haru Korean › Grammar › Level 4A › N(이)나마
N(이)나마 — even if only … · it's not much, but … — offering the little you can
Even if only … · it's not much, but … — offering the little you can. Korean grammar for upper intermediate learners — Level 4A, lesson 9: 웃는 듯한 얼굴 (A face that seems to smile — looks, impressions and careful judgements).
What it means
N(이)나마 means 'even if it is only N': what you have or can offer is small, short, late or not what you hoped for, but you accept it or offer it all the same. After a 받침 add 이나마 (조금이나마, 잠깐이나마, 이것이나마); after a vowel, 나마 (이거나마). It also follows adverbs: 늦게나마 축하해 'congratulations — belated as it is', 멀리서나마 응원할게 'I'll cheer for you, even from far away'. It is close to N(이)라도 (Lesson 3A-5), the second choice — 커피라도 마실래요? — but (이)나마 adds 'it isn't much, but still', so it sounds modest and a little formal. That is why it appears in the classic closing line of speeches, letters and self-introductions: 조금이나마 도움이 되고 싶습니다 'I would like to be of some help, however small'. Use it only for what you give or what you have — never for someone else's gift: 이거나마 주셔서 감사합니다 would belittle it. (이)나마 is a particle, so the verb after it can take any tense.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| N(이)나마 | 받침 O 이나마 · 받침 X 나마 — 부사 뒤에도(늦게나마 · 멀리서나마) | 조금 + 이나마 → 조금이나마 |
Key points
- N(이)나마 = even if it is only N — it isn't much, or it isn't what you hoped for, but you take it or offer it: 받침 O → 이나마 (조금이나마 · 잠깐이나마 · 이것이나마) · 받침 X → 나마 (이거나마). It also follows adverbs: 늦게나마 · 멀리서나마.
- Close to N(이)라도 (Lesson 3A-5): 커피라도 마실래요? is a second choice; (이)나마 adds 'it isn't much, but still', so it sounds modest and a little formal — 조금이나마 도움이 되고 싶습니다. Use it for what you give, never for someone else's gift.
Examples
- 많지 않거나 좋지 않지만 그것으로 만족할 때 써요: 작은 선물이지만 이거나마 받아 줘.
- 받침 O → 이나마(조금이나마 · 잠깐이나마 · 이것이나마), 받침 X → 나마(이거나마).
- 부사 뒤에도 써요: 늦게나마 축하해요 · 멀리서나마 응원할게요.
- N(이)라도(3A 5과)와 비슷해요. 그런데 (이)나마는 「많지 않지만」의 마음이 더 들어 있어서 자기를 낮추는 말로 들려요.
- 남이 준 것에는 쓰지 않아요: 이거나마 주셔서 감사합니다 ✗.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Ewha Womans University Korean 5, lesson 7; Hongik University Korean 4B, lesson 9; Seoul National University Korean 5A, lesson 4.
Also in this lesson
- A-(으)ㄴ 듯하다 · V-는 듯하다 · -(으)ㄹ 듯하다 — it seems … · as if … — the most careful way to judge from what you see
- A/V-듯(이) — as if … · like … — comparing one action with another, and painting a strong picture
- A/V-(으)며 — and · while — the written way to join sentences