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

-는답시고

-는답시고: Under the Pretext Of… — Critical Claim

Connective -는답시고 「001」: subject offers the prior clause as grounds, but the speaker scorns or belittles it.

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

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Verb with batchim (not ㄹ)	-는답시고	돕는답시고 / 안답시고
Verb without batchim / ㄹ	-ㄴ답시고	간답시고 / 온답시고
Adjective / past / 겠	-답시고	바쁘답시고 / 했답시고

-는답시고 marks a pretext the speaker rejects — claiming to… (but…).

우리말샘 -는답시고 「001」. Not neutral purpose.

Why this is hard

English in order to sounds helpful. Korean -는답시고 often means the speaker finds that claim lame. Learners miss the scorn and use it as plain purpose -고자.

What it does

The subject offers a reason; the speaker undercuts it.

돕는답시고 방해만 했어요.
공부한답시고 전화만 했어요.
바쁜답시고 약속을 어겼어요.
잘한답시고 자랑만 하더라고요.

Forms

돕다 → 돕는답시고
가다 → 간답시고
바쁘다 → 바쁘답시고
하다 → 한답시고

When not to use it

Do not use it for sincere purpose praise.

Do not treat it as neutral because they said.

Do not confuse it with soft reported reason -는다기에.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-고자	Purpose — often neutral/formal.
-는다기에	Reported claim as reason — less scorn baked in.

Ask: am I mocking the claimed reason? If yes, -는답시고. If sincere purpose, use -고자 / -으려고.

Do not confuse it with

-는다기에

because they say… — the reported claim is the reason

-고자

in order to — the purpose of speeches and documents

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) -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) -는다기보다는 rather than saying… — reframing the label (-는다기보다는) -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.

-는답시고-neundapsigounder the pretext of…

-답시고-dapsigosame family after adjectives

핑계pinggyeexcuse

얕보다yatbodalook down on

구실gusilpretext

Quick check

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

1. Someone claimed to help but made the work harder. Which sentence lets the speaker mock that claimed reason?

2. You neutrally explain that you came because you heard the team was helping. Which line avoids the scorn built into -는답시고?

3. Which sentence uses -는답시고 inappropriately because the speaker sincerely praises a successful act of help?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 -는답시고 「001」: subject presents prior clause as grounds; speaker finds it unsatisfactory or belittles it.

Vs -는다기에?

-는다기에 takes reported speech as reason more neutrally. 답시고 adds scorn.

Forms?

-는답시고 / -ㄴ답시고 / -답시고 depending on stem class.

Café soft paraphrase?

…한다고 하면서 / …하는 척하고. Keep 답시고 when the critical colour matters.