12.6.1. Adverb 또 versus Particle 도
The adverb 또 has the same general type of meaning as the particle 도: and, again, too. However, since 또 is an adverb it is independent and does not have to be attached to a noun expression, unlike the particle 도. The adverb 또 at the beginning of a sentence means and also or and further(more); you have also had 그리고 in this meaning, and you can start a sentence with both of them: 그리고 또. . . And moreover. . . Notice the similarity between 도 the particle and 또 the adverb in such sentences as the following:
- 여기에 종이도 있습니다.
There’s some paper here, too.
저기에 종이(는) 또 있습니다.
There’s still some more paper over there.
An occasional accident of sound change may even make 도 and 또 sound the same in some environments (책또 here):
- 여기에 책도 있습니다.
There are books here, too.
책 (pause) 또 있어요.
There are some/yet more books over there.
12.6.2. The Particle (이)나
The particle (이)나, like the copula, has two shapes: after nouns ending in a consonant, it has the shape 이나 , but after nouns ending in a vowel it loses the 이 and has the shape 나. The particle (이)나 has several meanings, grouped into three headings:
a. about/approximately. . .
b. generalizer
c. or
a. -(이)나: about/approximately
Koreans are often less precise about numbers than speakers of English are. Thus, such words as (이)나 (usually written 나 after vowels) are often used with numerical expressions (especially in questions) to make them sound vaguer and hence less abrupt:
- A. 몇시간이나 걸립니까?
About how many hours does it take?
B. 한 세 시간 반 걸립니다.
It takes about three and a half hours. - A. 몇개나 살까요?
About how many should we buy?
B. 스무개쯤 삽시다.
Let’s buy about 20.
Note in (36A) above that (이)나 replaces the object particle; i.e., one cannot say *몇개를이나 or 몇개나를. In this respect, (이)나 behaves like 도.
b. Question word + (이)나: Generalizer any/every
When used after certain question words, (이)나 removes the interrogative meaning and generalizes the scope of the word. For example:
| 누구 | who? | 누구나 | anyone; everyone |
| 무엇 | what? | 무엇이나 | anything; everything |
| 언제 | when? | 언제나 | any time; all the time; always |
| 어디 | where? | 어디나 | anywhere; everywhere |
| 어디서 | where? | 어디서나 | [happening] anywhere;everywhere |
| 어느것 | which. ? | 어느것이나 | anything; either [thing] |
- A. 누구를 부를까요?
Whom shall we invite?
B. 누구나 좋아요.
Anybody is fine. - A. 주말에 어디에 갈까요?
Where shall we go [this] weekend?
B. 어디나 좋아요.
Anywhere is fine. - 우리 오빠는 언제나 어디서나 노래를 불러요.
My older brother is always singing wherever he goes. - A. 어느 것을 살까요?
Which one shall we buy?
B. 어느 것이나 좋아요.
Either one is fine.
A similar meaning can be obtained with the word 아무, which by itself means anyone, anybody, and in front of another noun means any, ‘any old’:
| 아무나 | anyone, anybody |
| 아무것이나 | anything |
| 아무때나 | any time |
| 아무데나 | any place |
| 아무데서나 | [happening at] any place; from any place |
| 아무 책이나 | any book [at all] |
- 저기는 아무나 못 가요.
Not just anybody can go over there. - A. 뭘 드릴까요?
What can I get for you?
B. 아무거나 주세요.
Give me any old thing (anything at all). - A. 언제 놀러 갈까요?
When shall we come over [When would you like us to come?] (‘to play?)?
B. 아무때나 오세요 ? 별로 바쁘지 않아요.
Come any time ? I’mn not particularly busy. - A. 아무데서나 담배 피우지 마세요!
Don’t just smoke anywhere you please! - A. 어떤 꽃을 살까요?
What kind of flowers should we buy?
B. 아무 꽃이나 좋아요! 빨리 사세요!
Any old flowers are OK! Hurry up and buy some!
The only way to make a negative version of this type of expression is with the 아무 pattern, followed by 도 instead of (이)나. Note that the verb must be in the negative.
- 아무도 nobody; nobody at all
- 아무것도 nothing; nothing at all
- 아무데도 nowhere; not any place
- 아무데서도 nowhere, not from anywhere;
- not [happening at] any place
- etc.
- A. 파티에는 사람 많이 왔어요?
Did a lot of people come to the party?
B. 아무도 안 왔어요.
Nobody came. - A. 주말에는 뭐 했어요?
What did you do over the weekend?
아무것도 안 했어요.
Nothing at all. - 애기 때문에, 주말에는 아무데도 못 갑니다.
Because of the baby, we can’t go anywhere on weekends.
c. (이)나 meaning or: Two Related Patterns
Sub-Pattern 1: Noun-A(이)나 Noun-B meaning Noun-A or Noun-B
The particles 도 and (이)나 are alike in some ways. You have just seen (이)나 in its meaning about, approximately and as a generalizer of questions words (누구나 anybody at all, etc..). Like 도,(이)나 can be used twice in a sentence to show tandem agreement, but (이)나 shows freedom or indifference of choice:
- 그 책은 아무 데에서도 안 팝니다.
They don’t sell that book anywhere. - 노트도, 연필도 안 돼요.
Neither notebooks nor pencils will do. - 노트나, 연필이나 다 돼요.
Either notebooks or pencils will do.
Whereas 도 is definite, (이)나 is vague or unspecific:
- 이것도 저것도 다 좋습니다.
Both this one and that one are OK. - 이것이나 저것이나 다 좋습니다.
Either this one or that one is OK.
The particle (이)나, then, when it is used after each of two (or more) comparable noun expressions, means (either). . . or (. . .or).
Sub-Pattern 2: NOUN(이)나 meaning Noun or something, Noun or the like
When (이)나 follows just a single noun, it still retains the sense of indifference to choice (even slightly denigrating the choice), but is best translated in English as or something, e.g.:
- A. 영화나 볼까요?
Shall we see a movie or something?
B. 네, 그럽시다.
Yes, let’s do that. - A. 술이나 마실까요?
Shall we have something [alcoholic] to drink [ or something]?
B. 아니오, 아이스크림이나 먹읍시다.
No, let’s eat some ice-cream or something.