Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 9 - Advanced Korean #2 (Lessons 241 to 270) ᚛ Lesson 247 - Even granting that in Korean [-기로서니]
Even granting that in Korean [-기로서니]
The ending -기로서니 introduces a fact that one concedes, only to reject what follows from it: "even granting that", "no matter how…", "just because… doesn’t mean…". It almost always appears with 아무리, "however… one may be", and in a sentence of reproach: "you may be hungry, but that’s no reason to steal your classmate’s food". It is a strong concession, from the same family as -더라도, but turned towards judgment: the speaker disapproves of what the other person did.
"You may…, but that’s no reason to" with 아무리 -기로서니
아무리 [Verb / Adjective]-기로서니 [Reproach]
-기로서니 attaches directly to the stem, verb or adjective alike (없기로서니, 싫기로서니, 알아듣기로서니). The main clause expresses disapproval, most often as a rhetorical question: 어떻게 … -(으)ㄹ 수 있어?, "how can you…?", -(으)면 어떡해?, "what are you doing, …-ing?", -는 건 너무하지 않니?, "isn’t it a bit much to…?", 말이 됩니까?, "does that make any sense?". The tone is that of a parent, a teacher or a superior scolding someone; it is hardly ever used to talk about oneself.
네가 아무리 철이 없기로서니 어떻게 엄마한테 그런 말을 할 수 있어?
→ You may be immature, but how can you say such a thing to your mother?
아무리 공부하기가 싫기로서니 병원에 입원했다고 거짓말을 하면 어떡해. 엄마가 얼마나 걱정했는 줄 알아?
→ You may hate studying, but how could you lie and say you were in the hospital? Do you know how worried Mom was?
잠이 아무리 많기로서니 수능 날까지 늦잠을 자는 건 너무하지 않니?
→ You may be a heavy sleeper, but sleeping in even on the day of the suneung, isn’t that a bit much?
아이가 아무리 말귀를 못 알아듣기로서니 그렇게 화를 내면 어떡합니까?
→ The child may not understand what you tell him, but that’s no reason to get that angry.
눈이 좀 오기로서니 그렇게 갑자기 약속을 취소해 버리면 어떡합니까?
→ A bit of snow, fine, but that’s no reason to cancel an appointment so suddenly.
With a noun and in the past
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-기로서니 and -더라도
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Exercises
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