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Deciphering advanced Korean grammar through creative Google searching, while wishing I could read Chinese.

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~ㄴ/는가 싶다

~ㄴ/는가 싶다 is used to express a supposition ("I think it might...", "It seems like...", "I wonder if..."). It uses the ~ㄴ/는가 form to indicate that it's a self-directed question. It can be used interchangeably with ~(으)ㄹ까 싶다, (으)ㄹ 듯 싶다.

심한 병인가 싶어서 병원에 갔다. I went to the hospital because I thought it might be a serious illness.

너한테 무슨 일이라도 있는가 싶어서 걱정돼 전화했어. I called because I wondered if something had happened to you so I was worried.

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~게끔

This is a similar to ~게 or ~도록, but the goal in the first clause is slightly more emphasized. So it can be understood as "In order for _______, do ______." The first clause can have either a descriptive or an active verb, but the second clause can only use an active verb. 음식이 넉넉하게끔 고기를 더 삽시다. Let's buy more meat so that we'll have enough food. 선생님은 모두다 알아들을 수 있게끔 차근차근 가르쳐주었다. Our professor explained everything slowly and carefully so that everyone would understand.

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~기(가) 이를 데 없다

This is used to express that the state of something is so extraordinary or excessive that it cannot be conveyed in words. "이를 데" comes from the verb 이르다 (to tell), and can be understood as 말할 데. Literally it means "it is so ____ that you can't describe it." It is used only with a descriptive verb. note: the 가 is often dropped. 큰 배우가 떠나 아쉽기(가) 이를 데 없다. A famous actor's death is so sad that it can't be described. 그는 꼼꼼하기가 이를 데 없는 사람이었어요. He's incredibly meticulous. 벚꽃 축제라서 사람들이 너무 많아서 붐비기 이를 데 없다 It was the cherry blossom festival and there were so many people that it was indescribably crowded.

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~자니

This is a shortened form of ~자(고 하)니(까), and can be used interchangeably with ~(으)려고 하니(까). It expresses that the subject has an intention to do something in the first clause, but then an unexpected result occurs, or something is discovered that obstructs the subject's original intention. 전화를 하지니 시간이 너무 늦었어요. I was about to call her, but then realized it was too late.

알면서 모르는 척하자니 진땀이 다 나요. I meant to pretend I didn't know, but I began to sweat profusely. 가만히 기다리고만 있자니, 애가 타서 도저히 못 기다렸다. I'd intended to just wait, but I got anxious so I couldn't wait at all anymore.

혼자 빈집을 지키고 있자니 자꾸만 무서운 생각이 난다.    She's been looking after an empty house by herself, but every once and awhile she has scary thoughts. 이것을 버리자니 아깝고, 그냥 두자니 거추장스럽네. It would be a shame to just throw this away, but it'd be a burden to keep it.

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~ㄴ/는가 하면

This expresses that while something in the first clause is true, something in the second clause that is related to the first clause but contrary/unexpected is also true.  It uses ~ㄴ/는가 from the interrogative form and adds ~하면 (if you) to create an expression that can be understood as "If you were to ask me if ___ is true,  [I'd say that] ___ is [also] true." That's incredibly awkward though, so it's easier to remember it as "Not only [clause 1], but also [clause 2]" with two contrary clauses. This structure is often used with words like "도" and "이제는" to stress the contrast. eg.) 커피에다가 설탕만 넣는 사람이 있는가 하면 크림만 넣는 사람도 있다. Not only are there people who only put sugar in their coffee, there are also people who only use cream. [If you ask me "Are there people who only put sugar in their coffee?", there's actually also people who only use cream.] 그는 배우인가 하면 가수이기도 하다. He is not only an actor, he is also a singer.

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~ㄹ지언정

This is described as being similar to ㄹ망정, with the same two meanings. However, this structure is slightly stronger. 1. The first meaning can be understood as "Even though..." or "Although...". The first clause is (usually) a negative thing, and the second clause is a positive thing. You can think of it as interchangeable with "... 그럼에도 불구하고 ...". 힘들지언정, 불가능하지 않다. Even though it's difficult, it's not impossible. 2. The second is like saying "I'd rather ... than ...". 죽을지언정 실패하지 않는다. I'd rather die than fail.

For more example sentences, see the ~ㄹ망정 post.

