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Grammar / Level 3 / Lesson 69

(이)라도, (이)나마, 조차, 마저, (이)야, 까지: even and at least

By Daniel Buckley · 13 minute read · TOPIK 4

Vocabulary

  1. 잠시 - for a moment
  2. 도움 - help
  3. 응원하다 - to cheer on, to support
  4. 멀리 - far away
  5. 인사 - greeting
  6. 믿다 - to believe, to trust
  7. 불다 - to blow
  8. 떠나다 - to leave
  9. 남다 - to be left over
  10. 선물 - present, gift

Caesar's dying words are famous in Korean too: 브루투스, 너마저! That 마저 does a lot of work for two syllables. It says you were the last one left, and now you've gone the same way.

Each particle here weighs a noun against what you'd have expected. English covers most of them with "even" or "at least", which is why they're hard to keep apart. They sit where 도 sits: they replace 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를, and they can follow other particles like 에서.

(이)라도: this will do

(이)라도 says this isn't what you really wanted, but it'll do. You've moved down to a second choice, and you're usually suggesting it or asking for it. English says "at least", or "instead", or nothing at all.

Making (이)라도

  • After a consonant: 이라도.라면 → 라면이라도사진 → 사진이라도
  • After a vowel: 라도.커피 → 커피라도친구 → 친구라도
  • After another particle: 라도.공원에서 → 공원에서라도

  1. 밥이 없으면 라면이라도 먹을까요?

    If there's no rice, shall we at least have some instant noodles?

  2. 시간이 없으면 전화라도 해 주세요.

    If you don't have time, at least give me a call.

  3. 못 오면 사진이라도 보내 주세요.

    If you can't come, at least send a photo.

  4. 늦었지만 지금이라도 가세요.

    It's late, but go even now.

  5. 카페가 문을 닫았어요. 공원에서라도 이야기할까요?

    The cafe's shut. Shall we talk in the park instead?

Compare the casual (이)나 from Instead, and or. 점심이나 먹어요 shrugs, as if to say it's nothing special. 점심이라도 먹어요 admits there was something better: you can't do dinner, so at least have lunch.

On question words it means any one will do. And you met it in ~아/어도 as "even if it is", after nouns.

  1. 언제라도 오세요.

    Come any time.

  2. 배고프면 뭐라도 드세요.

    If you're hungry, eat something.

  3. 누구라도 할 수 있어요.

    Anyone can do it.

  4. 아무리 친구라도 돈은 못 빌려줘요.

    Even if you're a friend, I can't lend you money.

(이)나마: little as it is

(이)나마 admits that what you've got falls short, and accepts it or offers it anyway. Where (이)라도 picks a second choice, (이)나마 is more about how you feel: modest about what you're giving, or glad of what you got. It leans formal and written, and it goes on adverbs as well as nouns.

  1. 조금이나마 도움이 되면 좋겠습니다.

    I hope this helps, if only a little.

  2. 늦게나마 생일 축하드립니다.

    Belatedly, happy birthday.

  3. 잠시나마 쉴 수 있어서 좋았어요.

    It was nice to rest, if only for a moment.

  4. 멀리서나마 응원하겠습니다.

    I'll be cheering you on, if only from afar.

  5. 이렇게나마 인사드립니다.

    I'm saying hello, even if it has to be like this.

Example 5 is what you'd write when a letter or a message has to stand in for coming in person.

조차: not even that

조차 points to the most basic thing you could expect, and says even that fell through. So everything above it is gone as well. It usually comes with a negative, or at least with something unwelcome.

  1. 그 사람 이름조차 몰라요.

    I don't even know his name.

  2. 너무 바빠서 밥 먹을 시간조차 없어요.

    I'm so busy I don't even have time to eat.

  3. 아파서 물조차 못 마셔요.

    I'm so ill I can't even drink water.

  4. 민수 씨는 인사조차 안 하고 갔어요.

    Minsu left without even saying goodbye.

  5. 그런 일은 생각조차 못 했어요.

    That never even crossed my mind.

  6. 가족조차 제 말을 안 믿어요.

    Even my family don't believe me.

※ 조차 doesn't work in commands or suggestions. You can't ask someone to do the thing you're describing as a letdown, and that's where you want (이)라도.

마저: the last one too

마저 is about the last thing standing. You had one left, or one you were counting on, and it's gone the same way as the rest. It's mostly used for bad news, and it often comes with 마지막.

  1. 마지막 버스마저 떠났어요.

    Even the last bus has gone.

  2. 친구들이 다 갔는데 민수 씨마저 갔어요.

    All my friends had left, and then Minsu went too.

