Meaning and Usage
The adverb '수없이' means 'countlessly' or 'innumerably.' It emphasizes a very large, often uncountable number of times or quantity. It is commonly used in both spoken and written Korean to express exaggeration or emphasize frequency or amount.
Common Contexts
You will often see '수없이' used with verbs related to actions repeated many times, such as '반복하다' (to repeat), or with nouns indicating large quantities, like '사람들' (people) or '책' (books).
Collocations and Patterns
- 수없이 많은 + noun: emphasizes a huge number of something.
- 수없이 반복하다: to repeat countless times.
- 수없이 경험하다: to experience countless times.
Register and Nuance
'수없이' is neutral in formality and can be used in everyday conversation as well as formal writing. It conveys a strong sense of quantity or frequency without specifying an exact number.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse '수없이' with '수십' (dozens) or '수백' (hundreds). Remember, '수없이' implies an uncountable or very large number, often figurative, rather than a specific numeric range.