-아도/어도
RuleVerb/adjective stem + -ado/eodo: marks concession, "even if / even though." Vowel harmony picks -ado or -eodo.
Curiosity
How do you form "even if," as in "however expensive it is, I will buy it," in Korean?
Intuition
-ado/eodo says that even granting the condition, the result does not change. Where -(eu)myeon is "if condition, then result," -ado/eodo is "even if condition, still." It often pairs with amuri or birok.
Visualization
gada (dictionary) → ga (stem) → gado. ga + ado contracts to gado.
가다gadadictionary form
Essence
If the stem vowel is a/o use -ado; otherwise -eodo (meogeodo); hada becomes -haedo. It marks concession and often echoes amuri (amuri ... -ado/eodo). It also extends to permission, -ado/eodo doeda (haedo doeda, "it is okay to do").
Examples
아무리 비싸도 살 거예요.
However expensive it is, I will buy it.
아무리 먹어도 배가 안 불러요.
No matter how much I eat, I do not feel full.
비가 와도 우리는 갈 거예요.
Even if it rains, we will go.
Mini-quiz
Attach the concessive -ado/eodo to "meokda" (to eat). (stem vowel eo)