Cours de coréen ᚛ Level 3 - Korean for Beginners #2 (Lessons 61 to 90) ᚛ Leçon 76 - But / Even though / Therefore / So in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/는데]
But / Even though / Therefore / So in Korean [-(으)ㄴ/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
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-(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.
저는 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
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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Voyager en Corée du Sud peut être une expérience inoubliable. Mais quand on ne parle pas coréen, tout devient plus compliqué : commander au restaurant ou dans un café devient stressant ; on ne comprend aucun panneau ni enseigne ; en cas de souci, demander de l'aide est presque impossible ; et surtout, on manque l'essence même d'un voyage réussi en Corée : l'échange avec les locaux.
Comme les traducteurs automatiques français - coréen ne peuvent pas être fiables car les deux langues fonctionnent d'une manière totalement opposée, il devient alors crucial de se préparer soi-même pour profiter pleinement de son voyage en Corée du Sud !
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