Example Sentences#

1. 요즘 스트레스도 풀 겸.¹
   It’s also to relieve some stress these days.

   • 스트레스 is a loanword from English meaning ‘stress’.
   • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

2. 오늘도 내리지 않은 결심이²
   Today, once again, an unmade decision

   • 오늘 means ‘today’.
   • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

3. 나도 미쳤고, 너도 미쳤어.”³
   I’m mad. You’re mad.”

   • 나 means ‘I’.
   • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

4. 그러나 노인은 단지 “좋을 수도 있고, 나쁠 수도 있습니다”라고 대답했습니다.⁴
   However, the old man just answered, “It could be good, or it could be bad.”

   • 수 is a bound noun that can mean ‘way’, ‘means’, ‘possibility’, or ‘ability’.
   • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

5. 너도 이 마음 느낄 수 있잖아⁵
   You can feel this too, can’t you?

   • 너 is the informal second-person pronoun meaning ‘you’.
   • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

6. 지수: 나도 나의 아저씨 좋아해.⁶
   Jisoo: I also like ‘My Mister’.

   • 나 is the informal first-person pronoun meaning ‘I’.
   • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

7. 이십사 시간 안에 저는 최고의 사람도 미워하기 시작합니다.⁷
   Within twenty-four hours, I start to hate even the best of people:

   • 사람 means ‘person’.
   • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

8. 내가 하나 먹으면, 너도 하나만 먹는 거야.⁸
   If I eat one, you also eat one.

   • 너 is the informal second-person pronoun meaning ‘you’.
   • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

9. 한 번도 본 적 없는 하늘색⁹
   A sky color I’ve never seen before

   • 번 is a bound noun meaning ‘time’ or ‘occurrence’, used to count occurrences of an event or to mark a specific instance in a sequence.
   • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘even’, adding emphasis in negative constructions.

10. 가벼운 바람에도 흔들리는 맘¹⁰
    A heart swayed by even the lightest breeze

    • 바람 means ‘wind’.
    • 에 is a particle indicating location or cause.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘even’.

11. 그는 말없이 따라갔고, 한 시간 동안 아무 말도 하지 않았다.¹¹
    He followed silently, and did not say a word for an hour.

    • 말 means ‘word’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘even’. It is used here to emphasize the negation, indicating ‘not even a word’.

12. 추운 겨울밤, 며칠 동안 아무것도 먹지 못한 호랑이는 배가 몹시 고팠습니다.¹²
    On a cold winter night, the tiger, having gone several days without eating anything, was extremely hungry.

    • 아무 means ‘any’ and refers to an unspecified person or thing.
    • 것 is a bound noun meaning ‘thing’, and together 아무것 means ‘anything’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘even’, adding emphasis in negative constructions.
    • 아무것도 is a negative polarity item that must be used with a negative verb, together meaning ‘nothing at all’.

13. 해진: 나도 떡볶이 좋아하지만, 불고기도 먹자.¹³
    Haejin: I like tteokbokki too, but let’s eat bulgogi as well.

    • 나 is the informal first-person pronoun meaning ‘I’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

14. 날씨도 좋잖아.¹
    The weather’s nice.

    • 날씨 means ‘weather’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

15. 붙잡은 것도, 놓아버린 것도²
    What I held onto and what I let go of

    • 것 is a bound noun meaning ‘thing’, often used with modifiers to nominalize the preceding clause or phrase.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

16. 몇 달 후 그 말이 돌아왔고, 몇 마리의 다른 말도 데리고 왔습니다.⁴
    A few months later, the horse returned, bringing a few other horses.

    • 말 means ‘horse’.
    • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

17. 아무도 모르게 흘러가⁵
    Flowing on, unnoticed by anyone

    • 아무 means ‘any’ and refers to an unspecified person or thing.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘even’, adding emphasis in negative constructions.
    • 아무도 is a negative polarity item that must be used with a negative verb, together meaning ‘no one’ or ‘nobody’.

18. 큰 사건도 없는데, 사람들 이야기가 너무 진짜 같고, 그래서 더 감동적이었어.⁶
    Even though there’s no big event, the people’s stories seem so real, so it was more touching.

    • 사건 means ‘event’ or ‘incident’.
    • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

19. 이를 눈치챈 라사로도 맹인을 따라 두 개씩, 세 개씩 먹기 시작했다.⁸
    Noticing this, Lazaro also began eating two at a time, then three at a time, following the blind man’s example.

    • 라사로 is the Korean transliteration of ‘Lazaro,’ a proper noun.
    • 도 is a postpositional particle used to indicate an addition of another thing to something that already exists, suggesting ‘also’ or ‘even’.

20. 그런데 왜 아직도 그 여자를 마음속에 두고 있는가?”¹¹
    Why are you still carrying her?”

    • 아직 means ‘yet’ or ‘still’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘even’, adding emphasis to the continuity implied by 아직.