessive particle 도 to obtain the expression -(으)ㄴ/는데도. It could be translated as "although", "despite the fact that": a first event happens, and yet a second one happens too. The written register prefers -(으)ㅁ에도 불구하고, built on the nominalization in -(으)ㅁ, and after a noun we find 에도 불구하고, "despite". We already had -아/어도, "even if", and -더라도; the difference is that -는데도 bears on a real fact, not on a hypothesis.
General rule: -(으)ㄴ/는데도
The structure is that of -(으)ㄴ/는데, to which 도 is added:
[Stem]는데도 (verb) / [Stem]-(으)ㄴ데도 (adjective) / [Noun]인데도 / [Stem]-았/었는데도 (past)
The first clause states an established fact; the second, a result that goes against what that fact led us to expect. This is the difference with -아/어도: 비가 와도 갈 거예요 considers the rain ("even if it rains"), 비가 오는데도 갔어요 notes that it was raining ("although it was raining"). The past is marked in the first clause with -았/었는데도.
그 남자는 돈이 많은데도 오래된 차를 운전해요.
→ Although that man has a lot of money, he drives an old car.
오늘 하루 종일 손님이 많아서 바빴는데도 총매출은 그다지 좋지 않았어요.
→ Although we were busy with customers all day, total sales weren't that good.
한국에서 5년이나 살았는데도 한국어를 잘 사용하지 않아서 실력이 많이 늘지 않았어요.
→ Although I lived in Korea for five years, since I didn't use Korean much, my level didn't improve a lot.
재현이는 이번 중간고사 공부를 제대로 하지 못했는데도 시험 결과가 나쁘지 않았어요.
→ Although Jaehyun didn't really study for the midterms, his results weren't bad.
재현이는 날씨가 추운데도 빠지지 않고 매일 새벽에 일어나서 조깅을 했습니다.
→ Despite the cold, Jaehyun got up at dawn every day to jog, without missing a single one.
마크는 한국인 친구가 많은데도 본국의 가족과 친구들이 그리워서 미국으로 돌아가고 싶다고 했어요.
→ Although Mark has many Korean friends, he misses his family and friends back home and said he wants to go back to the United States.
재현이는 혼자서 소주를 4병이나 넘게 마셨는데도 전혀 술에 취하지 않았어요.
→ Although he drank more than four bottles of soju by himself, Jaehyun wasn't drunk at all.
민지는 비가 많이 오고 날씨가 안 좋은데도 약속 장소에 나타나지 않는 재현이를 계속 기다렸어요.
→ Despite the heavy rain and bad weather, Minji kept waiting for Jaehyun, who wasn't showing up at the meeting place.
Emphasizing with 불구하고
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