Nuance Dictionary / Grammar
도대체 do-dae-che
The ultimate linguistic marker for 'What on earth are you doing?' when your patience has completely evaporated.
What does 도대체 mean?
도대체 (do-dae-che) means: The ultimate linguistic marker for 'What on earth are you doing?' when your patience has completely evaporated.
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How it's actually used
- 도대체 왜 말을 안 듣는 거야?
do-dae-che wae mal-eul an deut-neun geo-ya?
Why on earth aren't you listening to me?
💡 Used when the speaker is tired of repeating themselves and is demanding an account for the listener's defiance. - 도대체 어떻게 하면 이렇게 망칠 수가 있지?
do-dae-che eo-tteoh-ge ha-myeon i-reo-ke mang-chil su-ga it-ji?
How in the world did you manage to screw this up so badly?
💡 Highlights the speaker's genuine inability to fathom how a task could be executed so poorly. - 도대체 어디 간 거야, 연락도 없고.
do-dae-che eo-di gan geo-ya, yeol-lak-do eop-go.
Where on earth did you go? You haven't even contacted me.
💡 Reveals the shift from worry to pure, impatient annoyance at the lack of communication.
Related words in Grammar
에 vs 에서 e vs eseo은 / 는 eun / neun기분파 Gi-bun-pa이 / 가 i / ga끼리끼리 Kki-ri-kki-ri