Korean Contrast with 'Despite' and 'In Spite of' Using -에도 불구하고
Learn to express contrast with 'despite' and 'in spite of' in Korean using -에도 불구하고 with nouns and -ing. Compare with although and practice with clear examples.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English, 'despite' and 'in spite of' are prepositions that introduce a contrasting noun or -ing form, as in 'Despite the rain, we went out.' Korean expresses this meaning with the pattern -에도 불구하고, which attaches to nouns or verb stems. Unlike English, Korean does not use a separate preposition; instead, it uses a grammatical ending. This lesson teaches you to form and use -에도 불구하고 at an elementary level, focusing on nouns and -ing equivalents. You will also learn how it differs from the conjunction -지만 (although). By the end, you will be able to make simple contrast sentences in Korean.
By the end, you can…
- form contrast sentences using -에도 불구하고 with nouns.
- use -에도 불구하고 with verb stems to mean 'despite doing'.
- distinguish -에도 불구하고 from -지만 (although).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
비에도 불구하고
despite the rain
bi-e-do bul-gu-ha-go
Attach -에도 불구하고 directly to a noun. Here 비 (rain) + 에도 불구하고.
어려움에도 불구하고
despite the difficulties
eo-ryeo-um-e-do bul-gu-ha-go
Noun 어려움 (difficulty) + 에도 불구하고. Use for abstract nouns.
공부에도 불구하고
despite studying
gong-bu-e-do bul-gu-ha-go
Noun form 공부 (study) + 에도 불구하고. This corresponds to 'despite studying'.
늦었음에도 불구하고
despite being late
neu-jeo-sseum-e-do bul-gu-ha-go
Past tense verb 늦다 (to be late) + -었음에도 불구하고. Used for 'despite having done'.
비가 왔음에도 불구하고
despite the fact that it rained
bi-ga wa-sseum-e-do bul-gu-ha-go
Full clause with -었음에도 불구하고. More formal than -지만.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern -에도 불구하고 attaches to nouns or verb stems. For nouns, add 에도 불구하고 directly: 비 (rain) → 비에도 불구하고 (despite the rain). For verbs, add -음에도 불구하고 to the stem: 늦다 (to be late) → 늦음에도 불구하고 (despite being late). For past tense, use -았/었음에도 불구하고: 늦었음에도 불구하고 (despite having been late). This pattern is equivalent to English 'despite' or 'in spite of' plus a noun or -ing. It is more formal and emphatic than the conjunction -지만.
When to use it
Use -에도 불구하고 when you want to emphasize a strong contrast, often in formal writing or polite speech. For example, 비에도 불구하고 우리는 나갔어요 (Despite the rain, we went out). It is common in news, announcements, and respectful conversation. In casual speech, -지만 is more common: 비가 왔지만 나갔어요 (It rained, but we went out). However, -에도 불구하고 highlights the unexpectedness more strongly. Avoid using it with plain casual speech; it may sound too stiff.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
비에도 불구하고 우리는 나갔어요.
Despite the rain, we went out.bi-e-do bul-gu-ha-go u-ri-neun na-ga-sseo-yo.네, 어려움에도 불구하고 즐거웠어요.
Yes, despite the difficulties, it was enjoyable.ne, eo-ryeo-um-e-do bul-gu-ha-go jeul-geo-wot-sseo-yo.그는 늦었음에도 불구하고 시험에 합격했어요.
Despite being late, he passed the exam.geu-neun neu-jeo-sseum-e-do bul-gu-ha-go si-heom-e hap-gyeok-haet-sseo-yo.정말 대단하네요. 공부에도 불구하고 피곤했어요.
That's really impressive. Despite studying, I was tired.jeong-mal dae-dan-ha-ne-yo. gong-bu-e-do bul-gu-ha-go pi-gon-haet-sseo-yo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean, -에도 불구하고 is more formal and emphatic than -지만. It is often used in written language, news reports, and polite conversation to show strong contrast. Using it in casual speech with close friends might sound overly formal, so choose -지만 for everyday talk. Also, note that Korean does not have a direct equivalent of the English preposition 'despite'; instead, it uses this grammatical ending.
One thing to watch for
Using -에도 불구하고 with a full clause without the necessary nominalization, such as *비가 왔에도 불구하고.
Try this instead: You must nominalize the verb before adding -에도 불구하고. For past tense, use -았/었음에도 불구하고: 비가 왔음에도 불구하고 (Despite the fact that it rained). For present tense, use -음에도 불구하고: 비가 오음에도 불구하고 (Despite the fact that it rains).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'Despite the noise, I studied' using a noun?
Show a sample answer
소음에도 불구하고 공부했어요.
소음 (noise) is a noun, so add 에도 불구하고. The sentence means 'Despite the noise, I studied.' You could also use 소음이 있었음에도 불구하고, but the noun form is simpler.
2Change '비가 왔지만 나갔어요' to use -에도 불구하고.
Show a sample answer
비가 왔음에도 불구하고 나갔어요.
The verb 오다 (to come) in past tense becomes 왔-, and you add -음에도 불구하고. This makes the contrast stronger and more formal. The meaning is 'Despite the fact that it rained, I went out.'
3Which is more formal: -지만 or -에도 불구하고?
Show a sample answer
-에도 불구하고 is more formal.
-에도 불구하고 is used in formal and written contexts, while -지만 is neutral and common in everyday speech. Both express contrast, but -에도 불구하고 emphasizes unexpectedness.
Use -에도 불구하고 with nouns or verb stems to mean 'despite' or 'in spite of'. It is more formal than -지만 and highlights strong contrast. Practice with nouns first, then move to verb forms.
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