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Vocabulary
Nouns:
눈빛 = look in one’s eye
Common Usages:
눈빛이 쎄하다 = for someone’s gaze/eyes to feel sharp or intimidating
눈빛이 반짝반짝 빛나다 = for one’s eyes to sparkle brightly
Examples:
공포를 애써 감춰 봤자 눈빛에서 다 드러나요
= Even if you try to hide your fear, it shows in your eyes
그 사람이 제 멱살을 잡았구요, 분노에 찬 눈빛으로 저를 노려봤어요
= He grabbed me by the collar, and glared at me with eyes full of rage
소수 = the minority
Common Usages:
극소수수 = tiny minority
Examples:
몇몇 규정은 소수에 의해 만들어졌기 때문에 모두가 동의하지는 않아요
= Some rules were made by the minority, so not everybody agrees on them
이 결정을 대중을 위한 결정이 아닌 소수를 위한 결정이에요
= This decision is not for the public it’s only for the few
소수가 아무리 반대해 봤자 다수의 의견을 뒤집기는 어려워요
= Even if the minority strongly opposes it, it’s hard to overturn the majority’s opinion
다수 = the majority
Examples:
소수가 아무리 반대해 봤자 다수의 의견을 뒤집기는 어려워요
= Even if the minority strongly opposes it, it’s hard to overturn the majority’s opinion
다수가 동의해 봤자 결정권은 결국 위원장에게 있어요
= Even if the majority agrees, the decision-making power still lies with the chairperson
단원 = unit of study
Common Usages:
대단원 = grand finale
Examples:
단원의 내용을 외워 봤자 이해하지 않으면 금방 잊게 돼요
= Even if you memorize the content in the unit, you’ll forget quickly if you don’t understand it
단원을 미리 공부해 봤자 시험 범위가 바뀌면 소용없어요
= Even if I study the unit in advance, it’s useless if the test scope changes
단위 = unit of measurement
Examples:
“조” 하고 다음 숫자 단위는 “경”이에요
= After 조, the next Korean number unit is 경
이 식당은 흔히 가족 단위 손님 위주로 운영됩니다
= This restaurant is commonly operated primarily for family groups
단위가 다른 물건을 비교해 봤자 정확한 분석은 어려워요
= Even if you try to compare items with different units, it’s hard to get an accurate analysis
단위를 바꿔 봤자 문제 해결에는 큰 도움이 안 돼요
= Even if you change the unit of measurement, it doesn’t help solve the problem much
업체 = enterprise
Common Usages:
경쟁 업체 = competing company
동종 업체 = company in the same industry
Examples:
보안업체에 보안을 맡기면 매달 돈을 내야 해요
= If you want to hand over your security to a security company, you need to pay every month
이삿날을 바꿔 봤자 예약된 이사 업체는 바뀌지 않아요
= Even if I try to change the moving day, the scheduled moving company can’t be changed
위원 = member
Common Usages:
위원회 = committee
Examples:
위원회가 내일 모일 거죠?
= The committee will meet tomorrow, right?
그는 다년간의 경험을 인정받아 평가위원으로 위촉되었어요
= He was appointed as a review committee member in recognition of his many years of experience
위원장 = chairperson
Examples:
다수가 동의해 봤자 결정권은 결국 위원장에게 있어요
= Even if the majority agrees, the decision-making power still lies with the chairperson
위원장은 회의 중단을 선언하고, 다음 안건은 내일 논의하겠다고 밝혔어요
= The chairperson declared the meeting adjourned and announced that the next item would be discussed tomorrow
결정권 = decision making authority
Examples:
다수가 동의해 봤자 결정권은 결국 위원장에게 있어요
= Even if the majority agrees, the decision-making power still lies with the chairperson
최종 결정권은 본사에 있기 때문에, 지점에서는 단독으로 처리할 수 없어요
= Since the final decision-making authority lies with headquarters, the branch cannot handle it alone
이삿짐 = moving boxes
Common Usages:
이삿짐 센터 = moving company
Examples:
이삿짐이 많아서 트럭을 불렀어요
= I have so many moving boxes, I hired a truck
이삿짐을 미리 싸 봤자 당일에 다시 정리해야 할 때가 많아요
= Even if you pack moving boxes early, you often have to repack them on the day
이삿짐을 줄여 봤자 트럭 한 대는 필요해요
= Even if we try to reduce the moving boxes, we’ll still need at least one truck
내일 이사를 가서 이삿짐을 싣기 위해 차를 빌렸어요
= I am moving tomorrow, so I rented a car so that I can load the moving boxes
