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~(이)나마: Accepting an Unsatisfactory Situation
Vocabulary
Nouns:
분규 = dispute
권익 = rights and interests
위안 = comfort
임자 = owner, possessor
줄기 = stem, stalk, branch
결실 = fruition, the fruits of
윤곽 = outline
윤곽선 = contour line
법무 = legal affairs
법무부 = ministry of justice
수평선 = horizontal line, horizon
발언권 = right to speak
Verbs:
이어가다 = to keep going, to continue going
유도하다 = to induce
탄압하다 = to suppress
간직하다 = to cherish
Adjectives:
단정하다 = to be neat
남루하다 = to be ragged, to be shabby
복슬복슬하다 = to be shaggy
노심초사하다 = to be very worried
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn another particle that can be used to create a meaning similar to ~지만 or ~아/어도. In this lesson, you will learn about ~(이)나마. Let’s get started!
~(이)나마: Accepting an Unsatisfactory Situation
You can attach ~(이)나마 to nouns and adverbs to indicate that one has accepted a situation despite it not being perfectly satisfactory. Let’s look at some simple examples.
물이나마 마셔요 = Drink some water
사과나마 드릴까요? = Can I give you an apple?
천천히나마 할까요? = Shall I do it slowly?
As you can see, ~이나마 is added to nouns and adverbs ending in a consonant, and ~나마 is added to nouns and adverbs ending in a vowel. It is also possible to add ~나마 to adjectives that have been turned into adverbs through the use of ~게 (from Lesson 8). For fun, let’s apply this to words using ~답다 and ~롭다, which were covered in the previous two lessons (Lessons 182 and Lesson 183):
학생답게나마 행동하려고 노력했어요 = I tried to behave like a student should
명예롭게나마 퇴장하길 원했어요 = He wanted to leave with a little honor
Like a lot of the grammatical principles you are learning in Unit 8, the use of ~(이)나마 is quite literary, and it’s not used as much in everyday conversation. It is fine to use, but you are more likely to see it used in literature.
The translations given so far are quite literal and don’t fully reflect the nuance. The purpose of ~(이)나마, similar to ~(이)라도 (Lesson 111) is to indicate that the speaker isn’t totally satisfied with the situation is happening. However, when ~(이)나마 is attached to a noun they accept it because “at least” the noun that ~(이)나마 is attached to is available. In the case of an adverb, “at least” the situation is happening that particular way. Therefore, the translations above are better as:
물이나마 마셔요 = At least drink some water
사과나마 드릴까요? = Can I at least offer you an apple?
천천히나마 할까요? = Shall I at least do it slowly?
학생답게나마 행동하려고 노력했어요 = I tried to at least behave like a student should
명예롭게나마 퇴장하길 원했어요 = He wanted to leave with at least little honor
In a sense, the speaker is conceding some undesirable situation while still trying to be positive about something else. This makes sentences with ~(이)나마 have a bit of a humble tone. Below are many more examples:
옷이 남루했지만 단정하게나마 입고 나왔어요
= Though the clothes were shabby, he at least wore them neatly
꽃은 시들었지만 줄기나마 살아 있어서 다행이에요
= The flower wilted, but thankfully the stem was still alive
큰 결실은 아니더라도 노력의 흔적이나마 남겼어요
= It wasn’t a big result, but at least a trace of effort was left
법무 문제로 대표님이 직접 못왔지만 직원이나마 보내줬어요
= Because of legal issues, the CEO couldn’t come in person, but at least he sent an employee
상대의 반응을 유도하진 못했지만 주목이나마 위안이 되었어요
= I couldn’t draw out a response from the other person, but at least their attention was some consolation
그 사람들은 오랫동안 탄압을 받았지만 지금은 발언권이나마 얻었어요
= Those people were long suppressed, but have at least gained a voice now
안개가 짙었지만 수평선의 윤곽이나마 보이는 게 위안이 되었어요
= Though foggy, at least the outline of the horizon gave me comfort
복슬복슬한 강아지는 없어졌지만 강아지 사진이나마 간직하고 있어요
= The shaggy puppy is gone, but I at least have the photo
분규가 해결된 것은 아니지만 대화로나마 이어가는 게 중요해요
= The dispute hasn’t been resolved, but continuing through dialogue at least is important
그 사람들의 권익을 완전히 지키지 못해도 노력이나마 보여줘야 하지 않아요?
= Even if we can’t fully protect the rights of those people, shouldn’t we at least show some recognition?
그의 노심초사하는 표정을 보고서 진심이나마 그의 마음을 알게 되었어요
= After seeing his anxious expression I at least realized his sincerity
잃어버린 개에게 임자가 있을지 몰라도 따뜻한 말이나마 건네주고 싶었어요
= The lost dog might have an owner, but I wanted to at least say something kind
That’s it for this lesson!