빈 캔을 버리고 싶은데 길거리에 쓰레기통이 없어요. 왜 쓰레기통을 설치하지 않을까요?
I’d like to throw away an empty can, but there’s no trash can on the street. Why wouldn’t they put a trash can?
그러면 그 주위가 더 엉망이 될 거예요.
That will make the place around the can even worse.
왜요? 더 깨끗해지지 않을까요?
Why? Wouldn’t it be cleaner?
쓰레기통 주변에 쓰레기가 쌓여서 보기에도 좋지 않고 악취가 나기도 해요.
The garbage gets piled up around the trash can which doesn’t look good, and it stinks sometimes.
그래도 정부에서 쓰레기통 수를 늘리고 잘 관리하면 길거리가 훨씬 깨끗해질 거라고 봐요.
Still, I think the streets will be much cleaner if the government increases the number of trash cans and takes good care of them.
글쎄요. 사람들의 의식이 개선되지 않는다면 쓰레기통을 늘리나 마나일 거예요.
Well, without improvement in people’s consciousness, increasing them would be of no use.
V+ 으나/나 마나
It is attached to the stem of an action verb to mean you can confidently assume the result because the result in the following clause is always the same regardless of the behavior in the preceding clause.
엄마한테 물어보나 마나 남자친구하고 여행을 가지 못하게 하실 거예요.
Even if you ask your mom, I’m sure she won’t let you travel with your boyfriend.
벌써 12시가 넘었으니까 보나 마나 약국은 문 닫았을 거야.
I’m sure the pharmacy is closed since it’s already past midnight.
제 동생은 고집이 세서 충고를 해 주나 마나예요.
It’s of no use to give advice because my brother is stubborn.
Related words
길거리 street
설치 installation, put
악취 stink
정부 government
수 number
늘리다 to increase
의식 consciousness
개선되다 to be improved
Source: Yonsei University. Korean Language Institute
