✍️ Intermediate Day 20: Expressing Contrast – ~(으)ㄴ/는데도 (Even Though / Despite)
📘 Intermediate Day 20: Expressing Contrast – ~(으)ㄴ/는데도 (Even Though / Despite)
Welcome to Day 20 of the Intermediate Korean series! 💡 Today’s focus is on a powerful expression of contrast in Korean: ~(으)ㄴ/는데도 – which means “even though” or “despite.”
This structure is used to express a situation where the result is unexpected or goes against the preceding clause. You’ll use this pattern when reality turns out differently than expected.
📘 1. What Does ~(으)ㄴ/는데도 Mean?
It combines:
- ~는데도 for action verbs and 있다/없다
- ~은/ㄴ데도 for descriptive verbs (adjectives)
It literally means: “even though…” or “despite the fact that…” and is used to show contrast or contradiction between the two clauses.
📘 2. How to Use – Conjugation Rules
- Action verb (present) + ~는데도
- Descriptive verb (adj) + ~은/ㄴ데도
- Noun + 인데도
✅ Examples:
- 비가 오는데도 사람들은 밖에 있어요.
bi-ga o-neun-de-do sa-ram-deul-eun bak-e it-seo-yo
👉 Even though it’s raining, people are outside. - 피곤하ㄴ데도 계속 일했어요.
pi-gon-han-de-do gye-sok il-haet-seo-yo
👉 Even though I was tired, I kept working. - 학생인데도 수업에 자주 안 와요.
hak-saeng-in-de-do su-eop-e ja-ju an-wa-yo
👉 Even though he is a student, he often doesn’t come to class.
📌 Comparison Table – Usage at a Glance
| Type | Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action Verb | verb + 는데도 | 공부하는데도 | Even though I study... |
| Descriptive Verb | adj + 은/ㄴ데도 | 춥ㄴ데도 | Even though it’s cold... |
| Noun | noun + 인데도 | 학생인데도 | Even though (he/she) is a student... |
💬 Real-Life Dialogue
👦 준호: 그런데 사람들 정말 많네요.
👧 수지: 맞아요. 비가 오는데도 쇼핑하러 나온 것 같아요!
📘 Practice Sentences
- 배웠는데도 잘 못해요.
- 좋은 날씨인데도 사람이 없어요.
- 아픈데도 일하러 갔어요.
- 맛있는데도 사람들이 별로 안 먹어요.
🧪 Mini Quiz – Contrast It!
- Translate: “Even though it’s cold, I went outside.”
Click to Show Answer
춥ㄴ데도 밖에 나갔어요.
- Translate: “Even though I studied, I forgot everything.”
Click to Show Answer
공부했는데도 다 잊어버렸어요.
- Choose the correct form:
a) 학생이도
b) 학생인데도
c) 학생은데도Click to Show Answer
✅ b) 학생인데도
✅ Conclusion
✨ Excellent work! Now you know how to express contrast and unexpected situations using:
- ✔️ ~는데도 for actions and 있다/없다
- ✔️ ~(으)ㄴ데도 for adjectives
- ✔️ ~인데도 for nouns
📘 Coming Up Next
Tomorrow: Intermediate Day 21: Using ~게 되다 – Expressing Change or Development We’ll learn how to say “I ended up…” or “It became...”
Related Keywords:
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