~기는 하다

This pattern marks an emphatic concession — the speaker realizes, accepts, or concedes that a piece of information (often something the interlocutor just said) is indeed correct. The textbook citation form is ~기는 하- — structurally, ~기 + the topic particle 는 (§3.3.2.1) + the verb 하-. Tense markers cannot appear before ~기; tense rides on the second clause or on the 하- itself.

Two-layer meaning — concession with an implied “but…”:

Beyond the surface concession (“yes, X is indeed true”), the pattern often carries a second layer: the conceded point is of limited significance or there’s more to be said. The textbook example 인호가 착하기는 해요 (“Inho is certainly nice”) in context implies “yes, nice — but maybe not particularly talented, good looking, or suitable for whatever was being discussed.” The concession is genuine, but it’s setting up an unspoken (or spoken) “but…”

This second layer is what makes ~기는 하다 distinctive. A plain affirmation 인호가 착해요 (“Inho is nice”) just states the fact. 인호가 착하기는 해요 concedes the point while leaving room for “but there’s more to it.”

Common contrastive pairings: ~기는 하지만 and ~기는 하는데

Because the implied “but…” is so common, ~기는 하- is frequently followed by verbal connectives that can express contrast — namely ~지만 (§7.2.1) and ~는데 (§7.3.12). These spell out the limitation explicitly:

• 한글을 읽기는 하지만 말하기가 너무 어려워요. (I do read Korean, but speaking is too difficult.)
• 그 여자는 예쁘긴 하지만 마음씨가 나빠요. (She does have a pretty face, but she’s not a nice person.)

Memorize the ~기는 하지만 X framing as a stock concessive structure. It’s how Korean handles “yes, X is true, but Y is the catch.”

Verb repetition variant:

An alternative form uses the original verb repeated instead of 하-. This is common when the main verb is short and the speaker wants to be particularly emphatic:

• 입어 보니까 예쁘긴 예뻐요! (Now that I’ve tried it on, it sure is pretty.)
• 한글을 읽기는 읽지만 발음은 너무 못해요. (He can indeed read Hangul, but his pronunciation is terrible.)
• 우리 딸은 잘 먹기는 먹는데 12개월인데도 9킬로 밖에 안 돼요. (Our daughter certainly eats well but she’s 12 months and only weighs 9kg.)

The structure is V-기는 V-지만/-는데: instead of 읽기는 하지만, you get 읽기는 읽지만 (the verb 읽 repeated). The repetition emphasizes the conceded point — “X-ing? Sure, X-ing happens” — before the contrast lands.

How to attach it:

• Verb/adjective stem + ~기는 하다 (no tense marker before ~기)

  • 빠르다 → 빠르기는 하다
  • 읽다 → 읽기는 하다
  • 예쁘다 → 예쁘기는 하다 / 예쁘긴 하다 (는 contraction)
  • 착하다 → 착하기는 하다
  • 먹다 → 먹기는 하다

• 긴 is a common contraction of 기는: 예쁘긴 하다, 빠르긴 하다, 좋긴 해요 — slightly more conversational.

• Past or future tense lives on the second clause’s verb or on the 하-, not on ~기 itself:

  • 빠르기는 했지만 길을 잘못 들었어요. (It was indeed fast, but I took the wrong road.)
  • 좋기는 할 거예요. (It will indeed be good.)

• Verb repetition variant: stem + ~기는 + same stem + ~지만/~는데

  • 읽다 → 읽기는 읽지만 / 읽기는 읽는데
  • 먹다 → 먹기는 먹지만 / 먹기는 먹는데
  • 예쁘다 → 예쁘긴 예쁘지만 (or 예쁘긴 예뻐요 standalone for emphasis)

Compared to plain affirmation: 빠르다 (“it’s fast”) vs 빠르기는 하다 (“it is indeed fast, but…”). The plain form is a neutral statement. ~기는 하다 marks the statement as a concession — the speaker is engaging with someone else’s claim or moderating their own enthusiasm. Use ~기는 하다 when the conversational frame is “yes, but…”.

Compared to ~기는 한데: Identical meaning to ~기는 하지만, just using ~는데 instead of ~지만. ~는데 is slightly softer and more conversational; ~지만 is slightly more direct. Otherwise interchangeable. Pick based on the conversational flow — ~는데 invites the listener to draw their own conclusion; ~지만 makes the contrast explicit.

Tip: Genuinely advanced because it’s about register and pragmatic nuance, not just morphology. Native speakers reach for ~기는 하다 when conceding a point in argument or conversation: “Yeah, you’re right that X… but…”. The implied limitation makes it perfect for hedging, gentle disagreement, and qualifying compliments. Pair with ~지만/~는데 to spell out the catch; use the verb-repetition variant for emphasis. Stock framings worth memorizing:

• 좋기는 좋은데… (it’s good, but…)
• 맞기는 맞는데… (you’re right, but…)
• 알기는 아는데… (I know, but…)
• 있기는 있는데… (there is, but…)
• 하기는 하는데… (we do it, but…)