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~ㄴ답시고

This one was tricky. Thanks to everyone on lang-8 who helped explain this! The meanings can be separated into two types, but they are both similar. The first clause in the sentence reports what a person intends to do or says they are going to do, and the second clause shows the contrasting truth of events. It can be used like ~ㄴ다면서 or ~ㄴ다고 하면서, but the speaker is always disapproving or dissatisfied about the result in the second clause. It seems kind of sarcastic. 도서관에 간답시고 나가서 놀기만 했다. He said he was going go to the library, but then he just played outside. This sentence has two possible meanings. He either really intended to go to the library but then he couldn't so he just played outside (maybe the library was closed?), or he was pretending to be planning to go to the library. So it could mean both "도서관에 가려고 한다고 했지만 못 갔다" or "도서관에 간 척하면서 안 갔다." Let's look at some other examples: 그가 집안 일을 도와준답시고 내 스웨터를 물에 빨았더니 줄어들게 했다. He said he'd help with the household chores, but then he shrunk my sweater in the wash. 그녀는 내년에 일본에서 일하고 싶어해서 일본어를 열심히 공부한답시고 알파벳 외에는 아무것도 공부하지 않았어요. She wants to work in Japan next year so she said she'll study Japanese diligently, but she didn't study anything but the alphabet. ~답시고 This grammar structure can also be used with descriptive verbs. In this case, you don't put include the ㄴ before 답시고 (e.g. 예쁘답시고, 좋답시고). A great example of how to use this grammar structure with descriptive verbs was provided by mingu on lang-8. Thanks! A: 난 똑똑해서 수학을 잘 해. B: 그럼 이 문제 한번 풀어 봐. 그렇게 어렵지 않은 문제야. A: 못 풀겠는데... B: 똑똑하답시고 [똑똑하다고 (말)했으면서] 이 문제 하나를 못 푸니? A: I'm smart so I'm good at math. B: Then try to solve this problem. It's not that difficult. A: I can't solve that... B: You say you're smart but you can't solve this one problem? So again, it highlights the contrast between what is claimed is true and what occurs in reality, with disapproval. ~랍시고 This one isn't listed on the TOPIK grammar test but goes along with ~답시다. Think of it as "It was called a ____, but_____". Again, a tone of sarcasm/disapproval. 너는 그것도 영어랍시고 미국 사람들 앞에서 말하는 거니? You call that English but would you say it in front of Americans? 상이랍시고 받아 보니 나한테는 필요도 없는 책 몇 권뿐이었어요. I won something they called an award but it was just a few books that are of no use to me. I took the two examples above from a Japanese blog. You can check their page out for more examples: http://00mai00.blog110.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html.

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ㄴ/은 즉, ㄴ/인즉

1. ㄴ/은 즉 for a verb. The first clause explains the reason or the basis for the event or action in the second clause. Similar to ~니까. Usually used for past tense. 이 약을 먹은즉 병이 나아졌다. I took this medicine so now I feel better. 날씨가 굉장히 찬즉 강에 얼음이 얼었다. It was really cold outside, so the river froze over. When used as ~본즉 it can be used interchangeably with ~보니까, so the first clause describes an event or an action that led to a realization in the second clause. 고향에 가본즉 모든 것이 몰라보게 달라졌었다. When I went back to my hometown, I saw that everything had completed changed. 2. ㄴ/인 즉 for a noun. The easiest way to think of this one is as a literary equivalent of the topic marker 은/는. 사실인즉 그 편지 부치는 것을 잊었다. To tell you the truth, I forgot to mail the letter.

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~기에 망정이다

This use of 망정 is completely different than ㄹ망정 because in this case it is a dependent noun (의존명사). It follows "~기에", "~니(까)", or "~어서" to signify that the preceding phrase was a good thing or a relief, and is followed by an explanation of what would have happened if the first clause had not occurred. So it can be understood as similar to saying "... 다행이다, 그렇지 않았다면 ... ". It's usually written as "~기에 망정이지...". 도와준 사람이 있었기에 망정이지 큰 일 날 뻔했어요. It was a good thing that someone was there to help, otherwise there would have been a serious problem. 천천히 차를 운전했기에 망정이지 그 식당을 못 보고 지나칠 뻔했다. Thankfully we were driving slowly, or else we would have passed the restaurant without seeing it.

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~ㄹ망정

There are two meanings to this grammar structure. 1) The first shows acknowledgement of the truth of the first phrase, but then contrasts it with the seemingly opposite fact in the second phrase. It can be translated as "Even though", "it's true that... but....". It is often used with the adverb "비록" (although). 그녀는 비록 예쁠망정 함께 일하기는 힘들다. It's true that she's pretty, but she's difficult to work with. 내가 나이는 많을망정 마음은 청춘이야. Even though I'm old, I'm young at heart. 2. It can also be used to illustrate the speaker's determination to not do the action described in the second clause. It can be translated as "Even if I..., I wouldn't..." or "I'd rather ... than ...". 내가 굶어 죽을망정 그 사람 도움은  못 받겠다. I'd rather starve to death than accept his help. 내가 고생할말정 다시는 그에게 부탁하지 않겠네. Even if I was suffering, I wouldn't ask him for a favour again. Note: There is no space between ㄹ and 망정 because it's a word ending and not a separate noun.

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~다시피, ~다시피 하다

~다시피 This is a word ending that can be translated as "As you can..." or "As you...". It's used with the verbs 알다, 보다, and 듣다. 보다시피 나는 잘 지내고 있어. As you can see, I'm doing well. 너도 알다시피 난 경제에 관심 없어. As you know, I have no interest in economics. 듣다시피, 이 스피키는 음질이 뛰어나다. As you can hear, the music quality of these speakers is excellent. 아시다시피, 우린 집을 수리하는 중이에요. As you know [hon.], we are in the middle of fixing up our house. ~다시피 하다 This is a different word ending that means "practically", "almost", or "nearly". 그는 연구실에서 살다시피 했다. He practically lived in his lab. 그 분은 매일 점심으로 샌드위치를 먹다시피 한다. He eats a sandwich for lunch nearly every day. 부모님이 항상 바쁘셔서 혼자 자라다시피 했다. My parents were always busy so I practically raised myself.

