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Grammar / Level 2 / Lesson 52

대신에, (이)나, 거나: instead, and or

By Daniel Buckley · 13 minute read · TOPIK 2

Vocabulary

  1. 대신 - a substitute, instead
  2. 아니면 - or, otherwise
  3. 차 - tea
  4. 생선 - fish (as food)
  5. 고기 - meat
  6. 현금 - cash
  7. 산책하다 - to go for a walk
  8. 짜다 - to be salty
  9. 고르다 - to choose

In a café you might hear 커피 드릴까요, 아니면 차 드릴까요? Tell a friend what you drink in the morning and it's 커피나 차를 마셔요. Both have "or" in the English, and they don't use the same word.

English has one "or" for everything. Korean picks a word by what it joins and what you're doing with the choice, so the question to ask is what sits on each side. 대신에 comes along too, since it settles the same kind of choice.

대신에: in place of

대신 is a noun meaning a stand-in, and 에 turns it into "in place of". It follows the thing being replaced, so "tea instead of coffee" comes out as "coffee in place of, tea". In speech the 에 often drops.

Using 대신에

  • The thing you're not having, then 대신에, then the replacement.커피 대신에 차밥 대신 빵
  • Starting a sentence: 그 대신, in place of that.그 대신 내일 갈게요

  1. 커피 대신에 차를 마셔요.

    In place of coffee, (I) drink tea.

  2. 밥 대신 빵을 먹었어요.

    In place of rice, (I) ate bread.

  3. 아픈 엄마 대신에 제가 왔어요.

    In place of sick mum, I came.

  4. 현금 대신 카드로 내도 돼요?

    In place of cash, is (it) OK if (I) pay by card?

  5. 오늘은 못 가요. 그 대신 내일 갈게요.

    Today (I) can't go. In place of that, tomorrow (I) will go.

  6. 바쁘면 제가 대신 갈게요.

    If (you) are busy, I will go in (your) place.

※ 대신에 can also follow a verb, as in 는 대신에. That has a contrast meaning of its own, so it waits until Level 3.

(이)나: this or that

Between two nouns, "or" is (이)나. Particles like 을/를 go on the last noun only. You met this 나 in 아무나, where it meant any of them.

Making (이)나

  • After a consonant: add 이나.빵 → 빵이나토요일 → 토요일이나
  • After a vowel: add 나.커피 → 커피나버스 → 버스나

  1. 아침에는 빵이나 과일을 먹어요.

    In the morning (I) eat bread or fruit.

  2. 커피나 차를 마셔요.

    (I) drink coffee or tea.

  3. 버스나 지하철을 타세요.

    Take bus or subway.

  4. 토요일이나 일요일에 만나요.

    (Let's) meet on Saturday or Sunday.

  5. 친구나 가족한테 물어보세요.

    Ask friend or family.

Two more jobs for (이)나

With only one noun, (이)나 has other meanings. In a casual suggestion it means "or something": nothing special, just this.

  1. 커피나 마실까요?

    Shall (we) drink coffee or something?

  2. 우리 영화나 볼까요?

    Shall we watch movie or something?

  3. 점심이나 같이 먹어요.

    (Let's) eat lunch together or something.

On a number, it says the amount is bigger than you'd expect, like English "as many as". Compare this with 밖에, which takes the same number and calls it too small.

  1. 세 시간이나 기다렸어요.

    (I) waited as much as three hours.

  2. 세 시간밖에 안 기다렸어요.

    Other than three hours, (I) didn't wait.

  3. 커피를 다섯 잔이나 마셨어요.

    (I) drank as many as five cups of coffee.

※ The "or something" reading can sound dismissive when it's aimed at a person. 공부나 해 is "just go and study", and you wouldn't say it to your boss.

  1. 사과나 배를 샀어요.

  2. 우리 영화나 볼까요?

  3. 어제 열 시간이나 잤어요.

  4. 물이나 주스를 주세요.

  5. 점심이나 같이 먹어요.

  6. 표가 오만 원이나 해요.

거나: do this or do that

Between verbs or adjectives, "or" is 거나. It goes straight on the stem, so irregular verbs stay as they are. Often each option gets a 거나 and 하다 closes the list, which gives you "I do this or that, things like that".

Making 거나

  • Verbs and adjectives: drop 다, add 거나.보다 → 보거나읽다 → 읽거나춥다 → 춥거나
  • Past: add 거나 to the 았/었 stem.갔거나

Pick a verb

보다보보거나

  1. 주말에는 영화를 보거나 책을 읽어요.

    At weekends (I) watch movie or read book.

  2. 저녁에는 산책하거나 운동을 해요.

    In the evening (I) go for a walk or exercise.

  3. 피곤하거나 아프면 집에서 쉬세요.

    If (you) are tired or sick, rest at home.

  4. 전화를 하거나 문자를 보내세요.

    Make phone call or send text.

  5. 집에서 쉬거나 친구를 만나거나 해요.

    (I) rest at home or meet friend, (things like that).

