may[might] as well / S may[might] as well V1 as V2

그녀는 거기에 1번이나 2번 가 봤고 그는 거기에 가본 적이 없어. 그래서 우리가 이번 주말에 그들을 거기로 데려가는 것이 좋을 것 같아.

She has been there only once or twice, and he never been there before. So, we might as well take them there this weekend.

 

• may well

= might well

-used to say that there is a good reason for a reaction, question, or feeling

: ~할 만도 하다, ~함 직하다, ~하는 것이 당연하다.

e.g.)

‘What’s all the noise?’ ‘You may well ask.’

What happened to Rodney, you may well ask.

‘What do they hope to achieve?’ ‘You might well ask.’

She might well cry.

 

 

• may as well:

= might as well

= had better

1)-used for saying that you will do something because it seems best in the situation that you are in, although you may not really want to do it;

-used to suggest that someone should do something, because there is no good reason to do anything else

: (딱히 다른 이유도 없으니) 차라리 ~하는 것이 낫겠다[좋겠다], 차라리 ~하는 편이 낫다.

e.g.)

If no one else wants it, we might as well give it to him.

We might as well finish up the cake.

I suppose we might as well go home.

There’s nothing to do here, so you might as well go home.

여기서 할 일도 없으니 넌 그냥 집에 가는 게 좋겠다

 

2)-used to say that there is no real difference between two things that you might do.

-used to say that the effect of an action or situation is the same as if it was another one.

: ...한 것이나 마찬가지이다

e.g.)

If you are going to have sugar, you may as well have a bar of chocolate.

They might as well have a badge on them saying ‘Steal me’.

He might as well have been a million miles away.

I might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

나는 담벼락에 대고 말하고 있는 것이나 마찬가지였다

 

 

• S may as well V1 as V2

= S might as well V1 as V2

① V2하느니 차라리 V1하는 것이 낫겠다., V2할 바엔 차라리 V1하는 편이 낫다;

② V2해도 좋듯이 V1 해도 좋다 → V2나 V1이나 마찬가지이다, V2하는 것은 V1하는 것과 같다

***문맥에 따라 해석 결정***

e.g.)

You might as well go as stay.

너는 머무느니 차라리 가는 편이 낫다.

 

You may as well not know a thing at all as know it but imperfectly.

불완전하게 아느니 차라리 모르는 것이 좋다.

 

You might as well expect the river to flow backward as expect me to agree.

당신이 내게 동의하기를 기대하는 것은 강물이 거꾸로 흐르기를 바라는 것과 같다

 

You may as well call a cat a little tiger as call a tiger a big cat.

당신은 호랑이를 큰 고양이라고 부르듯 고양이를 작은 호랑이라고 부를 수 있다.