How do we say 'even though' in Korean: 이지만 grammar

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In Korean, to express the contrast between two statements or circumstances, we can use the "이지만" grammar. For example, if someone wants to express "Despite the cold weather, I went out," you can say something like this "날씨가 추우 이지만 나는 나가요".

This sentence structure is used to express facts or conditions that contradict each other. Also, to express "Although I am busy, I will come," you can use "바쁘 지만 와요".

By understanding the use of "이지만" in Korean, you can clearly convey conflicting circumstances in various contexts as well as provide rich nuances in language expression.

Even though: (~지만), Regardless of how much: (~아/어도)

How to use ~ 지만 and ~ 아 / 어도 which are two-clause conjunctions meaning "despite" and "in spite of"? Here, you'll learn about how to add these endings to the word 그렇다 to create 그래도 and 그렇지만.

Even though: ~지만

1. Present tense

One of the most frequently used words in Korean is "하지만", which means "but". This word is used to connect two sentences that are contradictory. For example:

저는 먹고 싶어요 하지만 배고프지 않아요
(I want to eat but, I'm not hungry)

The origin of the word "하지만" comes from the use of the verb 하다 (하) and then added with two other syllables, namely ~지만. Regardless of the origin of "하지만", by associating ~지만 with a verb or adjective, you can create a word with the meaning of "to do, but ....". In English, we can also interpret it as "even though". Let's see how the following two English sentences have the same meaning:

- I am not thirsty even though I want to drink
- I want to drink, but I am not thirsty

Basically, ~ 지만 will be placed at the end of a verb or adjective, and the opposite is usually explained in the last clause. Take a look at the following example:

저는 마시고 싶어요. 하지만 목 마르지 않아요
(I want to drink. But, I'm not thirsty)

But the sentence will sound more natural if it is said something like this:

저는 마시고 싶지만 목 마르지 않아요
(Even though I want to eat, I'm not hungry)

Based on these two examples, we can conclude that this grammar usage is used to connect two positive and negative sentences (sentences that contradict each other).

How to use ~지만 in a sentence

Also read Verbs in Korean Grammar to find out what ~ 고 싶다 does in the example sentences above.

2. Past Tense

There isn't much difference with the previous grammar we learned. For past tense sentences in this grammar, all we need is to add 었 / 았지만 after the verb in the main clause. Let's look at an example:

쇼핑몰 에 가고 싶었지만 돈 이 없어서 못 갔어요
(At first I wanted to go to the mall, but because I don't have money, I can't go)

잠 이 들었지 만 제가 졸리지 않았다
I fell asleep even though I wasn't sleepy

3. Future Tense

Just like the previous grammar, for past tense sentences in this grammar, all we need is to add ~ ㄹ 것이다 / ~ ㄹ 거다 or ~ 겠다 at the end of the verb in the main clause. Let's look at an example:

제 친구 가 안 올 것이지만 아직 요리 중이다
I keep cooking even though my friend won't come or:

제 친구 가 안 올 거지만 아직 요리 중이다
I keep cooking even though my friend won't come, or:

제 친구 가 안 오겠지 만 아직 요리 중이다
I keep cooking even though my friend won't come

There is actually another grammatical form that is very similar to ~지만, but in English it translates into something slightly different and less precise.

그래도 / 그렇지만

그래도 is a very common word. 그래도 consists of 그렇다 + ~ 아 / 어도, which changes to 그래도. The meaning of 그렇다 is "like that". If we add 아 / 어도 at the end, the meaning changes to "regardless of what it is like".

그래도 is a very common word. 그래도 is made up of 그렇다 + ~아/어도, which converts into 그래도. The meaning of 그렇다 is "like that". If we add 아/어도 at the end, the meaning changes to "regardless of what it's like".

In daily life, this meaning is closer to "but/though/at any rate/etc..."

그렇지만 is very similar to 그래도 and consists of 그렇다 + ~지만. By combining these two words, we can create a sentence that means "even though it's like that". But in everyday life, this word has a meaning closer to "but/etc..."

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