Complex Conjunctions in Korean

In Brief

Four useful Korean connectors package a relationship and an attitude into one form: -기는커녕 rejects an expectation (“far from” or “let alone”), -다시피 appeals to shared or visible knowledge (“as you know/see”), -(으)ㄹ수록 links proportional changes (“the more …, the more …”), and -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 adds reinforcing information (“in addition to”). They attach directly to predicates or nouns, so choosing the correct attachment matters as much as choosing the right meaning.

Overview

A connective ending is an ending attached to a verb or descriptive verb (the Korean category that often corresponds to an English adjective) to link one clause to another. English typically uses separate phrases such as “far from,” “as you know,” “the more,” and “on top of that.” Korean can build the same relationship into the end of the first clause.

These forms belong at C1 not because every individual sentence is formal or rare, but because their meaning depends heavily on expectations, information status, and rhetorical emphasis. 칭찬은커녕 혼났어요 does more than contrast praise and scolding: it says that praise was not even a realistic outcome and that the opposite happened. Likewise, 아시다시피 presents information as already shared rather than simply reporting it.

For an English-speaking learner, a one-word translation can be misleading. -다시피 is not a general-purpose “like,” -(으)ㄹ수록 does not always require two literal instances of “more,” and 데다가 is not a neutral replacement for every “and.” The sections below focus on what each pattern contributes to the speaker’s argument.

How It Works

Start with the stem, the part of a dictionary form before -다: 먹다 → 먹-, 비싸다 → 비싸-, 알다 → 알-.

1. -기는커녕: far from; let alone

This pattern denies or dismisses the item before 커녕 and normally follows it with a worse, opposite, or more basic reality.

Base	Form	Example
Action verb	stem + -기는커녕	쉬기는커녕 일만 했어요.
Descriptive verb	stem + -기는커녕	싸기는커녕 너무 비싸요.
Noun	noun + 은/는커녕	휴가는커녕 주말에도 일했어요.

With a noun, choose 은 after a final consonant and 는 after a vowel: 밥은커녕, 커피는커녕. In actual speech, the construction often appears with negative expressions such as 못, 안, or -지도 못하다, but the second clause may instead state a clear opposite: 칭찬은커녕 혼났어요.

The scale can work in two closely related ways:

• Far from X, actually Y: X was expected or desirable, but Y happened instead.
• Not even X, let alone Y: a more basic item is impossible, so a more demanding item is out of the question. Korean may order the items differently from the most natural English translation, so follow the logic rather than matching words mechanically.

2. -다시피: as you know, see, or can tell

Attach -다시피 to a verb stem. It marks the preceding information as already known, observable, or readily inferable by the listener.

Form	Typical function	Example
알다 → 알다시피	appeal to shared knowledge	알다시피 상황이 복잡합니다.
아시다 → 아시다시피	polite appeal to shared knowledge	아시다시피 일정이 바뀌었습니다.
보다 → 보다시피	point to visible evidence	보다시피 방이 비어 있어요.
듣다 → 듣다시피	point to what is audible/heard	듣다시피 소음이 심합니다.

아시다시피 contains the honorific verb 아시다 and is often more appropriate in presentations, workplace speech, or polite conversation. Because the expression assumes accessibility, use it only when the listener really does know, see, or have evidence for the point. Otherwise it can sound presumptuous.

Do not confuse this with -다시피 하다, a related but distinct construction meaning “practically” or “almost”: 매일 밤을 새우다시피 했어요 means “I practically stayed up all night every day.” Here, the subject performs an action to nearly the stated degree; there is no appeal to the listener’s knowledge.

3. -(으)ㄹ수록: the more …, the more …

This ending expresses a proportional relationship: as one state or action develops, another tendency becomes stronger or more apparent.

Stem type	Attachment	Example
Ends in a vowel	-ㄹ수록	가다 → 갈수록
Ends in ㄹ	-수록	알다 → 알수록
Ends in another consonant	-을수록	먹다 → 먹을수록
Noun + 이다	-일수록	전문가이다 → 전문가일수록

The first clause does not have to translate literally as “more.” 갈수록 어려워요 means “It gets harder as time goes on” or, depending on context, “The farther we go, the harder it gets.” Korean leaves the dimension to context.

For an explicit “the more X, the more Y” rhythm, Korean often repeats the predicate with -(으)면:

• 보면 볼수록 재미있어요. — The more I watch it, the more interesting it is.
• 생각하면 할수록 이상해요. — The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.

The shorter 볼수록 재미있어요 is also grammatical. The repeated version makes the increasing process more vivid and balanced.

