[Korean grammar] -(느)ㄴ답시고 Expressing Causes and Reasons

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가: 피서 잘 다녀오셨어요?
Did you have a good time on vacation?
나: 빠른 길로 간답시고 모르는 길로 가다가 길을 잃어버려서 얼마나 고생을 했는지 몰라요.
With the intention of taking a shortcut, I went down a road I didn’t know, but I lost my way and had a really tough time.
가: 아이고 저런. 모처럼 받은 휴가인데 기분이 많이 상하셨겠네요.
Oh. no. That’s terrible. That was the first vacation you’d had in a while, so that must have been quite disheartening.
나: 게다가 피서지에서는 바가지를 많이 씌우니까 돈을 아낀답시고 음식을 싸 갔는데 날씨가 더워서 다 상해 버렸지 뭐예요.
Moreover, because you are always overcharged at resorts, I prepared food in advance with the intention of saving money, but the weather was so hot that all of the food spoiled.

This expression carries the same meaning as the expressions -(느)ㄴ다고 해서 and -(느)ㄴ다는 이유로 and indicate basis or reason for the action or state of affairs given in the following clause. It is usually used when the speaker wants to sarcastically express that while the subject of the sentence had intended to do something correctly, the effort ended in an unexpected and unsatisfactory resuIt. It only attaches to verbs.


• 컴퓨터를 고쳐 본답시고 다 뜯어 놓더니 더 못 쓰게 만들었다.
Thinking he could fix my computer, he disassembled it and ended up making it even less usable.

• 세호 씨는 자기 사업을 한답시고 가게를 차렸는데 6개월도 안 돼 가게 문을 닫고 말았다.
Thingking he would start his own business, Seho opened up a shop but then had to close it down within six months.

• 영진이는 풍경 사진을 찍는답시고 들로 산으로 놀러만 다니더니 성적이 밑바닥이다.
With the intention of taking landscape photographs, Youngjin spent all of his time up in the mountains, and as a result, his grades fell to the bottom of the class.

1. This expression is also used to simply indicate that some behavior, state of affairs, or event is unsatisfactory or objectionable. In such cases, it can be used not only with verbs but also with adjectives and nouns.
• 아들이 기침 조금 하는 것 가지고 아프답시고 학교에 못 가겠대요.
• 친구가 선물이랍시고 자기가 입던 옷을 주더 라고요.

2. This expression is also used when the speaker wants to speak modestly about his or her own behavior. In such cases, the form -(느)ㄴ답시고 -았는데/었는데 is often used.
• 제 딴에는 열심히 한답시고 했는데 결과가 잘 나올지 모르겠어요.
• 예쁜 걸로 고른답시고 골랐는데 마음에 드셨으면 좋겠어요.

>> You can click on the title of each grammar below to see other grammars which also express 'Causes and Reasons'

1. -(으)로 인해서
2 -는 통에
3. -(으)로 말미암아
4. -느니만큼
5. -는 이상
6. -기로서니
7. -기에 망정이지
8. -(느)ㄴ답시고
9. -(으)ㅁ으로써
10. -기에 
11. -길래

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>> Full of 'Korean grammar in use - Intermediate': Click here

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