-는데도 불구하고: Even So — Despite The Whole Clause

Formal despite: even though the preceding clause holds — -는데도 + 불구하고.

Before this, make sure you know: -는데도 , 에도 불구하고 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Verb + -는데도 불구하고	-는데도 불구하고	가는데도 불구하고 / 아는데도 불구하고
Adjective + -ㄴ데도 불구하고	-(으)ㄴ데도 불구하고	바쁜데도 불구하고 / 어려운데도 불구하고

-는데도 불구하고 means even so / despite — despite the whole preceding clause, with formal weight.

Why this is hard

It is the heavy cousin of soft -는데도. Learners use café -는데도 in essays that want 불구하고, or stack 불구하고 onto every mild contrast and sound stiff.

What it does

You grant a full clause, then proceed with formal despite.

바쁜데도 불구하고 도와줬어요.
비가 오는데도 불구하고 나갔어요.
설명이 긴데도 불구하고 끝까지 들었어요.
돈이 없는데도 불구하고 선물했어요.

Forms

-는데도 불구하고 / -(으)ㄴ데도 불구하고.

When not to use it

Do not use it for every soft spoken even-though. Do not drop 불구하고 and keep only -는데도 when the register is formal. Do not attach 불구하고 to a bare verb without the -는데 package.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-는데도	Soft even though — no 불구하고 weight.
에도 불구하고	Despite N — noun frame.
-지만	But — plain contrast.

Essays, speeches, and careful apology use the heavy frame. Match the coat to the room.

Classroom examples should keep the meaning concrete: one clear scene beats three vague glosses. If a neighbour form already says the same thing more lightly, prefer the lighter tool unless register demands this one.

Ask: do I need formal despite after a whole clause? If yes, -는데도 불구하고. If soft spoken even-though is enough, use -는데도.

Do not confuse it with

-는데도

even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만

에도 불구하고

despite — in spite of that noun situation

-지만

but — the plain contrast, blunter than 는데

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -자기에 because one decides to… — contracted -자고 하기에 (청유 인용 + 이유), pair of -는다기에 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -기에 앞서(서) before doing… — prior to the step you name -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 법하다 likely to… — a reasonable prediction -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another -으려나 보다 I guess they mean to… — reading someone's likely intention 를 가지고 with, using — taking that as the means or topic -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition 에도 불구하고 despite — in spite of that noun situation -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged

Words used above

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

-는데도 불구하고-neundedo bulguhagoeven so / despite…

바쁘다bappeudato be busy

어렵다eoryeopdato be difficult

알다aldato know

성공seonggongsuccess

Quick check

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

1. They were busy, yet they still helped — you need formal despite after the whole clause. Which line?

2. Which line matches a verb example from the forms table?

3. Same rain clause — soft café even-though, not essay weight. Which line?

Common questions

Dictionary?

불구하다 「002」: also with -ㄴ데도 — not bound by that. Stacked on -는데도.

Vs -는데도?

Same even-though job; 불구하고 feels heavier/written.

Vs 에도 불구하고?

에도 불구하고 takes nouns. This page takes clauses.

Speech?

Possible but often trimmed to -는데도 in casual talk.