[Korean grammar] -은들 / ㄴ들 Expressing Hypothetical Situations

-은들 / ㄴ들 is used to indicate the fact that even if you acknowledge some hypothetical condition given in the preceding clause, the result in the following clause will still be different from what is expected. The interrogative forms -겠어요? and -(으)ㄹ까요? are used to emphasize the meaning of the following clause, and the word 아무리 is often used together with this expression.

가: 내 친구 김 사장 알지? 그 집 아이가 계속 몸이 아프다고 하는데 병원에 가서 진료를 해 봐도 특별한 병이 없다고 한대. 그래서 유명하다고 하는 병원은 여기저기 다 찾아다니는 모양이야.
You know my friend the company president Mr. Kim, don’t you? He said his son continued to be really sick, but when they took him to the hospital to get treated, they were told that there was nothing particularly wrong with him. So now it looks like he’s going to all of the well-known hospitals.
나: 부모들 마음이 다 그렇지요. 아이의 병이 나을 수만 있다면 무슨 일인들 못하겠어요?
That’s just how parents think. There’s nothing they won’t do if they can cure their child’s illness.
가: 루이랑 당신은 어때? 어디 특별히 아픈 데는 없지?
Are you and Louie okay? Are you hurting anywhere?
나: 네, 우리는 아주 건강해요. 가족을 위해서 열심히 일하는 것도 좋지만 당신이야말로 건강에도 신경 좀 쓰세요. 아무리 돈이 많은들 건강을 잃는다면 무슨 소용이 있겠어요?
Yes, we’re very healthy. It’s good that you work so hard for our family, but you should also pay attention to your health as well. It doesn’t matter how much money you have if you neglect your health in the process.

• 아무리 예술적 재능이 뛰어난들 그 재능을 펼칠 기회가 없다면 무슨 소용이 있겠는가?
No matter how much artistic talent someone has, if the person doesn’t have somewhere to utilize that talent, then what’s the use of having it?

• 어려운 전문 용어들을 사용해서 말하는데 여러 번 설명한들 아이들이 알아듣겠어요?
No matter how many times you explain it to them, do you really think the kids can 니nderstand the difficult technical words that you use when you speak?

• 내가 그동안 사람들을 속여 왔다고 생각하는데 이제 와서 진실을 말한들 날 믿어 줄까?
Everyone thinks I’ve been fooling them all this time, so do you think they’ll really believe me if I tell them the truth now?

This expression can also be used to hypothesize the opposite result of a past situation by using the form -았던들/었던들. It is used when expressing one’s desire, regret, or feeling of missed opportunity. In such cases, the following clause usually ends in a suppositional ending, such as -(으)ㄹ 것이다 or -(으)ㄹ 텐데.
• 부모님께서 돌아가시지 않았던들 이렇게 외롭지는 않았을 거예요.
If my parents had not passed away, then I wouldn’t be this lonely.

•그때 열심히 공부하라는 선생님의 충고를 들었던들 지금처럼 고생하지는 않았을 텐데.
If I had listened to my teacher’s advice to study hard at the time, then I wouldn’t be having so much trouble now.

>> You can click on the title of each grammar below to see other grammar which also expresses ‘Hypothetical Situations’