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. 나도 미쳤고, 너도 미쳤어.”²
   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’.

3. 그러나 노인은 단지 “좋을 수도 있고, 나쁠 수도 있습니다”라고 대답했습니다.³
   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’.

4. 너도 이 마음 느낄 수 있잖아⁴
   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’.

5. 지수: 나도 나의 아저씨 좋아해.⁵
   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’.

6. 이십사 시간 안에 저는 최고의 사람도 미워하기 시작합니다.⁶
   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’.

7. 내가 하나 먹으면, 너도 하나만 먹는 거야.⁷
   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’.

8. 그는 말없이 따라갔고, 한 시간 동안 아무 말도 하지 않았다.⁸
   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’.

9. 해진: 나도 떡볶이 좋아하지만, 불고기도 먹자.⁹
   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’.

10. 날씨도 좋잖아.¹
    The weather’s nice.

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

11. 몇 달 후 그 말이 돌아왔고, 몇 마리의 다른 말도 데리고 왔습니다.³
    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’.

12. 아무도 모르게 흘러가⁴
    Flowing on, unnoticed by anyone

    • 아무 means ‘any’ or ‘anyone’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘even’ that, when used with a negative verb, emphasizes negation, resulting in ‘not even one’ or ‘no one/nothing’.

13. 큰 사건도 없는데, 사람들 이야기가 너무 진짜 같고, 그래서 더 감동적이었어.⁵
    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’.

14. 이를 눈치챈 라사로도 맹인을 따라 두 개씩, 세 개씩 먹기 시작했다.⁷
    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’.

15. 그런데 왜 아직도 그 여자를 마음속에 두고 있는가?”⁸
    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.

16. 해진: 좋아, 그럼 떡볶이 덜 맵게 하나, 불고기 하나, 그리고 밥도 추가하자.⁹
    Haejin: Alright, so one less spicy tteokbokki, one bulgogi, and let’s add some rice too.

    • 밥 means ‘cooked rice’, but is often used to refer to a meal in general.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’.

17. 하지만 노인은 다시 “좋을 수도 있고, 나쁠 수도 있습니다”라고 대답했습니다.³
    But the old man again 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’.

18. 지수: 그치, 그 두 사람 다 상처가 많았는데, 그냥 옆에 있어 주는 것만으로도 힘이 되는 게 보여서 좋았어.⁵
    Jisoo: Right, both of those people had many wounds, but it was good to see that just being by their side was enough to give them strength.

    • 것 is a bound noun meaning ‘thing’, often used with modifiers to nominalize the preceding clause or phrase.
    • 만 is a particle meaning ‘only’ or ‘just’.
    • 으로 is an instrumental particle meaning ‘with’ or ‘by’.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘even’ or ‘also’.
    • -는 것만으로도 indicates that simply doing the action in the preceding clause alone is enough to produce the result mentioned in the following clause.

19. 그러나 노인은 여전히 “좋을 수도 있고, 나쁠 수도 있습니다”라고 대답했습니다.³
    However, the old man still 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’.

20. 태민: 응, 말 없이도 서로 힘이 되어 주는 게 진짜 감동이었지.⁵
    Taemin: Yes, it was really touching that they could be a source of strength for each other even without words.

    • 없이 means ‘without’, formed from 없다 (‘to not exist’) and the adverbial suffix -이.
    • 도 is a particle meaning ‘even’ or ‘also’.