기도 하다

Overview

The grammatical expression -기도 하다 is used to indicate that an action or state sometimes occurs or is occasionally true. It highlights the fact that while something might not be a regular or frequent occurrence, it does happen from time to time. This expression adds a nuance of acknowledging a possibility or a less common event.

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Usage

-기도 하다 is attached to the stem of a verb or an adjective. It functions to express that the preceding action or state is one of the possibilities or that it happens on occasion. It can be used to:

• Acknowledge infrequent occurrences: For example, if you usually don't eat spicy food, but sometimes you do.
• Express a range of possibilities: When describing various things that might happen or be true.
• Emphasize 'even' or 'also': In some contexts, it can imply "even doing/being X" or "also doing/being X," especially when X is unexpected or less common.

It's often used when contrasting with what usually happens or what is generally expected.

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Conjugation Rules

-기도 하다 is straightforward to attach:

• Verbs (V) and Adjectives (A): Simply attach -기도 하다 to the verb or adjective stem, regardless of whether the stem ends in a consonant or a vowel.

  • 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹 + 기도 하다 = 먹기도 하다 (sometimes eats)
  • 하다 (to do) -> 하 + 기도 하다 = 하기도 하다 (sometimes does)
  • 예쁘다 (to be pretty) -> 예쁘 + 기도 하다 = 예쁘기도 하다 (is sometimes pretty)
  • 작다 (to be small) -> 작 + 기도 하다 = 작기도 하다 (is sometimes small)

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Knowledge Plus

The -기도 하다 construction can sometimes be used to soften a statement or to acknowledge an exception. For instance, if someone says "I never eat meat," you might respond with "가끔 먹기도 하잖아요?" (But you sometimes eat it, don't you?).

It can also be used in conjunction with other adverbs like 가끔 (sometimes) or 어쩌다 (occasionally) to further emphasize the infrequency, although -기도 하다 itself already carries that meaning. For example, "저는 가끔 주말에 일하기도 해요" (I sometimes work on weekends).

Another common usage is to list multiple possibilities or characteristics. For example, "그 영화는 재미있기도 하고 슬프기도 했어요" (That movie was sometimes fun and sometimes sad / It was both fun and sad). In this case, it's closer to "also" or "both... and...".

Common pitfalls: Do not confuse it with -고 싶다 (want to) or -기 때문에 (because). The -기 form here is a nominalizer, and -도 is the particle meaning "also/even," followed by 하다 (to do/be). So, it literally means "to even do/be [the nominalized action/state]".