-을 따름이다: Nothing More Than — Limiting the Claim

-을 따름이다 caps the claim: I am only doing that — nothing more.

Gloss: nothing more than — limiting what you claim. 우리말샘 따름 「001」: bound noun, mainly in -을 따름이다, meaning only that and nothing beyond. It is the written, often humble cousin of -을 뿐이다.

What it does — shrink the boast

도울 따름입니다.
말씀드릴 따름이에요.
제 일을 할 따름입니다.
결과를 기다릴 따름이에요.
알고 있을 따름입니다.

Job talk and careful speech love it: you name one action and refuse a bigger reading (I’m not claiming credit / expertise / drama).

Forms

Shape	Example
-을 따름이다	도울 따름이다
-ㄹ 따름이다	할 따름이다
Polite	따름입니다 / 따름이에요

따름 is a noun. The verb must become a modifier first — *돕다 따름이다 fails for the same reason *먹다 결과 fails.

Neighbours

Form	Feel
-을 따름이다	written / humble limit
-을 뿐이다	broader ‘only’ limit
만	light everyday only
밖에	only… with Neg

기다리기만 해요.           light 만
기다릴 뿐이에요.           뿐 limit
기다릴 따름입니다.         formal/humble limit

When to use — and when not

Use -을 따름이다 when you need to limit or soften what the listener might read into your action — especially in writing, interviews, and polite self-description.

Avoid using it to brag (천재일 따름입니다 as swagger). Avoid café only — prefer 만 or 뿐. Avoid dropping the adnominal.

Practice: take a boastful line and rewrite it as …을 따름입니다 until it sounds like a limit, not a trophy.