Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 8 - Advanced Korean #1 (Lessons 211 to 240) ᚛ Lesson 227 - For lack of anything better in Korean [(이)나마]

For lack of anything better in Korean [(이)나마]

In this course: 이나마 / 나마 / 게나마 / 으나마 / 그나마 / 조금이나마 / 잠시나마

The particle (이)나마 marks that something is insufficient, but that we make do with it: "even if only", "at least", "for lack of anything better". 조금이나마, "even just a little", 잠시나마, "even just for a moment". It attaches to nouns and, in the form -(으)나마 or -게나마, to adjectives. Its adverbial cousin 그나마 means "at least that", "thankfully that much", or, in a negative sentence, "even that little".

"Even if only" with [Noun](이)나마

이나마 after a consonant, 나마 after a vowel:
[Noun](이)나마 [What one gets despite everything]

The noun refers to a small quantity, a short time or a part only (조금, 잠시, 짧은 시간, 일부, 하루): it is not ideal, but it is better than nothing, and what follows generally expresses relief or hope (다행이다, 좋았다, -았/었으면 하다). (이)나마 combines with other particles: 전화로나마, "at least by phone", 멀리서나마, "at least from afar".

오랜만에 다 같이 모인 가족은 짧은 시간이나마 함께 좋은 시간을 보낼 수 있었어요.
→ Gathered all together for the first time in ages, the family was able to spend a good time together, even if only briefly.

수재민들에게 힘들고 어려운 상황에 조금이나마 도움이 되기를 바라는 마음으로 성금을 전달했어요.
→ I made a donation hoping to help, even just a little, the flood victims in their hard situation.

이번 여행을 하며 잠시나마 지치고 힘들었던 몸과 마음을 쉬게 할 수 있었어요.
→ During this trip, I was able to rest my exhausted body and mind, even if only for a while.

공사로 인해서 한 주간 전체 도로 구간의 통행이 금지됐었지만 어제부터 일부나마 통행이 재개되고 있습니다.
→ Because of the roadworks, the whole section of road was closed for a week, but since yesterday traffic has resumed, at least in part.

오랫동안 방치돼 있던 문화재가 이번 문화재 복원 사업을 통해 일부나마 복원되었습니다.
→ Thanks to this restoration program, the long-neglected heritage has been restored, at least in part.

늦으나마 그동안 배우고 싶었던 한국어 공부를 시작하니 어려워도 너무 재미있네요.
→ Late as it is, now that I've started the Korean I'd long wanted to learn, it's hard but so much fun.

With an adjective: -(으)나마 and -게나마

Exercises

Podcasts in Korean specially designed for beginners, to learn Korean by really listening to it from the very beginning.

You’re starting to learn Korean (or you already know the basics), but as soon as you listen to spoken Korean, everything suddenly feels too fast?
The words blend together, the pronunciation escapes you, and you feel like “real Korean” is very different from what you learned in textbooks.

That’s normal!
Listening comprehension is the most difficult part for all beginners.

Learn more

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