-는다기보다는
Rather than Saying
Use -는다기보다는 to say 'it's not so much X, but rather Y'. It corrects a previous idea with a more accurate one.
How It Works
-는다기보다는 is a sophisticated pattern used to refine a description. Instead of directly negating a statement, it offers a better, more nuanced alternative. It implies that the first description might not be entirely wrong, but the second one is more fitting.
Conjugation Rules:
- Action Verbs (Present Tense):
- Vowel-ending stem + -ㄴ다기보다는
(e.g., 가다 → 간다기보다는 - Rather than saying one goes)
- Consonant-ending stem + -는다기보다는
(e.g., 먹다 → 먹는다기보다는 - Rather than saying one eats) - Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives): Adjective stem + -다기보다는
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘다기보다는 (Rather than saying it's pretty)
- 춥다 → 춥다기보다는 (Rather than saying it's cold) - Nouns: Noun + -(이)라기보다는
- 학생이다 → 학생이라기보다는 (Rather than saying it's a student)
- 친구이다 → 친구라기보다는 (Rather than saying they're a friend) - Past Tense (Verbs/Adjectives): Stem + -았/었다기보다는
- 망치다 → 망쳤다기보다는 (Rather than saying one messed up)
- 좋았다 → 좋았다기보다는 (Rather than saying it was good)
This structure is a combination of three grammar points: indirect quotation + the nominalizer -기 + the comparative particle -보다. It's a very useful way to express nuanced opinions without being overly direct or confrontational.
Examples (5)
- 이 음식이 맵다기보다는 짜요.
This food isn't so much spicy as it is salty.
Word by Word: This food rather than saying spicy, is salty.
Here, the speaker is correcting the potential description of 'spicy' (맵다) with the more accurate description 'salty' (짜다).
- 그 사람은 똑똑하다기보다는 노력을 많이 하는 편이에요.
Rather than saying he's smart, he's the type who works very hard.
Word by Word: That person rather than saying smart, is the type who does a lot of effort.
- 우리는 그냥 친구라기보다는 가족 같은 사이에요.
We're more like family than just friends.
Word by Word: We rather than saying just friends, are a relationship like family.
This clarifies the nature of a relationship, suggesting 'family' (가족) is a better descriptor than 'friend' (친구).
- 영화를 좋아한다기보다는 시간이 남아서 보는 거예요.
It's not so much that I like movies; I just watch them because I have free time.
Word by Word: Rather than saying I like movies, it's that I watch because time is left over.
- 시험을 망쳤다기보다는 그냥 아는 문제가 안 나왔어요.
Rather than saying I bombed the test, it's just that the questions I knew didn't appear.
Word by Word: Rather than saying I ruined the test, it's just that problems I know didn't come out.
Common Mistakes
Using a direct negation instead of this nuanced pattern.
Different Meaning그 사람은 똑똑하지 않고 노력을 많이 해요.Better그 사람은 똑똑하다기보다는 노력을 많이 하는 편이에요.The incorrect sentence uses a strong negation ('is not smart'), which can sound blunt or critical. The correct sentence with -는다기보다는 is softer. It doesn't deny that the person might be smart, but suggests that 'hardworking' is a more prominent and accurate description.
Learn This First
To refine statements 'rather than saying', you need reported speech and comparison knowledge.
Related Patterns
- -기Nominalizer
The nominalizer -기 turns the quoted clause into a noun phrase, allowing the particle -보다 to attach to it.
- -는 편이다Tend to, Rather
This pattern, meaning 'tend to' or 'on the side of', is frequently used in the second clause after -는다기보다는 to describe a tendency, softening the statement further (e.g., '...rather than X, it tends to be Y').
- -대신에Instead of, In Place of
While both offer alternatives, -대신에 means 'instead of' and typically involves substituting one concrete action or noun for another. -는다기보다는 is used to rephrase or re-characterize a description or situation.