아/어 봤자, 아/어 봐야, (으)나 마나: no use trying
By Daniel Buckley · 9 minute read · TOPIK 3
Vocabulary
- 소용없다 - to be no use
- 후회하다 - to regret
- 뻔하다 - to be obvious
- 고장 나다 - to break down
- 집주인 - a landlord
- 틀다 - to turn on
- 고치다 - to fix
- 달라지다 - to change, to become different
- 에어컨 - an air conditioner
The heating has broken at ten at night, and you pick up the phone. Your flatmate says 전화해 봤자 안 받아요. That's "don't bother": you can make the call, and it won't get you anywhere.
All three patterns here say the outcome is settled before you start, so the action is a waste. Two are built on 아/어 보다, to try. The third is on 말다, to not do, and it says doing it and not doing it come to the same thing.
아/어 봤자: no point
Take the 아/어 form and add 봤자. The first clause is the attempt, and the second says what you'll get, which is nothing much. It often ends on 소용없다, or on ㄹ/을 거예요 for a gloomy forecast.
Making 아/어 봤자
- Take the 해요 form, drop 요, add 봤자.말해요 → 말해 봤자기다려요 → 기다려 봤자
- No 았/었 in front. The end of the sentence shows the time.어제 가 봤자 문이 닫혀 있었을 거예요
Pick a verb
말하다말해요말해 봤자
그 사람한테 말해 봤자 소용없어요.
There's no point telling him.
지금 가 봤자 표가 없을 거예요.
There's no point going now. There won't be any tickets.
아무리 기다려 봤자 안 올 거예요.
However long you wait, she won't come.
이제 와서 후회해 봤자 늦었어요.
There's no use regretting it now. It's too late.
화를 내 봤자 달라지는 건 없어요.
Getting angry won't change anything.
어제 가 봤자 문이 닫혀 있었을 거예요.
Even if I'd gone yesterday, it would have been shut.
On an adjective it puts a ceiling on things: however high this goes, it isn't very high. English says "at most" or "how expensive can it be?". A rhetorical question with 겠 is common here.
비싸 봤자 만 원이에요.
It's ten thousand won at most.
동네 식당이 비싸 봤자 얼마나 비싸겠어요?
How expensive can a local restaurant be?
시험이 어려워 봤자 얼마나 어렵겠어요?
How hard can the exam be?
아/어 봐야: the same, with a catch
아/어 봐야 can replace 아/어 봤자 in most of these sentences, and it means the same. The catch is that it has a second life. 봐야 is also 아/어 보다 plus "only if", so it can mean the exact opposite: you have to try.
말해 봐야 소용없어요.
There's no point saying anything.
지금 가 봐야 아무도 없을 거예요.
There's no point going now. Nobody will be there.
직접 먹어 봐야 알아요.
You'll only know by trying it yourself.
사람은 만나 봐야 알 수 있어요.
You only get to know people by meeting them.
The second clause tells you which is which. If it's gloomy, 봐야 means "no use". If it says you'll learn something, 봐야 means "only by trying". 가 봐야 해요 is just 아/어야 하다, I have to go and see.
전화해 봐야 안 받을 거예요.
직접 입어 봐야 사이즈를 알아요.
더 기다려 봐야 소용없어요.
한번 해 봐야 어려운지 알 수 있어요.
지금 공부해 봐야 늦었어요.
끝까지 들어 봐야 알아요.
(으)나 마나: do it or don't
마나 comes from 말다, the verb inside 지 마세요. So 보나 마나 says "whether you look or don't", and the implied ending is that it makes no difference. It goes on verbs, and it's written with a space.
Making (으)나 마나
- Stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ: add 나 마나. ㄹ drops.보다 → 보나 마나살다 → 사나 마나
- Stem ends in a consonant: add 으나 마나.먹다 → 먹으나 마나듣다 → 들으나 마나
- To end a sentence: add 예요.하나 마나예요
Pick a verb
보다보보나 마나
보나 마나 민수 씨가 또 늦을 거예요.
You can bet Minsu will be late again.
물어보나 마나 안 된다고 할 거예요.
There's no need to ask. They'll say no.
그 사람 말은 들으나 마나 뻔해요.
There's no need to listen. You know what he'll say.
그런 말은 하나 마나예요.
Saying that makes no difference.
이 약은 먹으나 마나 똑같아요.
This medicine does nothing: you might as well not take it.
에어컨이 고장 나서 트나 마나예요.
The air conditioner is broken, so it makes no difference if you turn it on.
보나 마나 is the one you'll hear most. It has nearly become an adverb for "obviously", and 뻔해요 is its usual partner. That's a different word from the ㄹ/을 뻔했다 of near misses, despite the sound.
How does it differ from 아/어 봤자? 봤자 says trying gets you nowhere, and (으)나 마나 says trying and not trying are equal. They often swap, but 봤자 also works on adjectives, and (으)나 마나 usually doesn't.
이제 와서 ___ 소용없어요.
There's no use regretting it now.
동네 식당이 ___ 얼마나 비싸겠어요?
How expensive can a local restaurant be?
맛은 직접 ___ 알아요.
You only know the taste by trying it yourself.
에어컨이 고장 나서 ___.
The air conditioner is broken, so turning it on is pointless.
Listen and type
1 / 3
Play it as often as you like.
In a conversation
- A
난방이 고장 났어요. 집주인한테 전화할까요?
Heating broke. To landlord shall phone?
- B
전화해 봤자 안 받을 거예요. 벌써 열 시예요.
Even if phone, won't answer. Already ten o'clock is.
- A
그럼 문자를 보낼까요?
Then shall send text?
- B
보나 마나 내일 답장할 거예요.
Look or don't, tomorrow will reply.
- A
그래도 말해 봐야 고쳐 주죠.
Even so, only if tell will fix for us.
- B
맞아요. 그럼 제가 보낼게요.
Correct. Then I will send.
Common mistakes
말했어 봤자 소용없어요.
말해 봤자 소용없어요.
봤자 goes on the plain 아/어 form, with no 았/었 in front. The end of the sentence shows the time.
비싸나 마나 만 원이에요.
비싸 봤자 만 원이에요.
(으)나 마나 goes on verbs. For an adjective's ceiling, use 아/어 봤자.
이 약은 먹나 마나 똑같아요.
이 약은 먹으나 마나 똑같아요.
A stem ending in a consonant needs 으.
Check yourself
Quick check
1 / 6
그 사람한테 ___ 소용없어요. (말하다, use 아/어 봤자) There's no point telling him.
말하다 becomes 말해요.
Summary
| Dictionary | 해요 | 아/어 봤자 |
|---|---|---|
| 말하다 | 말해요 | 말해 봤자 |
| 가다 | 가요 | 가 봤자 |
| 듣다 | 들어요 | 들어 봤자 |
| 비싸다 | 비싸요 | 비싸 봤자 |
| Dictionary | Stem | (으)나 마나 |
|---|---|---|
| 보다 | 보 | 보나 마나 |
| 하다 | 하 | 하나 마나 |
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹으나 마나 |
| 듣다 | 듣 | 들으나 마나 |
Don't bother
- 아/어 봤자: trying gets you nowhere. On an adjective, it puts a ceiling on things.
- 아/어 봐야: the same, unless the second clause says trying pays off.
- (으)나 마나: doing it and not doing it come to the same thing.
Now you can say
그 사람한테 말해 봤자 소용없어요.
There's no point telling him.
비싸 봤자 만 원이에요.
It's ten thousand won at most.
보나 마나 민수 씨가 또 늦을 거예요.
You can bet Minsu will be late again.
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