  3. 남은 돈마저 다 잃어버렸어요.

    I lost what money I had left as well.

  4. 비가 오는데 바람마저 불어요.

    It's raining, and now the wind's got up on top of that.

  5. 너마저 내 말을 안 믿어?

    Even you don't believe me?

※ With a space, 마저 is also an adverb meaning "the rest of it, all of it": 남은 밥을 마저 먹을게요, I'll finish off the rice. That's the same picture: nothing left over.

까지: as far as this

You know 까지 as "until", and it still means that here: how far things reached. Here, they've reached further than you'd have guessed, so one more item goes on the list. It's the most neutral of the three, and it works for good news as well as bad.

  1. 밥도 사 주고 선물까지 줬어요.

    She bought me dinner and even gave me a present.

  2. 제 생일까지 기억해요?

    You even remember my birthday?

  3. 커피에 케이크까지 사 줬어요.

    He bought me coffee, and cake too.

  4. 친구들이 강아지까지 데리고 왔어요.

    My friends even brought their dog.

  5. 바람이 부는데 비까지 와요.

    It's windy, and it's raining on top of that.

조차, 마저 or 까지?

All three can come out as "even", and with bad news they often swap. They still draw different pictures. 조차 is the bottom of your expectations giving way, 마저 is the last one going, and 까지 is the list getting longer.

  1. 친구조차 안 왔어요.

    Not even my friend came. (You'd have expected that much.)

  2. 친구마저 안 왔어요.

    My friend didn't come either. (The last person you were counting on.)

  3. 친구까지 안 왔어요.

    My friend didn't come as well. (One more on the list.)

Good news is the clearest test, because 까지 is the one that's really at home there. Try these, with the other particles mixed in.

  1. 민수 씨는 영어도 잘하고 일본어___ 잘해요.

    Minsu speaks good English, and good Japanese too.

  2. 너무 바빠서 화장실에 갈 시간___ 없어요.

    I'm so busy I don't even have time to go to the toilet.

  3. 시간이 없으면 문자___ 보내 주세요.

    If you don't have time, at least send me a text.

  4. 마지막 희망___ 사라졌어요.

    Even my last hope has gone.

  5. 늦게___ 축하드립니다.

    Belated congratulations.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

(이)야: that part, of course

(이)야 picks out one thing and treats it as obvious: that part is no trouble, no argument. Usually a "but" is coming, or 죠, which makes it sound like common knowledge. Use 이야 after a consonant and 야 after a vowel.

  1. 저야 좋죠.

    Me? I'd love to, of course.

  2. 돈이야 있지만 시간이 없어요.

    Money's no problem, but I don't have the time.

  3. 말이야 쉽죠.

    Saying it is easy enough.

  4. 민수 씨야 한국 사람이니까 잘하죠.

    Well, Minsu is Korean, so of course he's good at it.

On a time word, it says the moment only came then, and not a minute before. English says "not until" or "finally".

  1. 이제야 알겠어요.

    I finally get it.

  2. 회의가 열두 시에야 끝났어요.

    The meeting didn't finish until twelve.

  3. 버스가 한 시간 뒤에야 왔어요.

    The bus didn't come until an hour later.

※ Don't confuse this with the casual 이야 from Speech levels. 학생이야 ends a sentence and means "he's a student". The particle has a verb coming after it.

Common mistakes

  1. 그 사람 이름을조차 몰라요.

    그 사람 이름조차 몰라요.

    These particles replace 을/를, 은/는 and 이/가.

  2. 피곤하면 커피조차 마실까요?

    피곤하면 커피라도 마실까요?

    조차 doesn't work in suggestions. A second choice is (이)라도.

  3. 저이야 좋죠.

    저야 좋죠.

    After a vowel, it's 야.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

시간이 없으면 ___ 해 주세요. (전화) If you don't have time, at least give me a call.

A second choice, after a vowel.

Summary

What each one assumes

  • (이)라도: not what I wanted, but it'll do.전화라도 해 주세요
  • (이)나마: little as it is, formally.조금이나마 도움이 되면 좋겠습니다
  • 조차: not even the most basic thing.이름조차 몰라요
  • 마저: the last one has gone the same way.마지막 버스마저 떠났어요
  • 까지: as far as this, on top of everything.선물까지 줬어요
  • (이)야: that part's obvious, or that moment and no sooner.저야 좋죠이제야 알겠어요

Now you can say

  1. 시간이 없으면 전화라도 해 주세요.

    If you don't have time, at least give me a call.

  2. 늦게나마 생일 축하드립니다.

    Belatedly, happy birthday.

  3. 저야 좋죠.

    Me? I'd love to, of course.

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