Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 9 - Advanced Korean #2 (Lessons 241 to 270) ᚛ Lesson 259 - Barely, half-heartedly, in Korean [-는 둥 마는 둥 하다]

Barely, half-heartedly, in Korean [-는 둥 마는 둥 하다]

In this course: 는 둥 마는 둥 / 둥 마는 둥 하다 / 둥 / a moitie

After -(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다, which says that an action is about to happen without quite happening, here is its mirror image: -는 둥 마는 둥 하다 describes an action that did take place, but so badly, so quickly or so absent-mindedly that you can hardly say it happened. The bound noun 둥 means "as if", and 말다, "not to do": "as if he were eating, as if he weren't". In English: "barely", "half-heartedly", "just going through the motions". The form often conveys disappointment or reproach at a task done carelessly.

"Barely, half-heartedly" with -는 둥 마는 둥 하다

[Verb]-는 둥 마는 둥 하다

The verb takes the present adjectival form, -는, whatever the tense of the sentence: 먹는 둥 마는 둥 했어요, "he barely ate". 말다 is also in the present, 마는, and it is the final 하다 that is conjugated: 하다, 했다, 하고, 해서, 하지 말고. With a 하다 verb, both patterns exist, 운동하는 둥 마는 둥 and 청소를 하는 둥 마는 둥, the second being more natural. The spacing is fixed: 둥 and 마는 둥 are separate words.

우리 아이는 맨날 밥을 먹는 둥 마는 둥 하고 군것질만 해서 걱정이에요.
→ I'm worried: our child barely touches his meals and just snacks.

늦잠을 잔 남편은 아침을 먹는 둥 마는 둥 하고 출근했다.
→ My husband, who had overslept, half-ate his breakfast and left for work.

오늘은 아침에 늦게 일어나서 머리를 말리는 둥 마는 둥 하고 급하게 나왔어요.
→ I got up late this morning, barely dried my hair and rushed out.

너무 피곤한 나머지 책을 읽는 둥 마는 둥 해서 내용이 전혀 기억나지 않습니다.
→ I was so tired that I only half-read the book, and I don't remember any of it.

Rushing: -는 둥 마는 둥 하고 + action

Reproach: listening, looking, answering half-heartedly

Exercises

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