-아/어 봤던들
had one tried, even then
Supposes an attempt that was never made, and concludes it would have changed nothing. The counterfactual cousin of -(으)ㄴ들.
Build it
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When to use it
The vowel follows the -아요/어요 rule: 해 봤던들, 말해 봤던들, 찾아 봤던들. The ending 던들 may also attach without 봤: 알았던들.
The supposed attempt did not happen, and the second clause says it would have made no difference: 그때 말해 봤던들 달라질 것은 없었다.
That futility is what separates it from -았/었더라면, which regrets a missed chance and implies things would have been better.
The register is markedly archaic. Modern writing uses 더라도 or 아 봤자 to say the same thing.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 하다 verbs | 해 봤던들 | 말하다 → 말해 봤던들 |
| Last vowel ㅏ or ㅗ | -아 봤던들 | 찾다 → 찾아 봤던들 |
| Any other vowel | -어 봤던들 | 만들다 → 만들어 봤던들 |
| Without 봤 | -았/었던들 | 알았던들 |
| Second clause | no difference made | 달라질 것은 없었다 |
| Regret instead | -았/었더라면 | 알았더라면 좋았을 텐데 |
In use
그때 말해 봤던들 달라질 것은 없었다.
Had I spoken then, nothing would have been different.
아무리 찾아 봤던들 나올 리가 없었다.
However hard we had searched, it could not have turned up.
일찍 알았던들 무슨 수가 있었겠는가.
Had we known sooner, what could we have done?
말려 봤던들 그는 듣지 않았을 것이다.
Even had we tried to stop him, he would not have listened.
직접 만들어 봤던들 결과는 매한가지였으리라.
Even had we made it ourselves, the result would have been the same.
서둘렀던들 이미 늦은 뒤였다.
Even if we had hurried, it was already too late.
Compared with
-았/었더라면
The pair to keep straight. 더라면 regrets a missed chance and implies things would have gone better; 봤던들 says they would not.
일찍 알았더라면 막을 수 있었을 텐데. (regret) / 일찍 알았던들 소용없었다. (futile anyway)
-(으)ㄴ들
The same 들, pointed at the present. -(으)ㄴ들 supposes something now; 봤던들 supposes something in the past.
후회한들 소용없다. (now) / 말해 봤던들 소용없었다. (then)
-아/어 봤자
The everyday version of the same futility. 봤자 is casual and present-facing; 봤던들 is archaic and looks back.
말해 봤자 소용없어요. (speech) / 말해 봤던들 달라질 것 없었다. (literary)
Watch out
일찍 알았던들 막을 수 있었을 것이다.
일찍 알았더라면 막을 수 있었을 것이다.
던들 concludes that nothing would have changed. To regret a missed chance, the form is 더라면.
지금 말해 봤던들 소용없다.
그때 말해 봤던들 소용없었을 것이다.
The construction supposes something in the past. For the present, -(으)ㄴ들 or 봤자 is right.
야, 말해 봤던들 소용없어.
야, 말해 봤자 소용없어.
봤던들 is archaic. In conversation, -아/어 봤자 carries the same meaning.
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