"Even If" in Korean — -아/어도 and Concession Mastered

<h2>Concession: A Secret Weapon</h2> <p>"Even if it rains, I'll go." "Even though it's hard, I won't give up." These kinds of sentences show determination, nuance. In Korean, the structure <strong>-아/어도</strong> lets you express all of this — and it's surprisingly simple.</p> <p>After 12 years in Seoul, I can tell you it's one of the most satisfying structures to master. When you use it well, your Korean immediately sounds more natural and mature.</p> <h2>How to Form -아/어도</h2> <p>The formation follows the same vowel rules as -아/어서:</p> <table> <tr><th>Verb</th><th>Stem</th><th>+ -아/어도</th><th>Meaning</th></tr> <tr><td>[가다](/en/dictionary/%EA%B0%80%EB%8B%A4) (gada)</td><td>가-</td><td>[가도](/en/dictionary/%EA%B0%80%EB%8F%84) (gado)</td><td>even if one goes</td></tr> <tr><td>먹다 (meokda)</td><td>먹-</td><td>먹어도 (meogeodo)</td><td>even if one eats</td></tr> <tr><td>오다 (oda)</td><td>오-</td><td>와도 (wado)</td><td>even if one comes</td></tr> <tr><td>비가 오다</td><td>오-</td><td>비가 와도 (biga wado)</td><td>even if it rains</td></tr> <tr><td>어렵다 (eoryeopda)</td><td>어렵-</td><td>어려워도 (eoryeowodo)</td><td>even if it's difficult</td></tr> <tr><td>바쁘다 (bappeuda)</td><td>바쁘-</td><td>바빠도 (bappado)</td><td>even if one is busy</td></tr> <tr><td>하다 (hada)</td><td>하-</td><td>해도 (haedo)</td><td>even if one does</td></tr> </table> <h2>Everyday Examples</h2> <ul> <li>비가 와도 갈 거예요. (biga wado gal geoyeyo) — Even if it rains, I'll go.</li> <li>힘들어도 포기하지 않을 거예요. (himdeureodo pogihaji aneul geoyeyo) — Even if it's hard, I won't give up.</li> <li>바빠도 운동해요. (bappado undonghaeyo) — Even when I'm busy, I exercise.</li> <li>맛없어도 다 먹어야 해요. (madeopsseodo da meogoya haeyo) — Even if it's not good, you have to eat it all.</li> <li>돈이 없어도 행복해요. (doni eopseodo haengbokhaeyo) — Even without money, I'm happy.</li> </ul> <h2>The Powerful Structure: 아무리...아/어도</h2> <p>To strengthen the concession ("no matter how much..."), add <strong>아무리</strong> (amuri) at the beginning:</p> <table> <tr><th>Korean</th><th>Romanization</th><th>Meaning</th></tr> <tr><td>아무리 바빠도</td><td>amuri bappado</td><td>no matter how busy</td></tr> <tr><td>아무리 어려워도</td><td>amuri eoryeowodo</td><td>no matter how difficult</td></tr> <tr><td>아무리 생각해도</td><td>amuri saenggakhaedo</td><td>no matter how much I think about it</td></tr> <tr><td>아무리 먹어도</td><td>amuri meogeodo</td><td>no matter how much I eat</td></tr> </table> <h3>Examples</h3> <ul> <li>아무리 바빠도 밥은 먹어야 해요. (amuri bappado babeun meogoya haeyo) — No matter how busy you are, you have to eat.</li> <li>아무리 어려워도 포기하면 안 돼요. (amuri eoryeowodo pogimyeon an dwaeyo) — No matter how hard it is, don't give up.</li> <li>아무리 생각해도 모르겠어요. (amuri saenggakhaedo moreugesseoyo) — No matter how much I think, I can't figure it out.</li> <li>아무리 먹어도 배가 안 불러요. (amuri meogeodo baega an bulleoyo) — No matter how much I eat, I'm not full.</li> </ul> <h2>-아/어도 되다: "It's OK to..."</h2> <p>Combined with 되다, this structure expresses permission:</p> <ul> <li>여기 앉아도 돼요? (yeogi anjado dwaeyo?) — Can I sit here?</li> <li>사진 찍어도 돼요? (sajin jjigeodo dwaeyo?) — Can I take a photo?</li> <li>이거 먹어도 돼요. (igeo meogeodo dwaeyo) — You can eat this.</li> </ul> <h2>-아/어도 안 되다: "You can't..."</h2> <ul> <li>여기서 뛰어도 안 돼요. (yeogiseo ttwieodo an dwaeyo) — You can't run here.</li> <li>늦어도 안 돼요. (neujeodo an dwaeyo) — You can't be late.</li> </ul> <h2>Nuance: -아/어도 vs -(으)ㄴ/는데도</h2> <p>To emphasize that something is unexpected:</p> <ul> <li>열심히 공부해도 시험에 떨어졌어요. (yeolsimhi gongbuhaedo siheome tteoreojyeosseoyo) — Even studying hard, I failed the exam.</li> <li>열심히 공부했는데도 시험에 떨어졌어요. (yeolsimhi gongbuhaenneundedo siheome tteoreojyeosseoyo) — Despite having studied hard, I failed the exam.</li> </ul> <p>Both are correct. -는데도 puts more emphasis on the surprise or frustration.</p> <h2>Exercises</h2> <p>Translate using -아/어도:</p> <ol> <li>Even if it's cold, I'll go out. → _______</li> <li>No matter how much you eat, you're thin. → _______</li> <li>Can I open the window? → _______</li> <li>Even if I'm tired, I have to study. → _______</li> </ol> <p><strong>Answers:</strong></p> <ol> <li>추워도 나갈 [거예요](/en/dictionary/%EA%B1%B0%EC%98%88%EC%9A%94).</li> <li>아무리 먹어도 날씬해요.</li> <li>창문을 열어도 돼요?</li> <li>피곤해도 공부해야 해요.</li> </ol> <h2>Ready to Master Concession?</h2> <p>The -아/어도 structure is an intermediate-level marker. Master it, and you can express much more nuanced ideas. On <a href="/en/signup">Seonsaengnim</a>, you'll find these structures in practical exercises and guided conversations. Sign up!</p>