Lesson 18
In this lesson, we are going to look at how to use -은/는커녕 to talk about something that is "not even" done or "far from" happening. -은/는커녕 is often translated to "let alone" and is used in sentences with negative meanings. The phrase following -은/는커녕 is usually a worse situation or outcome than whatever comes before -은/는커녕.
Conjugation
Noun + -은/는커녕
Verb stem + -기 + -는커녕
Ex)
숙제는커녕 = let alone homework
도와주기는커녕 = let alone helping
무섭기는커녕 = let alone being scary, far from being scary but rather…
칭찬은커녕 = let alone a compliment
Commonly used expressions
There are several expressions that are used together with -은/는커녕 to emphasize and complete its meaning. Take a look at some of these common combinations below.
A는커녕 B도 (-도 means "not even")
A는커녕 B조차 (-조차 means "not even" and makes the sentence more formal)
A는커녕 B만 (-만 means "only" or "just")
Sample Sentences
학생들이 공부를 열심히 하기는커녕 수업에도 안 왔어요.
= Let alone study hard, the students did not even come to class.
= I was expecting the students to (at least) study hard, but they did not even do that. Rather, they did not even come to class.
칭찬받기는커녕 야단만 맞았어요.
= Let alone getting complimented, all I got was a scolding.
= Rather than being complimented, I actually only got scolded.
제 여동생은 주말에 집안일을 돕기는커녕, 거의 집에 있지도 않아요.
= My younger sister does not usually even stay at home on weekends, let alone help with chores.
돈이 남기는커녕 모자랐어요.
= Instead of having money left over, we did not even have enough.
저는 해외는커녕 서울 밖에도 안 나가 봤어요.
= Let alone overseas, I have never even been out of Seoul before.
숙제를 다 하기는커녕 시작조차 못 했어요.
= I could not even start the homework, much less finish it.
Alternative expressions
- -은/는 고사하고
This expression can be used interchangeably with -은/는커녕 in most cases, and sounds more formal.
Ex)
우승은커녕 예선 통과도 못 했어요.
= Let alone winning, we did not even pass the preliminary round.
= 우승은 고사하고 예선 통과도 못 했어요.
저는 비행기는커녕 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
= Let alone an airplane, I have never even taken a train.
= 저는 비행기는 고사하고 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
When -은/는 고사하고 is used in the sense of "needless to mention (something)", its usage is different from -은/는커녕. For example, in the sentence, "그 사람은 일을 못하는 것은 고사하고, 일단 연락이 안 돼요", the expression -은/는 고사하고 means "before you even talk about (something)" or "not even discussing (a certain topic)". This usage is not found in -은/는커녕. - -은/는 물론이고, -뿐만 아니라
You can express a meaning similar to -은/는커녕 by using -은/는 물론이고 (= that is for sure, and...) or -뿐만 아니라 (= not only that, but also...). These two expressions have a wider range of usage than -은/는커녕, and you can list actions or states together that are not directly related. You can also list two positive things together.
Ex)
그 사람은 요리는 물론이고, 설거지도 안 해요.
= He does not even do the dishes, let alone cook.
저는 비행기뿐만 아니라 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
= Let alone an airplane, I have never even taken a train. - -은/는 말할 것도 없고
-은/는 말할 것도 없고 means "there is not even anything to talk about" or "there is no reason to mention it". It is very similar to both -은/는 물론이고 and -뿐만 아니라.
Ex)
저는 비행기는 말할 것도 없고 아직 기차도 못 타 봤어요.
= Let alone an airplane, I have never even taken a train.
* Example of a positive sentence
그 사람은 노래는 말할 것도 없고 바이올린 연주도 잘해요.
= He is not only good at singing, but also good at playing the violin.
Grammatically incorrect but accepted sentences using -은/는커녕
Although it is grammatically incorrect, it is common for native Korean speakers to omit a verb when using -은/는커녕. For example, when saying that someone does not eat vegetables “let alone” drink enough water, you are comparing 채소를 먹다 and 물을 충분히 마시다. The grammatically correct way to say this is, “그 사람은 채소를 먹기는커녕 물도 충분히 안 마셔요.” However, people often omit the first verb, and say, “그 사람은 채소는커녕 물도 충분히 안 마셔요.”
Technically, this sentence is incorrect because you cannot “drink” 채소. But even with one verb omitted, you can easily understand the sentence’s intended meaning. For this reason, you will see a lot of grammatically incorrect sentences associated with -은/는커녕.