다거나: say, this or that

다거나 is 거나 on the 한다체 form from speech levels. So verbs take their 는다 or ㄴ다 first, and nouns take (이)라거나. It usually offers cases as examples more than as a real choice: "if it's this, or that, or something along those lines".

Making 다거나

  • Adjectives: stem, then 다거나.짜다 → 짜다거나아프다 → 아프다거나
  • Verbs: ㄴ다거나 after a vowel, 는다거나 after a consonant.만나다 → 만난다거나먹다 → 먹는다거나
  • Nouns: (이)라거나.치마 → 치마라거나신발 → 신발이라거나

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹는다거나

  1. 음식이 짜다거나 맵다거나 하면 말씀해 주세요.

    If food is say salty or spicy, please tell (me).

  2. 몸이 아프다거나 일이 많다거나 하면 미리 전화하세요.

    If body is say sick or work is a lot, call in advance.

  3. 운동을 한다거나 친구를 만난다거나 하면 기분이 좋아져요.

    If (you) say exercise or meet friend, mood gets better.

All three end on 하면, and that's where the "if" comes from. You'll hear this less than 거나, and you can get by without using it yourself.

아니면: or else

아니면 is 아니다 plus (으)면, "if not". It stands between options as a word of its own, so it can join whole sentences. It's the natural choice when you're asking someone to pick one.

  1. 커피 드릴까요, 아니면 차 드릴까요?

    Shall (I) give coffee, or shall (I) give tea?

  2. 오늘 갈 거예요? 아니면 내일 갈 거예요?

    Will (you) go today? Or will (you) go tomorrow?

  3. 오늘 아니면 내일 갈 거예요.

    (I) will go today or tomorrow.

  4. 고기 아니면 생선, 하나만 고르세요.

    Meat or fish, choose just one.

  5. 지금 출발해야 돼요. 아니면 늦을 거예요.

    Now (we) have to leave. If not, (we) will be late.

Example 5 shows the original meaning. English says "or else" there too.

든지: any of these, it doesn't matter

거나 lists possibilities. 든지 adds that the choice makes no difference. It goes on stems and on nouns, as 든지 after a vowel and 이든지 after a consonant, and on question words it gives you the "-ever" words of English.

Using 든지

  • Question words: whatever, whenever.뭐든지누구든지언제든지어디든지
  • Nouns: (이)든지.커피든지빵이든지
  • Verbs and adjectives: drop 다, add 든지.쉬다 → 쉬든지보다 → 보든지

  1. 뭐든지 물어보세요.

    Ask anything at all.

  2. 언제든지 전화하세요.

    Call any time at all.

  3. 저는 어디든지 갈 수 있어요.

    I can go anywhere at all.

  4. 커피든지 차든지 다 좋아요.

    Coffee or tea, all are good.

  5. 쉬든지 영화를 보든지 마음대로 하세요.

    Whether (you) rest or watch movie, do as (you) like.

  6. 피곤하면 좀 쉬든지 하세요.

    If (you) are tired, rest or something.

Example 6 uses one 든지 to make an offhand suggestion, which can sound a little impatient. 아무거나 and 뭐든지 are close, but to me 아무거나 shrugs and 뭐든지 welcomes everything.

  1. 커피___ 차를 주세요.

    Coffee or tea, please.

  2. 주말에는 책을 ___ 영화를 봐요.

    At weekends I read books or watch films.

  3. 따뜻한 커피 드릴까요, ___ 차가운 커피 드릴까요?

    Would you like hot coffee, or iced?

  4. 궁금한 게 있으면 ___ 물어보세요.

    If you have a question, ask me any time.

  5. 친구 ___ 제가 갈게요.

    I'll go in my friend's place.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 커피거나 차를 마셔요.

    커피나 차를 마셔요.

    Between nouns, "or" is (이)나. 거나 joins verbs and adjectives.

  2. 대신에 커피 차를 마셔요.

    커피 대신에 차를 마셔요.

    대신에 comes after the thing being replaced, the opposite of English "instead of coffee".

  3. 뭐던지 물어보세요.

    뭐든지 물어보세요.

    The choice ending is 든지. 던지 is a different ending about the past, and Koreans mix the two up in writing too.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

___ 차를 마셔요. (커피) I drink tea instead of coffee.

The thing you aren't having comes first.

Summary

~거나 forms
DictionaryStem~거나
보다보보거나
먹다먹먹거나
듣다듣듣거나
만들다만들만들거나
춥다춥춥거나
하다하하거나

Which "or"?

  • Between nouns: (이)나.커피나 차
  • Between verbs and adjectives: 거나.보거나 읽어요
  • Giving cases as examples: 다거나.짜다거나 맵다거나 하면
  • Asking someone to pick: 아니면.커피 드릴까요, 아니면 차 드릴까요?
  • It makes no difference: 든지.뭐든지 물어보세요

Now you can say

  1. 커피 대신에 차를 마셔요.

    In place of coffee, (I) drink tea.

  2. 주말에는 영화를 보거나 책을 읽어요.

    At weekends (I) watch movie or read book.

  3. 언제든지 전화하세요.

    Call any time at all.

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