-아도/어도 in Korean: “even if, even though”

-아도/어도 (-ado/-eodo) means "even if" or "even though". The first part does not change the result in the second part: "Even if it rains, I'll go."

How to form it

How to use it

-아도/어도 says "no matter that A, B still happens." It can be about something imagined (even if it rains tomorrow) or something real (even though it's cold).

아무리 (no matter how) is often placed in front for emphasis: 아무리 먹어도 배고파요 (No matter how much I eat, I'm still hungry).

The same form appears in -아도/어도 되다, which asks or gives permission: 들어가도 돼요? (May I come in?). The ending is conjugated just like the polite -아요/어요, so if you can make 가요, 먹어요, 해요, you can make 가도, 먹어도, 해도.

Examples

Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.

Don’t mix it up with

-는데도: -는데도 is only for real facts (even though I studied, I failed). -아도/어도 works for both real facts and imagined situations.

-지만: -지만 simply means "but" and contrasts two facts. -아도/어도 stresses that the first part does not change the outcome.

-(으)면: -(으)면 means "if": the result depends on the condition. -아도/어도 means the result happens anyway.

Common mistakes

Attaching 아도 straight to a noun. Say 학생이어도 (or 학생이라도 in speech), not 학생아도.

Forgetting irregular stems: 춥다 becomes 추워도, and 듣다 becomes 들어도.

Want the basics first? Read Present tense (아요/어요).