이삿날 = moving day
Examples:
이삿날을 바꿔 봤자 예약된 이사 업체는 바뀌지 않아요
= Even if I try to change the moving day, the scheduled moving company can’t be changed
이삿날 새벽부터 비가 쏟아져서 온 가족이 우비를 입고 짐을 옮기느라 고생했어요
= It poured from early morning on moving day, so the whole family struggled moving boxes in raincoats
공포 = fear
Common Usages:
공포에 떨다 = to tremble in fear
공포체험 = horror experience, scare attraction
Examples:
갑자기 공포가 엄습했어요
= Suddenly the fear struck me
그 영화의 결말이 너무 충격적이라 온몸이 공포에 전율했어요
= The ending for the movie was so shocking that my whole body shuddered in fear
공포를 애써 감춰 봤자 눈빛에서 다 드러나요
= Even if you try to hide your fear, it shows in your eyes
공포 영화를 아무리 많이 봐 봤자 익숙해지지 않아요
= No matter how many horror movies I watch, I never get used to them
공포증 = phobia
Common Usages:
고소 공포증 = acrophobia; fear of heights
환 공포증 = claustrophobia
Examples:
그 영화의 결말이 너무 충격적이라 온몸이 공포에 전율했어요
= The ending for the movie was so shocking that my whole body shuddered in fear
공포증이라는 게 단순한 두려움이 아니라, 몸이 스스로 반응하는 본능 같은 거예요
= A phobia isn’t just fear, it’s more like an instinctive physical reaction
거미 공포증 = fear of spiders (arachnophobia)
Examples:
저는 거미 공포증이 있어서 거미가 벽에 붙어 있는 것만 봐도 몸이 굳어 버려요
= I have arachnophobia so even seeing a spider on the wall makes my body freeze up
고소 공포증 = fear of heights
Examples:
고소공포증이 있는 사람은 아무리 연습해 봤자 높은 곳에서는 긴장할 수밖에 없어요
= Even if someone with a fear of heights practices a lot, they can’t help but get nervous in high places
고소공포증이 있으면 높은 곳에 올라가면 다리가 후들거려요
= If you have a fear of heights, when you go (up to) somewhere high, your legs shake
Verbs:
모여들다 = to flock to
Examples:
홍보를 엄청 많이 해 봤자 아무도 공연을 보러 모여들지 않을 거예요
= Even if you advertise for it a lot, people aren’t going to flock to see the performance
달팽이를 관찰하려는 아이들이 모여들었어
= The children gathered to observe the snail
우리다 = to brew
Common Usages:
차를 우리다 = to brew tea
진하게 우리다 = to brew strongly
약하게 우리다 = to brew lightly
Examples:
차를 제대로 우리려면 끓는 물을 바로 붓지 말고, 약간 식힌 다음에 천천히 부어야 해요
= To brew tea properly, you shouldn’t pour boiling water right away but let it cool a bit first
우러나다 = to be brewed
Common Usages:
국물이 깊게 우러나다 = for broth to develop a deep, rich flavor
Examples:
시간이 지나면서 국물에 고기 맛이 진하게 우러나 맛이 훨씬 깊어졌어요
= As time passed, the flavor of the meat infused deeply into the broth, making it much richer
Adjectives:
소용없다 = to be pointless
Examples:
열심히 공부를 해 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you study hard, it is pointless
지금 고쳐 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you fix it now, it is pointless
아무리 열심히 공부를 해 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you study hard, it is pointless
아무리 지금 고쳐 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you fix it now, it is pointless
도둑을 잡게 되더라도 그 사람은 이미 저의 친구를 죽여서 소용이 없어요
Even if the thief is caught, that person already killed my friend, so its no use
Adverbs and Other Words:
이리 = over here
Examples:
무지갯빛은 이리저리 반사되는 빛의 아름다움을 담고 있어요 = Iridescence captures the beauty of light reflecting in various directions
이리 와서 도와줘 봤자 이미 다 끝났어요 = Even if you come here and help, it’s already finished
Introduction
Welcome to Unit 8! I can’t believe that we are 176 lessons in. If you started with me from the beginning and made it this far, you should be really proud of yourself.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use ~아/어 봤자 to indicate that some action is pointless or useless. Let’s get started with Unit 8!