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~ㄹ/을 리(가) 만무하다

Means that the phrase that precedes it could not possibly happen. 만무하다's root is 만무 (萬無) which is formed by 만 (萬) = 전혀 and 무 (無) = 없다. So it means 전혀 없다. Since 리 (理) means a reason for something, you can translate it literally as "there is absolutely no reason to/for ____." Can be used interchangeably with ㄹ/을 리(가) 없다. Note: This is a descriptive verb so the ending is 하다 not 한다. 그녀가 그런 짓을 했을 리 만무하다. She would never do such a thing. 그는 사과했는데 그의 여자친구가 용서해 줄 리 만무하다. He apologized, but there's no way his girlfriend would ever forgive him. 공부하지 않았으니 좋은 점수를 받을 리 만무하다. You didn't study, so there's no way you'll get a good mark.

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~은/는 터라

터 is a bound noun, which is a noun that is tied to another part of the sentence (another example of a bound noun is the counter 개 which cannot exist without a number before it). It can be tricky because it has a lot of different meanings. It can describe a supposition, a plan, or a situation.

You can see "터이다" as the root of a lot of grammar structures, such as 텐데 (터이 + 은데) and 테니까 (터이 + 니까). 텐데 is used for a supposition. 테니까 is used either interchangeably with 텐데 as a supposition, or to describe the speaker's plan. e.g.) 그의 집은 너무 좁을 텐데 식당에서 파티를 하자. His house would probably be too cramped, so let's have the party at a restaurant. e.g.) 사진 찍을 테니까 가만 있어 봐. I'm going to take a photo, so don't move. In the case of ~터라, the meaning of 터 is different than 텐데 or 테니까. In this case, 터 is used to describe circumstances or a situation. Add ~라(서) to the end of 터 to make 터라서, in which the 서 is omitted and leaves 터라. This a grammar structure in which the circumstances described in the first clause are the reason or cause of the action or situation in the second clause. Note: On the TOPIK advanced grammar list this is listed as 은/는 터라. However it is more commonly used in the past tense, and in that case it can be written as either 였/았/었던 터라 or 은/는 터라. eg. 태어날 때부터 부모님들과 함께 살았던 터라 자취 생활을 시작하는 것이 힘들었다.   He'd been living with his parents all his life, so living on his own was difficult. 오늘 몸 상태가 별로 좋지 않았던 터라 숙제를 못 했다. I wasn't feeling very well today so I couldn't do my homework. 워낙 허기가 진 터라 주문한 음식을 순식간에 먹어 치웠다. Since I was starving, I devoured the food in an instant. Last note: ~터에 has the same meaning. I lied, REALLY last note: Don't forget to put a space between the previous word and the 터 in any of these grammar structures. So: 사진 찍을테니까 가만 있어 봐. (X) 사진 찍을 테니까 가만 있어 봐. (O)

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V는/은댔자

Means even if you do something, you won't get the result you want. Can be used like 어/아봤자 or ~는다고 해도.

note: It's 댔자 not 됐자.

eg. 지금 그런 얘기를 한댔자 무슨 소용이 있나요? Even if you say that now, what's the use? 약을 먹어 본댔자 술을 마시면 약효가 안 납니다. Even if you take the medication, if you drink alcohol the medication won't be effective.

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~거들랑

This is similar to saying "If something happens..." or "Since this has happened..." and is followed by a suggestion, promise, or command. It can be thought of as 만약에~ (으)면 or 만약에~ 거든. 모르는 사람이거들랑 문 열어주지 마세요. If it's someone you don't know, don't open the door. 한국에 오시거들랑 그 박물관에 꼭 가야 해. If you come to Korea, you definitely have to go to that museum. 시험에 붙거들랑 점심 한턱 낼게요. Since you passed the exam, I'll buy you lunch.

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N로 말미암아

Yet another grammar form that means "on account of" or "due to"... Just in case you've run out of unique ways to say "because" that will make Korean speakers tell you you're using them wrong but be unable to explain why. 그녀의 부주의로 말미암아 사고가 일어났다 The accident occurred because of her carelessness. 어머님은 폭설로 말미암아 오시지 못했다 My mother couldn't come because of the snowstorm.

감기로 말미암아 학교에 가지 못했다.

I couldn't go to school due to my cold.

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Vㄴ들

"Granted that...", "Even though...". KGF.com says this is "often followed by a rhetorical question". 하지만 오지 않은들 그게 무슨 큰일이랴. But even if he doesn't come, what's the big deal? 아무리 돈이 많은들 건강을 잃으면 무슨 소용이 있어요? No matter how much money you have, if you lose your health, what's the use? 벌써 방학을 했는데 오늘 학교에 간들 뭣하겠어요? It's a school holiday now, even if you went to school, what would you do?