Concession: -아/어도, -더라도, -는데도
B1 양보 -아/어도·-더라도·-는데도 49 / 68
In short
All three mean roughly “even if / even though.” Build -아/어도 like the 해요 form but end in -도: 비가 와도 가요 (biga wado gayo, even if it rains, I go). Use -더라도 for a stronger, more hypothetical “even if,” and use -는데도 when a real fact had a surprising result: 열심히 했는데도 떨어졌어요 (yeolsimhi haenneundedo tteoreojeosseoyo, even though I studied hard, I failed).
The rule
Concession is the “even so” move: you grant one clause and push on anyway. Korean has one particle at the heart of it - 도 (“even,” lesson 15) - riding on three different stems.
Step 1 - -아/어도: the everyday “even if / even though”
Conjugate the stem exactly as you would for 해요체, then swap the final -요 mindset for -도. The 아/어 vowel harmony and contractions are obligatory: 가 + 아도 -> 가도 (gado), 오 + 아도 -> 와도 (wado), 하 + 여도 -> 해도 (haedo), 먹 + 어도 -> 먹어도 (meogeodo). It covers both a real fact (“even though”) and a hypothesis (“even if”), and a command or question can follow.
Two high-value combos:
- 아무리 + …-아/어도 = “no matter how …”: 아무리 바빠도 아침은 먹어요 (amuri bappado achimeun meogeoyo, no matter how busy I am, I eat breakfast).
- -아/어도 되다 = permission (“may”), a different job of the same ending - see lesson 34.
Step 2 - -더라도: the emphatic, hypothetical upgrade
-더라도 attaches to the plain dictionary stem - never the 아/어 form: 가다 -> 가더라도 (gadeorado), 먹다 -> 먹더라도 (meokdeorado), 있다 -> 있더라도 (itdeorado). It is stronger and more hypothetical than -아/어도 - “even if it should happen” - so it pairs naturally with 아무리 and with 무슨 일이 있더라도 (museun iri itdeorado, no matter what happens).
Step 3 - -는데도: counter-expectation from a real fact
Take the -는데 of lesson 41 and add 도. It splits by word class the same way: verb -> -는데도, adjective -> -(으)ㄴ데도, 있다/없다 -> -는데도, noun + -인데도. In the past it is always -았/었는데도. It always carries the surprise that the expected result did not follow: 약을 먹었는데도 안 나아요 (yageul meogeonneundedo an naayo, even though I took the medicine, I’m not getting better). For a noun, use N + 에도 불구하고 (edo bulguhago, in spite of N): 노력에도 불구하고 (noryeogedo bulguhago, in spite of the effort).
Step 4 - The sentence-adverb twins, and -지만
When “even so” opens a new sentence, reach for 그래도 (geuraedo, even so / still), 그런데도 (geureondedo, and yet - the 그런데 of lesson 41 carrying this same 도, so it keeps -는데도’s failed expectation), the neutral 그렇지만 (geureochiman, but / however), or the formal 그럼에도 불구하고 (geureomedo bulguhago, nevertheless). Plain -지만 (lesson 23) is just “but” - it states a contrast without the “even” force these concessives add. The bookish concessives -(으)ㄹ지라도, -(으)ㄴ들, -(으)ㄹ망정 are held back to lesson 66.
Forms & patterns
How each ending attaches:
| Ending | Attaches to | Verb example | Adjective example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -아/어도 | the 아/어 (해요) form | 가다 -> 가도 (gado) | 좋다 -> 좋아도 (joado) |
| -더라도 | the plain stem, no 아/어 | 가다 -> 가더라도 (gadeorado) | 좋다 -> 좋더라도 (joteorado) |
| -는데도 / -(으)ㄴ데도 | verb -는데도, adjective -(으)ㄴ데도 | 가다 -> 가는데도 (ganeundedo) | 좋다 -> 좋은데도 (joeundedo) |
| N + 에도 불구하고 | a noun | 노력 -> 노력에도 불구하고 (noryeogedo bulguhago) | 비 -> 비에도 불구하고 (biedo bulguhago) |
-아/어도 by stem type (vowel harmony, irregulars, past):
| Stem | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ/ㅗ vowel | + -아도 | 오다 -> 와도 (wado), 싸다 -> 싸도 (ssado) |
| other vowel | + -어도 | 먹다 -> 먹어도 (meogeodo), 없다 -> 없어도 (eopseodo) |
| 하다 | -> 해도 | 공부하다 -> 공부해도 (gongbuhaedo) |
| ㅂ-irregular | ㅂ -> 우 + -어도 | 덥다 -> 더워도 (deowodo), 어렵다 -> 어려워도 (eoryeowodo) |
| 으-elision | drop 으, then harmonize | 바쁘다 -> 바빠도 (bappado), 쓰다 -> 써도 (sseodo) |
| past -았/었- | + -어도 | 가다 -> 갔어도 (gasseodo) |
Which one to pick:
| -아/어도 | -더라도 | -는데도 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fact or hypothesis | either | strongly hypothetical | a real fact |
| Force | neutral “even if / though” | emphatic “even if" | "even though” + surprise |
| Typical partner | 아무리 | 아무리, 무슨 일이 있더라도 | an unexpected result (cf. 그런데도) |
| Command/question after? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Register | all-round | emphatic, slightly formal | conversational |
Examples
- 비가 와도 학교에 가요. (Biga wado hakgyoe gayo.) - Even if it rains, I go to school.
