Grammar
-더라도
Meaning
Advanced-deorado
Attached to a verb stem, -더라도 concedes a hypothetical or unfavourable condition and states that the result still holds. It is stronger and more formal than -아도/어도, and is often paired with an adverb such as 아무리.
Form
It attaches straight to the stem of a verb or a descriptive verb with no batchim rule to worry about: 가다 → 가더라도, 먹다 → 먹더라도, 바쁘다 → 바쁘더라도, 늦다 → 늦더라도. For a situation already completed, put -았/었- in first: 끝나다 → 끝났더라도, 오다 → 왔더라도. With a noun it needs 이다 in between: 학생이더라도, 주말이더라도. The clause that follows says what holds anyway, and the whole thing is often reinforced by 아무리 ('no matter how') at the front.
Examples
지금 가입하더라도 혜택을 받을 수 있습니다.
Even if you join now, you can still receive the benefit.
아무리 바쁘더라도 아침은 꼭 먹습니다.
No matter how busy I am, I always eat breakfast.
비가 오더라도 행사는 그대로 진행됩니다.
Even if it rains, the event will go ahead as it is.
시간이 조금 걸리더라도 안전하게 가는 것이 좋습니다.
Even if it takes a little longer, it is better to go safely.
Common mistakes & nuance
-더라도 supposes a situation rather than reporting one you already know to be true, which is why 아무리 and clearly hypothetical clauses sit so naturally with it. When the first clause is a fact both of you already know, -아도/어도 or -지만 sounds more natural. It also stays formal — in a casual chat it can come across as speech-making.
Similar grammar
- -아도/어도
-아도/어도 is the everyday form and covers both real and hypothetical conditions. -더라도 pushes the concession further ('even supposing that…') and belongs to more formal writing and speech.
- -지만
-지만 links two things the speaker treats as already true ('A, but B'), while -더라도 supposes A and then says B holds regardless — so -지만 reports, and -더라도 concedes.