Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 3 - Korean for Beginners #2 (Lessons 61 to 90) ᚛ Lesson 76 - But / Even though / Therefore / So in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는데]

But / Even though / Therefore / So in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는데]

Dans ce cours : ㄴ데 / 은데 / 는데

In Korean, there is a commonly used verbal ending that among other things allows one to mark a slight contrast or to explain something, namely the suffix -(으)ㄴ/는데. Translating this suffix literally in English is not an easy task because it is all-purpose and can be used in numerous cases. So, depending on the sentence, we could translate the -(으)ㄴ/는데 form as "even though", "but", "nevertheless", "so", "and", … etc.

The -(으)ㄴ/는데 structure

In the present tense

To use the -(으)ㄴ/는데 structure in Korean, one proceeds like this:
[Action 1 : … Verb in the present adjectival form]데 [Action 2]

Review: the adjectival form

가다 (= to go) has the adjectival form 가는 in the present tense.

• 가다 → 가는데

크다 (= to be big) has the adjectival form 큰 in the present tense.

• 크다 → 큰데

In the past and future tenses

-(으)ㄴ/는데 to express a slight contrast

The -(으)ㄴ/는데 structure is often able to be replaced by  -고 ("and") or -지만 ("but"). However, -(으)ㄴ/는데 has a slight nuance. Somehow, it softens the sentence and allows one to have a more pleasant, less abrupt conversation.

나는 프랑스 사람인데 한국어를 잘 할 수 있어요.
→ I am French, but I can speak Korean well.
→ I am French and I can speak Korean well.
→ Even though I am French, I can speak Korean well.

It isn't a real opposition that has a strong "but", but simply two statements which follow each other. In English one can use "and" or "but". The -(으)ㄴ/는데 form is, therefore, appropriate here.

저는 자전거가 있는데 차가 없어요.
→ I have a bike, but I don't have a car.
→ I have a bike and I don't have a car.

난 피곤한데 영화 보고 싶어.
→ I am tired, but I want to see a movie.

가고 싶은데 배가 아파요.
→ I want to go there, but I have a belly ache.

제 동생은 노래는 잘 부르는데 춤은 잘 못 춰요.
→ My little sister sings well but cannot dance well.

집에서 쉬고 싶은데 바빠서 지금 회사에 가고 있어.
→ I want to rest at home, but since I'm busy (with work) I am going to work now.

민지한테 고백했는데 거절당했어.
→ I confessed my love to Minji, but I was rejected.

-(으)ㄴ/는데 to give an explanation

Summary table of structure

Exercises

Pour toute personne souhaitant apprendre le coréen, la maîtrise du Hangeul, l'écriture coréenne, est un passage obligatoire. Cependant, bien comprendre l'utilisation de ces nouveaux caractères, leur véritable prononciation, leur fonctionnement dans les mots et surtout les retenir pour pouvoir les lire parfaitement à long terme est une tâche souvent difficile pour les apprenants du coréen.

Je maîtrise le Hangeul en 2 semaines est un programme de 14 jours pendant lequel vous apprenez jour après jour tous les secrets des caractères coréens pour pouvoir les maîtriser et ne plus jamais les oublier. Chaque jour, découvrez le Hangeul à travers des cours complets et de très nombreux exercices de lecture et d'écriture. Un mode d'entraînement en ligne à l'infini vous permettra de vous exercer autant que vous le souhaitez jusqu'à atteindre l'excellence.

A la fin de ce programme de 2 semaines, enfin vous :

• maîtriserez le Hangeul sur le bout des doigts
• saurez lire le coréen sans vous tromper
• aurez une bonne connaissance de la prononciation du coréen et de ses différents mécanismes
• connaîtrez une centaine de mots de vocabulaire utiles en coréen
• saurez écrire le coréen à la main, différent du coréen d'ordinateur
• saurez épeler le coréen

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