- 아무리 바빠도 아침은 꼭 먹어요. (Amuri bappado achimeun kkok meogeoyo.) - No matter how busy I am, I always eat breakfast.
- 값이 비싸도 이건 살 거예요. (Gapsi bissado igeon sal geoyeyo.) - Even though it’s expensive, I’m going to buy this one.
- 무슨 일이 있더라도 약속은 지킬게요. (Museun iri itdeorado yaksogeun jikilgeyo.) - No matter what happens, I’ll keep my promise.
- 지금 출발하더라도 좀 늦을 거예요. (Jigeum chulbalhadeorado jom neujeul geoyeyo.) - Even if we leave now, we’ll be a little late.
- 열심히 공부했는데도 시험에 떨어졌어요. (Yeolsimhi gongbuhaenneundedo siheome tteoreojeosseoyo.) - Even though I studied hard, I failed the exam.
- 약을 먹었는데도 아직 안 나아요. (Yageul meogeonneundedo ajik an naayo.) - Even though I took the medicine, I’m still not getting better.
- 돈이 없는데도 자꾸 사고 싶어요. (Doni eomneundedo jakku sago sipeoyo.) - Even though I have no money, I keep wanting to buy things.
- 노력에도 불구하고 결과가 안 좋았어요. (Noryeogedo bulguhago gyeolgwaga an joasseoyo.) - In spite of the effort, the result wasn’t good.
- 많이 피곤해요. 그래도 끝까지 할게요. (Mani pigonhaeyo. Geuraedo kkeutkkaji halgeyo.) - I’m very tired. Even so, I’ll do it to the end.
Common mistakes
- 비가 오면 가요. (Biga omyeon gayo.) -> 비가 와도 가요. (Biga wado gayo.) - -(으)면 is a plain condition (“if it rains”); “even if / even though” is -아/어도. Mixing them reverses your meaning.
- 먹어더라도 배가 안 불러요. (Meogeodeorado baega an bulleoyo.) -> 먹더라도 배가 안 불러요. (Meokdeorado baega an bulleoyo.) - -더라도 attaches to the plain stem, never to the 아/어 form; only -아/어도 uses 아/어.
- 비싸는데도 잘 팔려요. (Bissaneundedo jal pallyeoyo.) -> 비싼데도 잘 팔려요. (Bissandedo jal pallyeoyo.) - 비싸다 is an adjective, so it takes -(으)ㄴ데도 (비싼데도); only verbs and 있다/없다 take -는데도.
- 열심히 했더라도 떨어졌어요. (Yeolsimhi haetdeorado tteoreojeosseoyo.) -> 열심히 했는데도 떨어졌어요. (Yeolsimhi haenneundedo tteoreojeosseoyo.) - for something that actually happened with a surprising result, use -는데도; -더라도 is for a hypothesis (“even if”), not a completed fact.
- 오아도 괜찮아요. (Oado gwaenchanayo.) -> 와도 괜찮아요. (Wado gwaenchanayo.) - the contraction is obligatory: 오 + 아도 -> 와도, never *오아도.
Tips
- It’s all the “even” particle 도. -아/어도 = “even doing it,” -는데도 = “even given that,” 에도 불구하고 = “even in spite of.” If you already know 도 from lesson 15, you already know the payload.
- -더라도 is the emphatic dial on -아/어도. When plain “even if” isn’t strong enough - “even if it kills me” - swap in -더라도, often with 아무리 or 무슨 일이 있더라도.
- -는데도 = -는데 + 도. If -는데 (lesson 41) is a soft “and yet,” -는데도 hardens it into “even though,” always flagging that the expected outcome failed to arrive.
- Don’t confuse -아/어도 with -아/어도 되다. Alone, -아/어도 means concession; followed by 되다 it means permission (“may”), covered in lesson 34.