Maxim in Korean 🇰🇷

웬만하다 info.

Tips to Remember the Word:
• Think of 웬만하다 (wenmanhada) as split into “웬만” and “하다” (“to do”), so you can imagine it as “if it’s only the usual case” – a way to recall its meaning of “being ordinary” or “manageable.”
• The “웬” sounds a bit like “when” in English, which might help you remember that it’s used in conditional expressions like “if only…” (웬만하면).

Explanation:
• 웬만하다 expresses that something is, under normal conditions, not extraordinary or overly difficult. It implies “if it’s just the ordinary case” or “if nothing out of the ordinary occurs.”
• Often used in the construction 웬만하면 to mean “if it’s not extraordinary” or “under usual circumstances.”

Other Words with Similar Meanings:
• 보통이다 (botongida) – “to be ordinary” or “usual.”
• 평범하다 (pyeongbeomhada) – “to be common,” “to be ordinary.”
• 일반적이다 (ilbanjeokida) – “to be general” or “typical.”

Conjugations (Using the 하다 Verb Conjugation Patterns):

• Dictionary Form: 웬만하다 (wenmanhada)
• Informal Low (반말) Present: 웬만해 (wenmanhae)
• Informal Low Past: 웬만했어 (wenmanhaesseo)
• Informal Low Future: 웬만하겠어 (wenmanhagetseo)
• Polite Present: 웬만합니다 (wenmanhamnida)
• Polite Past: 웬만했습니다 (wenmanhaesseumnida)
• Polite Future: 웬만하겠습니다 (wenmanhagetseumnida)

Example Sentences:
1. 웬만하면 무리하지 마.
(Wenmanhamyeon murihaji ma.)
“If it’s only ordinary, don’t overdo it.”

2. 그 문제는 웬만하면 해결할 수 있어.
(Geu munjeneun wenmanhamyeon haegyeolhal su isseo.)
“That problem can be solved under normal circumstances.”

3. 웬만한 상대만 하면 이길 수 있다.
(Wenmanhan sangdaeman hamyeon igil su itda.)
“You can win if you’re just up against an average opponent.”

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