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Grammar / Level 4 / Lesson 109

따라, 깨나, (이)라고는 and the rarer particles

By Daniel Buckley · 14 minute read · TOPIK 6

Vocabulary

  1. 벌다 - to earn
  2. 고생 - hardship, trouble
  3. 걱정 - worry
  4. 쌓이다 - to pile up
  5. 전시회 - an exhibition
  6. 소원 - a wish
  7. 사소하다 - to be trivial
  8. 싸우다 - to fight, to argue
  9. 냉장고 - a fridge
  10. 사양하다 - to decline politely

You're late, it's raining, and the bus still hasn't come. English needs a phrase, "today of all days". Korean does it with one particle on 오늘, as in 오늘따라 버스가 안 오네요.

Most of what's here is small. Some of these particles you'll use weekly, and some you'll only meet in a song or an old novel. I've grouped them by what they do, and I'll say which is which.

따라: of all days

따라 goes on a word for a particular day, mainly 오늘 and 그날. It says that on this occasion, for no good reason, things went a certain way. People use 오늘따라 all the time, and 그날따라 is common too.

  1. 오늘따라 버스가 안 오네요.

    The bus isn't coming, today of all days.

  2. 오늘따라 왜 이렇게 피곤하지?

    Why am I so tired today?

  3. 그날따라 비가 많이 왔어요.

    It rained hard that day of all days.

  4. 그날따라 지갑을 집에 두고 왔어요.

    That was the day I left my wallet at home.

※ Don't mix this up with 에 따라, which needs 에 and means "depending on". This one attaches straight to the time word with no space.

깨나: a fair bit of

깨나 means a decent amount, and to my ear it usually has an edge. It's a sideways look at someone's money, strength or drinking. It tends to turn up with a small set of nouns, like 돈, 힘, 술, 고생 and 공부. You'll meet it in novels and dramas, and in the speech of people who talk like them.

  1. 젊었을 때 돈깨나 벌었대요.

    He made a fair bit of money when he was young, they say.

  2. 이 일 때문에 고생깨나 했어요.

    This job gave me no small amount of trouble.

  3. 그 사람은 술깨나 마시게 생겼어요.

    He looks like he can really drink.

  4. 그 친구는 공부깨나 했다고 잘난 척을 해요.

    He studied a bit, and now he thinks he's something.

(이)라고는: nothing but

(이)라고는 is quoting with a topic marker: as for anything you could call X. So it sweeps the shelf, and what follows is usually 밖에 없다, 뿐이다 or plain 없다. It's fully alive in speech, usually shortened to (이)라곤, and it has a bleak little edge.

  1. 친구라고는 너밖에 없어.

    You're the only friend I've got.

  2. 냉장고에 먹을 것이라고는 김치밖에 없어요.

    The only food in the fridge is kimchi.

  3. 이 동네에는 식당이라고는 하나도 없어요.

    There's not one restaurant around here.

  4. 그 사람은 웃음이라고는 없어요.

    That man never so much as smiles.

  5. 돈이라곤 천 원밖에 없어요.

    All the money I have is a thousand won.

(이)라든가 and (이)며: lists

(이)라든가 gives examples, things like this or that. You're not listing everything, and any of them would do. It belongs to careful speech and writing, and (이)라든지 is the same thing. It's close to the 든지 you know.

  1. 운동이라든가 여행이라든가 새로운 걸 해 보고 싶어요.

    I'd like to try something new, such as exercise or travel.

  2. 주말에는 영화라든가 전시회라든가 보러 가요.

    At weekends I go and see things like films or exhibitions.

  3. 아픈 곳이라든가 불편한 점이 있으면 말씀하세요.

    If you have any pain or discomfort, let me know.

(이)며 lists things and piles them up, usually repeated after each item. It's lively, and you'll find it in stories and speech. After a vowel it's 며. Don't confuse it with (으)며, which joins clauses.

  1. 옷이며 신발이며 방에 잔뜩 쌓여 있어요.

    Clothes, shoes, you name it, it's all piled up in the room.

  2. 떡이며 과일이며 음식을 많이 준비했어요.

    We got lots of food ready: rice cakes, fruit, everything.

  3. 학교며 회사며 모두 문을 닫았어요.

    Schools, offices, the lot, everything closed.

마는: but, in full

You've known this one for ages without seeing it: 지만 is 지마는 shortened, 습니다만 is 습니다마는, and 건만 is 건마는. So 마는 is the "but" that sits on a finished sentence ending. The long form sounds formal or old, and you'll mostly read it, or hear it in stiff polite speech.

  1. 말씀은 고맙습니다마는 사양하겠습니다.

    That's kind of you, but I must decline.

  2. 죄송합니다마는 잠시만 기다려 주십시오.