4. -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가: in addition to; on top of

데다가 adds a second fact to the first, usually with both facts pointing toward the same evaluation or conclusion. Its form changes according to the kind and time of the predicate.

Base	Form	Example
Action verb, ongoing/general	-는 데다가	비가 오는 데다가 바람도 불어요.
Action verb, completed/past	-(으)ㄴ 데다가	잠을 못 잔 데다가 아침도 못 먹었어요.
Descriptive verb	-(으)ㄴ 데다가	비싼 데다가 맛도 없어요.
Noun + 이다	-인 데다가	초보자인 데다가 경험도 부족해요.

For -(으)ㄴ, use -ㄴ after a vowel and -은 after most consonants: 크다 → 큰 데다가, 작다 → 작은 데다가. Korean descriptive verbs such as 비싸다 and 좋다 use the descriptive pattern even though English translates them with “be + adjective.”

The particle 도 (“also/even”) frequently appears in the second clause because it reinforces the additive meaning: 비싼 데다가 교통도 불편해요. It is common, not mandatory.

Keep 데다가 spaced from the modifier before it: 비싼 데다가, not 비싼데다가. Here 데 is a bound noun (a noun-like grammatical element that cannot normally stand alone in this use), followed by 다가.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
칭찬은커녕 혼났어요.	Far from being praised, I got scolded.	The actual result is the opposite of the hoped-for one.
쉬기는커녕 점심도 못 먹었어요.	Far from taking a break, I could not even eat lunch.	The second clause gives a worse reality.
해외여행은커녕 국내 여행도 못 갔어요.	I could not even travel domestically, let alone go abroad.	A lower possibility also failed.
싸기는커녕 예상보다 훨씬 비쌌어요.	It was far from cheap; it was much more expensive than expected.	A descriptive verb takes -기는커녕.
아시다시피 다음 주부터 근무 시간이 바뀝니다.	As you know, working hours will change starting next week.	Polite, suitable for an announcement.
보다시피 이 자료에는 날짜가 없습니다.	As you can see, this document has no date.	Points to visible evidence.
방금 들으셨다시피 열차가 지연되고 있습니다.	As you just heard, the train is being delayed.	Past marking appears inside the quoted fact.
갈수록 문제가 복잡해져요.	The problem gets more complicated as time goes on.	Context supplies the dimension of change.
한국어는 배우면 배울수록 재미있어요.	The more you learn Korean, the more interesting it becomes.	Repetition highlights the proportional relationship.
책임이 클수록 결정도 신중해야 합니다.	The greater the responsibility, the more careful the decision must be.	Two linked degrees.
전문가일수록 기본을 중요하게 생각해요.	The more expert someone is, the more they value the basics.	Noun + 이다 becomes -일수록.
그 식당은 비싼 데다가 맛도 없어요.	That restaurant is expensive, and on top of that, the food is not good.	Two negative reasons support one judgment.
비가 오는 데다가 길까지 막혔어요.	It was raining, and to make matters worse, traffic was backed up.	An ongoing action uses -는 데다가.
잠을 못 잔 데다가 감기까지 걸렸어요.	Besides not having slept, I also caught a cold.	A completed action uses -(으)ㄴ 데다가.
그는 경험이 풍부한 데다가 설명도 명확해요.	He has extensive experience, and his explanations are clear as well.	The added points can both be positive.

Common Mistakes

1. Treating -기는커녕 as a neutral “but”

• Wrong: 날씨가 좋기는커녕 산책했어요.
• Right: 날씨가 좋기는커녕 비까지 왔어요.
• Why: The second clause should overturn or undercut the first expectation. For the neutral meaning “The weather was good, so I took a walk,” use 날씨가 좋아서 산책했어요.

2. Using -다시피 for information the listener cannot know

• Awkward: 아시다시피 저는 어제 혼자 새 휴대폰을 샀어요.
• Right: 말씀드렸듯이 저는 어제 새 휴대폰을 샀어요.
• Why: If the purchase was private and never mentioned, “as you know” makes an unsupported assumption. 말씀드렸듯이 means “as I mentioned.”

3. Adding 으 after an ㄹ-final stem

• Wrong: 알을수록 더 궁금해요.
• Right: 알수록 더 궁금해요.
• Why: A stem ending in ㄹ attaches directly to -수록. Compare 먹을수록 after the consonant ㄱ.

4. Giving an action verb the descriptive 데다가 form

• Wrong: 비가 온 데다가 바람도 불어요. (for rain that is currently falling)
• Right: 비가 오는 데다가 바람도 불어요.
• Why: A current or general action takes -는 데다가. 비가 온 데다가 refers to rain that came or has already occurred.

