Learn Korean: 아무리 + Active Verb

Let’s take a look at the Korean sentence pattern 아무리 + Active Verb. We use this pattern to express that no matter what we do, nothing happens. What we try to achieve yields no results. For example, I did every possible thing I could to lose weight. I worked out, cut out food, and took some vitamins. After three months, I barely lose one kilogram. So I can express my frustration by using 아무리. I say No matter what I do to lose weight / I am still fat. The first part is expressed through 아무리. The thing that I do that seems to have no effect is dieting. To diet in Korean is 다이어트를 하다. We take the verb stem (하) and conjugate it into its 아/어/여 form (해도). Then, we attach 도. 아무리 comes before it. The actual form is 아무리 다이어트를 해도. If we combined it with the second part, the actual sentence is 아무리 다이어트를 해도 살 안 빼(요).

아무리 생각해도 네 잘못이야.

No matter how I think, it’s really your fault.

아무리 발라도 간지러워.

It is still itchy no matter how much (ointment) I apply.

아무리 먹어도 살 안 쪄요.
No matter how much I eat, I don't gain weight.