    I'm sorry, but please wait a moment.

  3. 나도 가고 싶다마는 시간이 없구나.

    I'd like to go too, but I haven't got the time.

  4. 누가 알겠느냐마는 한번 물어나 보자.

    Who would know, but let's ask anyway.

을랑: as for that

을랑 picks something out, and what follows is usually advice or a warning: as for that, don't. The dictionary calls it spoken, but today you'll mostly read it, in old-style dialogue and song lyrics. To me it sounds like a grandmother in an old film.

일랑 is the form I'd expect you to meet most, especially in 걱정일랑. It has a form for vowels as well, ㄹ랑, but you could go years without seeing it.

  1. 걱정일랑 하지 마세요.

    As for worrying, don't.

  2. 그런 생각일랑 버리세요.

    Get rid of thoughts like that.

  3. 그런 일을랑 걱정하지 마세요.

    Don't worry about that sort of thing.

만 같아도: if it were still like

This is 만 plus 같다 plus 아/어도: if it were still like X. It sits on a word for an earlier time and sets how things were then against how they are now.

It's rare, and the dictionary's examples of it come from novels. In speech, people mostly use 만 해도: 작년만 해도 괜찮았어요.

There's a famous proverb on the same frame: 더도 말고 덜도 말고 한가위만 같아라. No more, no less: may every day be like Chuseok.

  1. 작년만 같아도 이 정도는 혼자 들 수 있었는데요.

    Even last year, I could have lifted this by myself.

  2. 옛날만 같아도 아이가 어른한테 그런 말을 할 수 있었겠어요?

    In the old days, could a child have talked to an adult like that?

을 가지고: with, and over

You know 아/어 가지고 on a verb. On a noun with 을/를, 가지고 first means what you'd expect: taking this, using this. In speech it's often 갖고.

Its more interesting use is complaining, as if to say "all this over that?" The noun is what the fuss is about, and it's usually small. It's everyday speech, and you'll want it.

  1. 이 돈을 가지고 뭘 살 수 있어요?

    What can you buy with this money?

  2. 쌀을 가지고 떡을 만들어요.

    They make rice cakes from rice.

  3. 그런 일을 가지고 왜 화를 내요?

    Why get angry over a thing like that?

  4. 사소한 문제를 가지고 두 사람이 싸웠어요.

    The two of them fought over a trivial matter.

  5. 나를 가지고 놀지 마.

    Don't play games with me.

  1. ___ 버스가 안 오네요.

    The bus isn't coming, today of all days.

  2. 냉장고에 먹을 것___ 김치밖에 없어요.

    The only food in the fridge is kimchi.

  3. 사소한 문제___ 싸웠어요.

    We fought over a trivial matter.

  4. 젊었을 때 ___ 벌었대요.

    He made a fair bit of money when he was young, they say.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

오늘따라 왜 그렇게 기분이 안 좋아요?

Today of all days why so mood not good?

B

남자 친구랑 싸웠어요. 설거지를 가지고요.

With boyfriend fought. Over dishes.

A

겨우 그런 일을 가지고 싸웠어요?

Merely such a thing with fought?

B

집에 깨끗한 그릇이라고는 하나도 없었어요.

At home clean bowl-wise not one there was.

A

그릇이며 컵이며 또 다 쌓여 있었군요.

Bowls and cups and again all piled up, I see.

Common mistakes

  1. 젊었을 때 돈꽤나 벌었대요.

    젊었을 때 돈깨나 벌었대요.

    The particle is spelled 깨나, and it attaches to the noun. 꽤나 is an adverb, so it would need a space: 돈 꽤나.

  2. 냉장고에 먹을 것이라고는 많아요.

    냉장고에 먹을 것이라고는 김치밖에 없어요.

    (이)라고는 leads to "nothing but" or "none", so it doesn't end on plenty.

  3. 사과이며 배이며 사 왔어요.

    사과며 배며 사 왔어요.

    After a vowel the particle is 며. 이며 is for nouns ending in a consonant, and 사과이며 would be 이다: "is an apple, and".

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

___ 버스가 안 오네요. (오늘, use 따라) The bus isn't coming, today of all days.

No space.

Summary

How much you'll need each one

  • Everyday: 따라, (이)라고는, 을/를 가지고.
  • Careful speech and writing: (이)라든가.
  • Stories and speech: (이)며, 깨나.
  • Mostly reading: 마는, 만 같아도, and 을랑 or 일랑.

Now you can say

  1. 오늘따라 왜 이렇게 피곤하지?

    Why am I so tired today?

  2. 친구라고는 너밖에 없어.

    You're the only friend I've got.

  3. 그런 일을 가지고 왜 화를 내요?

    Why get angry over a thing like that?

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