haru Korean › Grammar › Level 4A › A/V-더라도 · N(이)더라도
A/V-더라도 · N(이)더라도 — even if … — conceding a point and imagining the hardest case
Even if … — conceding a point and imagining the hardest case. Korean grammar for upper intermediate learners — Level 4A, lesson 11: 행복이란 무엇일까요 (What is happiness? — defining, conceding and saying what you think).
What it means
-더라도 means 'even if': the first half is a case you imagine — often the worst one — and the second half says what will stay the same: 드라마에 못 나가더라도 연기는 계속할 거예요 'even if I never get into a drama, I'll keep acting'. It attaches to any verb or adjective stem with no 받침 change (바쁘더라도, 먹더라도, 떨어지더라도), and nouns take (이)더라도 (학생이더라도, 주말이더라도). In meaning it is close to -아/어도 (Lesson 3A-8), but it sounds stronger and a little more formal, so it suits promises, resolutions, advice and rules — and it is less natural than -아/어도 for things that simply happen every day. With 아무리 it pushes the case to the extreme: 아무리 바쁘더라도 밥은 꼭 드세요 'however busy you are, do eat'. With -았/었- it accepts something that may already have happened: 어제 실수했더라도 괜찮아요. The second half usually looks ahead — -(으)ㄹ 거예요, -(으)ㄹ게요, -(으)세요, -(으)면 안 돼요 — and the first half is not stated as a plain fact: for 'although (it is true that) …' use -는데도 (Lesson 3A-9).
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A/V-더라도 · N(이)더라도 | 받침과 상관없이 더라도 — 명사는 (이)더라도 | 떨어지다 + 더라도 → 떨어지더라도 |
Key points
- -더라도 = even if … — the first half is usually only imagined, and the second half does not change: 떨어지더라도 · 바쁘더라도 · 학생이더라도. It means much the same as -아/어도 (Lesson 3A-8) but is stronger and a little more formal: the speaker is ready for the worst.
- 아무리 -더라도 = however … — the hardest case: 아무리 힘들더라도. Past -았/었더라도 accepts what may already have happened: 실수했더라도. After it come plans, promises, advice and rules: -(으)ㄹ 거예요 · -(으)ㄹ게요 · -(으)세요 · -(으)면 안 돼요.
Examples
- 앞의 일이 일어나도 뒤의 일은 바뀌지 않을 때 써요: 드라마에 못 나가더라도 연기는 계속할 거예요.
- 받침과 상관없이 -더라도: 바쁘더라도 · 먹더라도 · 떨어지더라도. 명사는 N(이)더라도: 학생이더라도 · 주말이더라도.
- 3A 8과 -아/어도와 뜻이 비슷하지만 더 세요. 앞의 일은 보통 아직 모르는 일, 「그렇게 된다면」 하고 생각해 보는 일이에요.
- 「아무리 -더라도」는 제일 어려운 경우를 말해요: 아무리 바쁘더라도 밥은 꼭 드세요.
- 지난 일은 -았/었더라도: 어제 실수했더라도 괜찮아요. 뒤에는 계획 · 약속 · 조언 · 규칙이 많이 와요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 4A, lesson 7; Sogang University Korean 6, lesson 8; Ewha Womans University Korean 4, lesson 3; Hongik University Korean 4B, lesson 7; Hanyang University Korean 4-1, lesson 3.
Also in this lesson
- N(이)란 — N is … · what is N? — defining a word or an idea in general terms
- V-(으)ㄴ 채(로) — with … still on · just as it was — keeping one state while something else happens
- A/V-(으)ㄹ 따름이다 · -(으)ㄹ 뿐이다 — only … · nothing more than … — modest words for speeches, thanks and replies to praise