Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Grammar Supplement · Curriculum gap

-는다기보다는

-는다기보다는: Rather Than Saying… — Reframe the Label

Reframe package -는다기보다는: rather than calling it X, it is closer to Y — label correction.

Before this, make sure you know: 보다 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Plain quote-ish + 기보다는	-는다기보다는 / -다기보다는	싫다기보다는 / 간다기보다는
Noun / copula	-이라기보다는	선물이라기보다는

-는다기보다는 reframes the label — rather than calling it X….

Not an action swap -는 대신에.

Why this is hard

English rather than covers substitutes and wording. Learners grab -는 대신에. -는다기보다는 corrects what you call it.

What it does

You reject a blunt label and offer a closer one.

싫다기보다는 피곤해요.
간다기보다는 피한 거예요.
선물이라기보다는 마음이에요.
실패라기보다는 연습이었어요.

Forms

싫다 → 싫다기보다는
가다 → 간다기보다는
선물이다 → 선물이라기보다는
실패다 → 실패라기보다는

When not to use it

Do not use it to swap chores or objects — that is -는 대신에.

Do not drop the closer Y sequel.

Do not force it for hard contrast -는 반면에.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-는 대신에	Instead-of swap.
-는 반면에	Clear contrast.
보다	Comparison baseline.

Ask: am I correcting the wording, not swapping tasks? If yes, -는다기보다는.

Do not confuse it with

-는 대신에

instead of — swapping one action for another

-는 반면

whereas, while on the other hand

보다

than — the comparison particle

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 교재·표준 교육과정 밖의 문법 (Grammar outside of textbooks and standard curriculum) — Advanced Grammar Supplement, Unit 1, on the theme of Curriculum gap. These come with it:

-는 셈이다 amounts to / counts as — treating the situation as that result (-는 셈이다) -을 지경이다 to the point of… — an extreme state or plight (-을 지경이다) -기 십상이다 almost certain to… — nine times out of ten (-기 십상이다) -는 둥 마는 둥 half-doing it — barely, half-heartedly (-는 둥 마는 둥) -던 차에 just when… — at the very moment that was underway (-던 차에) 으로 말미암아 owing to… — formal written cause (으로 말미암아) -는답시고 under the pretext of… — claiming to, often critically (-는답시고) -는가 하면 and then again… — stacking contrasting cases (-는가 하면) -을 겸 while also… — doing it for that purpose too (-을 겸) -게끔 so that… — purpose with a firm push (-게끔) -을 턱이 없다 no reason whatsoever… — denying grounds flatly (-을 턱이 없다) -을 리 만무하다 utterly no chance… — impossibility stressed (-을 리 만무하다) -을 성싶다 seems likely to… — a soft forecast (-을 성싶다) -을지언정 even if… — conceding then holding the other line (-을지언정) -기 그지없다 endlessly… — extreme degree with no bound (-기 그지없다) -기 이를 데 없다 beyond words… — so much there is no way to say it (-기 이를 데 없다) -다 못해 unable to go on… — past the limit, then the sequel (-다 못해) -는 셈치고 pretending / counting it as… — provisional assumption (-는 셈치고) -는다 뿐이지 only that… — limiting the claim to just that (-는다 뿐이지) -는다손 치더라도 even granting that… — strong concession then pushback (-는다손 치더라도) -어 주십사 please do… for me — earnest old-style request (-어 주십사) -겠거니 thinking it would… — assumption that guides the next act (-겠거니) -으랴 -으랴 what with A and B… — piling pressures or tasks (-으랴 -으랴) -으려던 참이다 was just about to… — intention interrupted at the brink (-으려던 참이다) -은 끝에 after all that… — only at the end of the ordeal (-은 끝에) -은 바 있다 have (once)… — formal experience on record (-은 바 있다) -건 간에 whether A or B… — it does not matter which (-건 간에)

Words used above

Tap the speaker to hear it read aloud by your browser.

-는다기보다는-neundagibodaneunrather than saying…

표현pyohyeonwording / label

대신daesininstead — neighbour

보다bodathan — comparison seed

정정jeongjeongcorrection

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. You correct the label: not really hate, closer to tired. You are not swapping a chore and not drawing a hard contrast.

2. You correct the label of the going: it was avoiding, not a chore swapped for avoiding and not a hard contrast.

3. Rather than calling it a gift, it is the thought. You are correcting the word, not substituting the object.

Common questions

Dictionary?

Quotative-ish -다기 + 보다는: rather than saying that, …

Tone?

Soft correction — nuance, feelings, definitions.

Vs 보다?

보다 compares quantities/qualities. This slot compares *labels*.

Café soft?

싫다기보다 그냥…. Keep the full package when the reframe is clear.