Expression of the Week

Tae-beom： 어쨌든 제가 아는 선에서 최대한 정보드릴게요.

I’ll give you as much information as I can. 

PD：그러세요? 하고 싶은 말 많으실 줄 알았는데요.

Really? I thought you had a lot to say?

Tae-beom：아, 자꾸 큰일 날 소리하시네. 저 계약직입니다.

계약직이 무슨 할 말이 많겠습니까?

You keep talking nonsense. I’m just a contract worker. 

What could a contract worker possibly have to say? 

PD：그래요? 뭐 그렇게 생각하신다면어쩔 수 없죠.

혹시 다른 것으로 딜하고 싶으시면 언제든지 연락 주세요.

Is that so? Well, if you think so, there’s nothing we can do.

If you want to make a deal with something else, let me know. 

Tae-beom： 아... 네...　

Ah… Okay. 

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어쩔 수 없죠 (there’s nothing we can do)

어쩌다 – v. to do something in a certain way

~ㄹ 수 없다 – can’t help/can’t do

Casual – 어쩔 수 없어

Semi-polite – 어쩔 수 없죠

Polite – 어쩔 수 없어요

>>[어쩌다] is commonly used with [~ㄹ 수 없다] when one wants to express that there is nothing he/she can do in a situation 

e.g. 어쩔 수 없어요 – There is nothing I/we/you/ can do OR there is nothing that can be done 

>>You can make the expression more complicated by putting a clause beforehand to give more information 

e.g. 친구가 이미 떠나서 어쩔 수 없어요 = (My) friend already left, so there is  nothing that we can do/nothing that can be done (about it)