5. Writing 데다가 as part of the preceding word

• Wrong: 비싼데다가 맛도 없어요.
• Right: 비싼 데다가 맛도 없어요.
• Why: The 데 in this construction is written with a space before it. Do not confuse it with the connective -는데, as in 비싼데 잘 팔려요 (“It is expensive, but it sells well”).

Usage Notes

Register varies by pattern. -기는커녕 and -(으)ㄹ수록 are natural in both conversation and writing. -(으)ㄴ/는 데다가 is also widely usable, though in casual speech speakers may choose simpler sequences with -고, 게다가, or separate sentences. 아시다시피 is especially common in presentations, meetings, notices, and explanatory writing because it manages shared knowledge politely.

The two sides should support a coherent rhetorical direction. With 데다가, both facts normally strengthen the same conclusion: two disadvantages, two advantages, or two pieces of evidence. If the facts pull in opposite directions, a contrastive connector such as -지만 is usually better: 비싸지만 맛있어요 (“It is expensive, but delicious”), not 비싼 데다가 맛있어요 unless both qualities genuinely count as supporting the same evaluation in context.

English punctuation does not map directly onto Korean structure. An English translation may use a comma, semicolon, or even two sentences. The Korean ending still grammatically links the first clause to what follows. Translate the relationship, not the punctuation.

Subject omission can hide the comparison. In 갈수록 어려워요, the omitted subject and changing dimension come from context. It might refer to a journey, a task over time, or a situation developing. Add a topic when ambiguity matters: 과정이 끝으로 갈수록 어려워요 (“The process gets harder toward the end”).

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Scales and expectation with -기는커녕

The force of 커녕 comes from an implied scale. In 밥은커녕 물도 못 마셨어요, water is presented as an even more basic minimum than a meal. In 사과하기는커녕 오히려 화를 냈어요, apologizing was expected, but the person did the opposite. 오히려 (“rather; on the contrary”) often makes this reversal explicit.

This is why word-for-word translation can reverse the apparent order. Before producing the sentence, ask: “What was expected, and what worse or more basic reality should replace it?”

Evidential force with -다시피

Forms based on perception verbs can function as evidence markers:

• 보다시피 — the evidence is visible.
• 듣다시피 — the evidence is audible or has just been heard.
• 알다시피 / 아시다시피 — the information is treated as shared knowledge.

This rhetorical move can be persuasive, but overusing 아시다시피 may sound as though you are telling the audience what they must already know. In careful writing, state the evidence directly when shared knowledge is uncertain.

Fixed and paired uses of -(으)ㄹ수록

Some common expressions have become highly conventional:

• 갈수록 — increasingly; as time goes on
• 알면 알수록 — the more one knows
• 보면 볼수록 — the more one looks/watches
• 생각하면 할수록 — the more one thinks about it

The two changing elements may share a subject or have different subjects: 날씨가 추울수록 난방비가 많이 들어요 (“The colder the weather, the higher the heating cost”). What matters is proportional dependence, not identical sentence structure.

데다가 versus 게다가 and -고

Connector	Main character	Typical effect
-(으)ㄴ/는 데다가	Attached to the first predicate	Tightly packages one reinforcing fact with another.
게다가	Separate adverb	Adds a new sentence-level point: “moreover/on top of that.”
-고	General connective ending	Simply joins facts; it does not inherently signal accumulation.

Compare 방이 좁고 어두워요 (“The room is small and dark”) with 방이 좁은 데다가 어둡기까지 해요 (“The room is small, and on top of that it is even dark”). The second version builds a stronger case. -기까지 하다 (“even goes so far as to be/do”) can intensify that accumulation.

Practice Tips

1. Build four-way contrast cards. Put one situation—such as a delayed trip, a difficult course, or a disappointing restaurant—through all four patterns. This forces you to choose a relationship rather than memorize an English gloss.
2. Mark the implied logic. For -기는커녕, label “expectation → worse reality.” For 데다가, label “reason 1 + reinforcing reason 2.” For -(으)ㄹ수록, draw two arrows showing what changes together.
3. Collect authentic openings. Listen for 아시다시피 in Korean presentations and announcements, then note what evidence or shared context follows. Also collect 보면 볼수록 and 갈수록 from reviews and conversations to develop a feel for what Korean leaves implicit.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Formal Connective Endings — provides practice linking clauses with endings such as -(으)므로, -(으)나, and -(으)며.