might as well

Might/May as well + do

If you say that you might as well do something, or that you may as well do it, you mean that you will do it although you do not have a strong desire to do it and may even feel slightly unvilling to do it. Both the phrases ‘may as well’ and ‘might as well’ are interchangeable.
‘Might as well’ ‘May as well’ 두 표현은 같은 의미를 가지고 있다. 꼭 무언가를 하고 싶은 것은 아니지만 더 나은 대안이 없어서 ‘무언가를 하는 것이 좋겠다’ 라는 의미를 전달 할 때 사용한다.

• We might as well finish up the cake.
• Anyway, you’re here. You might as well stay.
• I might as well begin.

 

Might as well + have done

‘Might/may as well’ is used to say that something else could have been done with the same result.
‘Might/may as well’은 또한 ‘다른 무언가를 했어도 마찬가지 였을 거야’ 혹은 ‘무언가와도 마찬가지 였을 거야’ 라는 의미를 전달 할 때도 사용한다.

• The party was so dull that I might (just) as well have stayed home. (파티가 너무 재미 없어서 집에 머문 거와 무엇이 다른지 모르겠어.)
• For readers seeking illumination, this book might as well have been written in Korean. (조명을 찾는 독자들에게, 이 책은 한국어로 쓰여진 것과 같다.)
• For all the good it’s done we might as well not have bothered. (그것이 좋은 점이 없었던 것은 아니지만 우리가 굳이 그러지 않아도 될 뻔했다.)