~아/어 봤자: To be pointless
보다 is one of the most versatile words in Korean. In previous lessons, you have seen how it can follow certain grammatical principles to work as an auxiliary verb. For example:
In Lesson 32 you saw how it can follow ~아/어 to indicate that one attempts an action.
한 번 해 보세요! = Give it a try
In Lesson 109, you saw how it can follow ~나 or ~ㄴ/은가 to indicate a guess.
친구가 아직 안 왔나 봐요 = I guess the friend hasn’t come yet
In Lesson 121, you saw how it can follow ~다 to indicate that an action will occur if one does something for a while.
새로운 단어를 계속 외우다 보면 점점 헷갈려요
= If I keep memorizing new words, I gradually get confused
In Lesson 123, you saw how it can follow ~아/어 to indicate that an experience has led the speaker to be able to do something.
연애를 한번 해 보니까 남자들을 더 잘 이해하게 되었어요
= Now that I have tried/attempted having a boyfriend, I became able to understand men better
By attaching ~아/어 to a verb and following it with 봤자, one can indicate that there is no point in doing the action that ~아/어 is attached to. As a result of this, it is common to simply end the sentence with 소용없다. For example:
열심히 공부를 해 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you study hard, it is pointless
지금 고쳐 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you fix it now, it is pointless
In Lesson 48, you learned about the adverb 아무리. This is a common word to use at the beginning of these sentences to prime the listener as to what type of sentence is about to be said. For example:
아무리 열심히 공부를 해 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you study hard, it is pointless
아무리 지금 고쳐 봤자 소용없어요
= Even if you fix it now, it is pointless
Instead of ending the sentence with 소용없다, you can expand on this pointlessness by indicating the negative result of not being able to do anything about the situation. For example:
아무리 열심히 공부를 해 봤자 시험이 너무 어려울 거예요
= Even if you study hard, it is pointless as the exam will be too difficult
아무리 지금 고쳐 봤자 새로운 것을 이미 샀어요
= Even if you fix it now, it is pointless as we’ve already bought a new one
It’s also possible to provide this additional context and then still end the sentence with 소용없다. For example:
단원을 미리 공부해 봤자 시험 범위가 바뀌면 소용없어요
= Even if I study the unit in advance, it’s useless if the test scope changes
Below are many more examples:
이리 와서 도와줘 봤자 이미 다 끝났어요
= Even if you come here and help, it’s already finished
이삿짐을 줄여 봤자 트럭 한 대는 필요해요
= Even if we try to reduce the moving boxes, we’ll still need at least one truck
공포를 애써 감춰 봤자 눈빛에서 다 드러나요
= Even if you try to hide your fear, it shows in your eyes
단위를 바꿔 봤자 문제 해결에는 큰 도움이 안 돼요
= Even if you change the unit of measurement, it doesn’t help solve the problem much
공포 영화를 아무리 많이 봐 봤자 익숙해지지 않아요
= No matter how many horror movies I watch, I never get used to them
다수가 동의해 봤자 결정권은 결국 위원장에게 있어요
= Even if the majority agrees, the decision-making power still lies with the chairperson
차를 우려 봤자 향이 너무 약해서 만족스럽지 않았어요
= Even after brewing the tea, the aroma was too weak and unsatisfying
이삿날을 바꿔 봤자 예약된 이사 업체는 바뀌지 않아요
= Even if I try to change the moving day, the scheduled moving company can’t be changed
단위가 다른 물건을 비교해 봤자 정확한 분석은 어려워요
= Even if you try to compare items with different units, it’s hard to get an accurate analysis
단원의 내용을 외워 봤자 이해하지 않으면 금방 잊게 돼요
= Even if you memorize the content in the unit, you’ll forget quickly if you don’t understand it
이삿짐을 미리 싸 봤자 당일에 다시 정리해야 할 때가 많아요
= Even if you pack moving boxes early, you often have to repack them on the day
소수가 아무리 반대해 봤자 다수의 의견을 뒤집기는 어려워요
= Even if the minority strongly opposes it, it’s hard to overturn the majority’s opinion
홍보를 엄청 많이 해 봤자 아무도 공연을 보러 모여들지 않을 거예요
= Even if you advertise for it a lot, people aren’t going to flock to see the performance
고소공포증이 있는 사람은 아무리 연습해 봤자 높은 곳에서는 긴장할 수밖에 없어요
= Even if someone with a fear of heights practices a lot, they can’t help but get nervous in high places
That’s it for this lesson!