Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 9 - Advanced Korean #2 (Lessons 241 to 270) ᚛ Lesson 246 - In contrast to in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는 데 반해]
In contrast to in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는 데 반해]
In the same way as the expression -(으)ㄴ/는 반면에, you can use -(으)ㄴ/는 데 반해 to set two facts against each other: "whereas", "in contrast to", "unlike". The noun 데 here refers to a point, an aspect, and 반하다 means "to be contrary": literally "contrary to the point where…". The expression is slightly more formal than 반면에 and very common in comparisons of figures, reports and descriptions of character.
"Whereas, in contrast to" with -(으)ㄴ/는 데 반해
[Verb]-는 데 반해 / [Adjective]-(으)ㄴ 데 반해 [Opposite fact]
The expression follows the present adjectival form: -는 after an action verb (좋아하는 데 반해), -(으)ㄴ after an adjective (큰 데 반해, 작은 데 반해). 데 is written separately, like any dependent noun, and 반해 can take the form 반해서 with no change in meaning. The two clauses bear on the same point of comparison (height, taste, ability) and present it from two opposite angles: he is tall, she is short; I like meat, my brother likes vegetables.
그의 형은 키가 큰 데 반해 그는 키가 작아요.
→ His older brother is tall, whereas he is short.
나는 고기를 좋아하는 데 반해 내 동생은 채소를 좋아한다.
→ I like meat, whereas my younger brother likes vegetables.
어머니는 요리를 잘하시는 데 반해 저는 간도 잘 못 맞추고 요리에는 영 소질이 없습니다.
→ My mother cooks very well, whereas I can’t even season things properly and have no talent at all for cooking.
민지네 부모님은 체격이 작은 데 반해 민지는 키도 크고 체격도 좋은 편이다.
→ Minji’s parents are small in build, whereas Minji is rather tall and well-built.
저는 승부욕이 별로 없어서 그런지 게임을 좋아하는 데 반해 레벨이 높지는 않아요.
→ Maybe because I’m not very competitive, I like video games, but in contrast to what you might expect, my level isn’t very high.
In the past and after a noun
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-(으)ㄴ/는 데 반해 and 반면에
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Exercises
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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.
