TOPIK II · LEVEL 5
-(으)ㄹ 것까지는 없다
Says an action would be going too far, because the situation doesn't call for something that extreme.
능력·허락·의무Can, may & mustHan: The verb before 것 stays in the -(으)ㄹ form; past time is shown only on 없다 (없었다).
Examples
몇 분 늦은 걸 가지고 그렇게 화낼 것까지는 없지.There's no need to get that angry over someone being a few minutes late.
작은 실수 하나로 사표를 낼 것까지는 없잖아요.You don't need to go as far as resigning over one small mistake.
일부러 공항까지 마중 나올 것까지는 없었는데, 정말 고마워요.You really didn't have to go out of your way to meet me at the airport, but thank you so much.
가벼운 감기니까 굳이 병원에 갈 것까지는 없을 것 같아요.It's just a mild cold, so I don't think you need to go as far as seeing a doctor.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄹ 것까지는 없다vs-(으)ㄹ 필요가 없다Neutral 'not necessary'; 것까지는 없다 adds that the action would be an overreaction: 내일은 일찍 올 필요가 없어요 (simply not needed) vs 울 것까지는 없어요 (crying is too much).
-(으)ㄹ 것까지는 없다vs-(으)ㄹ 것 없다Plain 'no need, don't bother' without the sense of going too far; 까지는 stresses the excess: 걱정할 것 없어요 vs 밤새 걱정할 것까지는 없어요.
How to build it
V+(으)ㄹ 것까지는 없다
사과하다 → 사과할 것까지는 없어요; 화내다 → 화낼 것까지는 없었어요
- The verb before 것 stays in the -(으)ㄹ form. Past time is marked on 없다: 화낼 것까지는 없었다, not 화냈을 것까지는 없다.
- Use it when the action is excessive compared to the situation. For a simple, neutral lack of necessity, -(으)ㄹ 필요가 없다 is the natural choice.
- It is a statement that softly discourages or reassures. It is not an imperative itself and often comes with 그렇게, 굳이, 일부러 and endings like -잖아요 or -지.
- 는 can be dropped (-(으)ㄹ 것까지 없다) with almost the same meaning. In speech 것 often becomes 거: 할 거까지는 없어.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 그렇게 화냈을 것까지는 없었잖아요.
Right: 그렇게 화낼 것까지는 없었잖아요.
The verb before 것 stays in the -(으)ㄹ form; past time is shown only on 없다 (없었다).
Practise -(으)ㄹ 것까지는 없다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 길이 없다It says there is simply no way or means to do something, so it cannot be done even if you want to.
- -(으)ㄹ 만도 하다Use -(으)ㄹ 만도 하다 to say that, given the circumstances, a reaction or result is understandable and not surprising.
- -(으)ㄹ 겨를이 없다You are so busy or rushed that there is not even a spare moment to do something.
- -는 수밖에 없다Says that every other option is gone, so the only thing left to do is this action.
- -(이)란N(이)란 picks out a concept that you are about to define or explain the essence of: "N is (by its nature)…", "what we call N is…".
- -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다Use -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 when the situation makes it plain to you that something, usually something bad, will happen or has happened.
- -(으)ㄴ 끝에Shows that a result was finally reached after a long or difficult process of doing something.
- -(으)ㄹ 망정-(으)ㄹ망정 means 'even if I have to accept this bad situation, I still won't give up something more important,' or 'although X is true, Y still holds.'
- -(으)ㄹ 즈음-(으)ㄹ 즈음 means "around the time when something happens": it marks an approximate time, not an exact moment.
