TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.6 Contrast, Concession & Futility 03

TOPIK II Grammar · Ch.6 Contrast, Concession & Futility 03

'-아/어 봤자 · -(으)나 마나' - When It's No Use Anyway

지금 출발해 봤자 늦어요 - even if we left now, we'd be late. 물어보나 마나 안 된다고 할 거예요 - no need to even ask; they'll say no. Two patterns for effort that won't pay off - resignation and certainty, folded into single endings.

Key point -아/어 봤자 = "even if (you) tried, it wouldn't help" - a whole English clause packed into one ending. It can also mean "at most". -(으)나 마나 = literally "do or not-do - same": no point even doing it.

How to use it

-아/어 봤자 is built on -아/어 보다 (= try doing) plus -았자: 말해 봤자 안 들을 거예요 (= even if you told him, he wouldn't listen). This is why a single Korean ending can replace an entire English "even if ..." clause. What follows is a negative outcome or 소용없다 (= it's no use).

It has a second reading, "at most": 비싸 봤자 만 원이에요 (= even at its most expensive, it's 10,000 won). However far you stretch the guess, the amount stays small.

-(으)나 마나 is a compressed 하나 (안) 하나 마찬가지 - literally "whether you do or don't, it's the same": 결과는 보나 마나 뻔해요 (= the result is obvious without even looking). It forms fixed pairs - 보나 마나, 들으나 마나, 물으나 마나 - and it's written with a space: -나 마나.

At a glance

Pattern	Meaning	Example
-아/어 봤자 (no use)	even trying won't change it	후회해 봤자 소용없어요
-아/어 봤자 (at most)	however ~, no more than that	멀어 봤자 걸어서 십 분이에요
-(으)나 마나	obvious without doing it	먹어 보나 마나 맛있을 거예요

Tone caution  Both patterns carry resignation and certainty. Aimed at a superior's suggestion - 해 봤자 안 돼요 - they can sound rude. Save them for close friends.

Examples

지금 뛰어 봤자 버스는 이미 떠났을 거예요. Even if you ran now, the bus would already be gone. - the "no use" reading.

아무리 비싸 봤자 오만 원을 넘지 않을 거예요. However expensive it is, it won't go over 50,000 won. - the "at most" reading, with 아무리.

그 팀과 경기하면 결과는 보나 마나예요. If we play that team, the result is obvious without watching. - 보나 마나 can even sit in the sentence like a noun.

Common mistakes

❌ 열심히 공부해 봤자 꼭 합격할 거예요. → ⭕ 열심히 공부하면 꼭 합격할 거예요. A good outcome can't follow -아/어 봤자 - the ending itself declares the effort useless. A positive expectation belongs to -(으)면.

❌ 물어보나마나 대답은 같을 거예요. → ⭕ 물어보나 마나 대답은 같을 거예요. -나 마나 is written with a space, and writing it solid counts as a spelling error in the writing section. It's the reverse of 수밖에 (written solid) - which is exactly why the two get mixed up.

Quick check

Fill each blank with -아/어 봤자 or -(으)나 마나 in the right form.

1. 이제 와서 사과해 (      ) 소용없어요.
2. 들어 보(      ) 또 같은 변명일 거예요.
3. 짐이 무거워 (      ) 10킬로도 안 될 거예요. (at most)

Show answers

1. 봤자 (apologizing now has no use - 소용없어요 follows)   2. 나 마나 (the result is clear without listening)   3. 봤자 (however heavy it is, at most 10 kg)

💡 Study tip - Listen for these in drama arguments. 말해 봤자 뭐 해. (= what would saying it change?) - one sigh, one ending, a whole clause of English resignation.