-(으)ㄴ들
Even if, What if
-ㄴ들 is a concessive ending that means 'even if' or 'no matter how'. It's typically used in rhetorical questions to emphasize that a certain condition has no effect on the outcome.
How It Works
-ㄴ들 is an advanced grammar pattern that expresses a strong concession, similar to 'even if' or 'no matter how much'. Its primary function is rhetorical; it's used to make a point that even under a specific, often extreme, condition, the fundamental outcome remains unchanged. It carries a more literary and emphatic tone than more common patterns like -아/어도.
Conjugation Rules:
- Verbs/Adjectives ending in a vowel or ㄹ: Stem + -ㄴ들
- 가다 → 간들 (even if one goes)
- 살다 → 산들 (even if one lives) - Verbs/Adjectives ending in a consonant: Stem + -은들
- 먹다 → 먹은들 (even if one eats)
- 좋다 → 좋은들 (even if it's good) - Nouns: Noun + -인들
- 학생이다 → 학생인들 (even if one is a student)
Usage with Past Tense:
Using -ㄴ들 directly with the past tense marker (-았/었-) is grammatically possible (e.g., 먹었은들) but is extremely rare, archaic, and sounds unnatural in modern Korean. A more common and natural way to express a past concessive condition is to use the pattern -았/었다 한들. For example: '아무리 설명했다 한들 그가 믿었을까?' (Even if I had explained it, would he have believed me?).
This pattern is frequently used with the adverb 아무리 (no matter how much) to add emphasis. The sentence often concludes with a rhetorical question using endings like -겠는가?, -랴?, or -리요?, which all imply a negative answer. For example, '...무슨 소용이 있겠는가?' means '...what use would there be?', implying 'there would be no use'.
Examples (5)
- 아무리 돈이 많은들 건강을 잃으면 무슨 소용이 있겠어요?
No matter how much money you have, what's the use if you lose your health?
Word by Word: No matter how money is much, health if lose what use would there be?
This is a classic rhetorical question. The condition 'having a lot of money' (돈이 많은들) is dismissed as useless in the face of the outcome 'losing one's health'.
- 제가 아무리 설명한들 믿어 주시겠습니까?
Even if I explain it over and over, would you believe me?
Word by Word: I no matter how explain, will you believe me?
The speaker expresses futility, implying that the listener is unlikely to believe them regardless of the explanation.
- 제아무리 천재인들 노력 없이는 성공할 수 없다.
Even if one is a genius, they cannot succeed without effort.
Word by Word: No matter how much a genius, effort without cannot succeed.
Here, -인들 is used with the noun '천재' (genius). The sentence makes a strong statement that the condition of being a genius is not enough on its own.
- 백 번 사과한들 이미 엎질러진 물이다.
Even if you apologize a hundred times, it's already spilt milk.
Word by Word: A hundred times apologize, already spilt water it is.
This example uses a common proverb to show that the action of apologizing, no matter how many times, cannot change the past.
- 그리운 고향에 간들 옛 모습은 찾을 수 없으리.
Even if I go to my longed-for hometown, I probably won't be able to find its old appearance.
This sentence has a poetic and melancholic tone, suggesting that going back home won't bring back the past.
Common Mistakes
Using -ㄴ들 for simple, non-rhetorical 'even if' statements in everyday conversation.
Not Quite비가 온들 우리는 그냥 갈 거예요.Better비가 와도 우리는 그냥 갈 거예요.-ㄴ들 has a strong literary and rhetorical flavor, making it sound unnatural in simple, factual statements. For everyday situations like this, -아/어도 is the correct and natural choice. A rhetorical use would be something like: '비가 온들 우리의 열정을 막을 수 있으랴?' (Even if it rains, could it possibly stop our passion?).
Learn This First
To express hypotheticals 'even if/what if', you need modifier forms and plural markers.
Related Patterns
- -아/어도Even if, Regardless
Both mean 'even if'. However, -아/어도 is the standard, neutral form used in all contexts, including everyday speech. -ㄴ들 is a more literary and rhetorical version, used to make a stronger, more emotional point, often with a sense of futility.
- -더라도Even if, Although
-더라도 also means 'even if' but often implies a more hypothetical or less likely condition than -아/어도. While both are concessive, -ㄴ들 is distinct because of its strong rhetorical function, which is used to dismiss the condition's relevance entirely.
- -나 마나Whether or Not, Pointless
-나 마나 specifically means that doing an action is pointless because the result will be the same whether you do it or not. It shares the sense of futility with -ㄴ들, but -나 마나 is restricted to the pointlessness of an action, whereas -ㄴ들 can be used more broadly with verbs, adjectives, and nouns to dismiss any condition.