~기(는)커녕
Let alone; far from -ing
Inverts expectations: not only did the expected thing not happen, the opposite or worse did. Tense markers cannot attach to ~기(는)커녕 itself — tense goes in the second clause.
Use & Meaning
This pattern inverts expectations. It sets up something the speaker hoped for or expected (the X clause), then announces that not only did X not happen, the opposite or worse did. The textbook citation form is ~기(는)커녕 — structurally, a combination of the nominalizer ~기 and the particle (은/는)커녕 (§3.3.3.10), with the 는 element optional in casual speech. The pattern translates as “far from… -ing” or “in place of.”
Tense restriction: Tense markers do not appear with ~기(는)커녕 itself. The pattern stays in dictionary form; any past, future, or progressive tense is carried by the verb in the second clause. The third headline example illustrates this neatly:
- 칭찬을 듣기는커녕 꾸지람만 들을 거예요. — Future tense (들을 거예요) lives in the second clause; the first clause stays untensed.
- 주말에 쉬기는커녕 정신없이 일했어요. — Past tense (일했어요) in the second clause.
How to attach it:
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Verb/adjective stem + ~기는커녕 (formal / standard)
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Verb/adjective stem + ~기커녕 (casual variant — 는 dropped)
- 즐겁다 → 즐겁기(는)커녕
- 쉬다 → 쉬기(는)커녕
- 듣다 → 듣기(는)커녕
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Noun + 은/는커녕 (no ~기 needed for nouns; this is the standalone particle covered in §3.3.3.10)
- 밥은커녕 물도 못 마셨어요. (Forget about food, I couldn’t even drink water.)
- 인사는커녕 쳐다보지도 않았어요. (Far from greeting me, they didn’t even look at me.)
Common shape: the second clause typically describes the opposite or a worse outcome than what was set up in the first clause, reinforced with an emphatic particle or adverb. The three headline examples use 아주 (very), 정신없이 (frantically), and 만 (only) for this intensification. 도 (even) is also common.
Compared to ~은/는 고사하고: Both mean “let alone.” ~기는커녕 is more emotionally loaded, often expressing disappointment or sarcasm. ~은/는 고사하고 is more neutral and more common in formal/written Korean.
Tip: A reliable rule for the second clause: it should describe something worse or opposite to the first clause. The textbook examples consistently follow this — joyful → unpleasant, rest → frantic work, praise → reproach. If the second clause is about something equivalent or unrelated, the grammar feels off.