Advanced Connecting Endings
Master advanced sentence connectors for complex expressions.
Advanced connecting endings extend the basic patterns from Level 5 into more nuanced territory. -(으)나 means 'but / however' in formal writing (similar to -지만 in conversation). -더라도 means 'even if', stronger than the more common -아/어도. -(으)ㄴ들 means 'even if' with a hypothetical-resigned tone. -(으)ㄹ수록 means 'the more ~ the more' (한국어를 공부할수록 재미있어요 — the more I study Korean, the more interesting it gets).
These endings appear primarily in formal writing, news editorials, academic papers, and TOPIK II reading passages. Recognition is more important than active production at this stage — you need to understand them when you encounter them but you do not need to deploy them in casual conversation. Practice by reading editorials and circling each connecting ending, then translating the implied logical relationship into English. Within a few weeks the endings stop being a comprehension obstacle and start signalling discourse structure clearly.
~(으)ㄹ수록 — The more ~, the more
Verb/adj stem + (으)ㄹ수록 expresses proportional increase. 보면 볼수록 (the more I look), 먹으면 먹을수록 (the more I eat). Often paired with 더 (more): 갈수록 더 좋아져요 (It gets better the more you go).
~(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 — Almost / Nearly did
Verb stem + (으)ㄹ 뻔하다 means 'almost did' something (but didn't). Always used in past tense: ~(으)ㄹ 뻔했다. 넘어질 뻔했어요 (I almost fell). 잊어버릴 뻔했어요 (I almost forgot).
How It Works
-(으)ㄹ수록 expresses proportional change: the more X, the more Y. It attaches to the verb or adjective stem, and it is very commonly reinforced by repeating the verb with -(으)면 first: 보면 볼수록, 먹으면 먹을수록. The doubled form is more idiomatic than the bare one in speech.
It frequently pairs with 더 ('more') in the second clause: 갈수록 더 좋아져요. 갈수록 on its own has also become a fixed adverb meaning 'increasingly' or 'as time goes on', used without any explicit comparison.
-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 means 'almost did', describing something that nearly happened but did not. It is essentially always used in the past: 넘어질 뻔했어요, 잊어버릴 뻔했어요. Using it in the present is ungrammatical in normal contexts because the near-miss is by definition complete.
The nuance is relief or alarm rather than neutral report. 죽을 뻔했어요 is hyperbolic and common — Koreans use it for anything from a genuine close call to a stressful afternoon.
Both constructions attach to stems using the (으)ㄹ shape you have now met repeatedly — in -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, -(으)ㄹ 거예요, -(으)ㄹ 때, -(으)ㄹ 것 같다. Recognising it as one recurring piece of machinery rather than a new rule each time is what makes advanced grammar feel lighter.
Where You'll Hear It
-(으)ㄹ수록 is a favourite in discussions about learning, work and relationships, which are exactly the topics that come up once your Korean is good enough to have real conversations. 한국어는 공부할수록 어려워요 is something learners say constantly, and Koreans will appreciate hearing it.
알면 알수록 ('the more I know') is a fixed favourite used to express growing appreciation for a person, place or subject.
갈수록 as a standalone adverb appears in commentary about trends: 갈수록 심해져요 ('it's getting worse and worse'). This use is common in ordinary complaint and small talk.
-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 lives in anecdotes. Telling a story about your day frequently involves something that almost happened — you almost missed the train, almost forgot an appointment — and this is the construction that carries it.
큰일 날 뻔했어요 ('that could have been a disaster') is a common set phrase for relating a near miss, and it is the natural thing to say when someone tells you about their own.
Both forms mark a step up in expressive range, because they let you describe relationships between events rather than just reporting them.
Cultural & Language Note
Advanced connectors are what separate intermediate from advanced Korean, because they let a single sentence carry contrast, concession, and degree simultaneously. 을수록 has no clean English equivalent — 'the more, the more' is a paraphrase rather than a translation. Written Korean at this level routinely builds sentences that would become three sentences in English.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
을수록 usually pairs with 으면 in the first clause — 보면 볼수록 rather than 볼수록 alone, which sounds incomplete. 을 뻔하다 always refers to something that did not happen; using it for an event that did occur reverses the meaning entirely.
How to Practice This Lesson
Use the doubled form from the start for -(으)ㄹ수록. 보면 볼수록 is what people actually say, and learning the bare 볼수록 first means you will have to relearn the idiomatic shape later.
Write five sentences about your own experience of learning Korean using this pattern. It is the most natural topic for it, and the sentences will be immediately reusable in conversation with Korean speakers.
For -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다, drill the past-tense restriction by trying to use the present and noticing that it fails. Then collect three near-misses from your own week and describe each one.
Notice the recurring (으)ㄹ machinery explicitly. Write out every construction you know that uses it — 수 있다, 거예요, 때, 것 같다, 수록, 뻔하다 — and see them as one family. At this level, consolidating what you already have is often more valuable than adding new forms, and this is a good opportunity for it.