Welcome to our lesson on the Korean grammar structure “-(으)려고 하다”! This lesson is dedicated to helping you understand and use this interesting and very useful structure effectively.
The “-(으)려고 하다” form is a widely used Korean grammar structure that helps to express intentions or plans. If we break it down, “(으)려고” roughly translates to ‘in order to’ or ‘with the intention of’, and “하다” means ‘to do’. Together, the structure can mean ‘intend to do something’ or ‘plan to do something’.
Whether you’re an intermediate Korean learner wanting to enhance your conversation skills, or a beginner hoping to add a new layer of complexity to your vocabulary, this lesson will offer something for everyone. We’ll take a detailed look at how to construct sentences with “-(으)려고 하다”, explore a wide array of examples, and give you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice.
So grab your notes, get ready, and let’s dive into the world of “-(으)려고 하다”!
Conjugation
VERB + -(으)려고 하다
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add the appropriate verb ending based on the rules below (in this case it becomes “가려고 하다” – to plan to go
- If the verb stem ends in a vowel, add 려고 하다
- If the verb stem ends in a consonant, add 으려고 하다
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 으려고 하다 –> 먹으려고 하다 (To plan to eat)
- 사다 –> 사 + 려고 하다 –> 사려고 하다 (To plan to buy)
- 오다 –> 오 + 려고 하다 –> 오려고 하다 (To plant to come)
- 만나다 –> 만나 + 려고 하다 –> 만나려고 하다 (To plan to meet)
- 이사하다 –> 이사하 + 려고 하다 –> 이사하려고 하다 (To plan to move)
Understanding “(으)려고 하다”
Understanding the Korean grammar structure “(으)려고 하다” is vital for expressing intentions or plans, giving your sentences a depth that mirrors natural speech.
This structure is generally used when the speaker wants to express an intention to do something or an action that someone is about to take. In English, this might be equivalent to the phrases “plan to”, “intend to”, or “trying to”.
To break it down, “(으)려고” is a form that, depending on the context, can mean ‘in order to’, ‘with the purpose of’, or ‘intending to’. The verb “하다” then follows, which translates to ‘to do’.
When you combine these two, “(으)려고 하다”, you end up with a structure that expresses the intention or plan to do something. For instance, “공부하려고 해요” would mean “I plan to study” or “I intend to study”.
The key to properly using “(으)려고 하다” lies in the conjugation of the verb that precedes it. If the verb stem ends with a vowel, you use “려고 하다”, and if it ends with a consonant, you use “으려고 하다”. For instance, with “먹다” (to eat), you remove ‘다’ and add “으려고 하다” to form “먹으려고 하다” (I plan to eat).
However, for verbs that end with ‘하다’, like “공부하다” (to study), you simply replace ‘하다’ with “하려고 하다” to form “공부하려고 하다” (I plan to study).
Understanding this structure will allow you to express your future plans or intentions, adding nuance to your Korean language communication. It will definitely enhance your conversation skills and help you sound more natural.
Examples
- 저는 한국어를 배우려고 해요. – I plan to learn Korean.
- 오늘 저녁에 친구를 만나려고 해요. – I plan to meet a friend this evening.
- 매일 운동을 하려고 해요. – I plan to exercise every day.
- 내일 여행을 가려고 해요. – I plan to go on a trip tomorrow.
- 오늘은 저녁을 늦게 먹으려고 해요. – I plan to eat dinner late today.
Negative sentences
To make a negative sentence with this structure, you simply need to make the verb negative. This is usually done by adding “지 않다” or “안” to the verb stem. For instance, “보다” (to see) becomes “보지 않다” (to not see). When you add “려고 하다” to this, it becomes “보지 않으려고 하다” which translates to “intend not to see” or “plan not to see”.
Remember, when using “(으)려고 하다”, the action or intention expressed has not yet occurred—it’s something you plan or intend to do in the future.
- 보지 않으려고 해요. – I plan not to see.
- 안 보려고 해요. – I plan not to see.
- 가지 않으려고 해요. – I plan not to go.
- 안 가려고 해요. – I plan not to go.
- 요리하지 않으려고 해요. – I plan not to cook.
- 요리 안 하려고 해요. – I plan not to cook.
- 듣지 않으려고 해요. – I plan not to listen.
- 안 들려고 해요. – I plan not to listen.
- 기억하지 않으려고 해요. – I plan not to remember.
- 기억 안 하려고 해요. – I plan not to remember.
Past tense
Forming sentences with the “(으)려고 하다” structure in the past tense is quite straightforward. You simply need to adjust the verb “하다” to its past tense form, which is “했다”.
Here are the steps to create a sentence using “(으)려고 했다”:
- Identify your verb. For example, let’s use “읽다” (to read).
- Apply the correct “(으)려고 하다” conjugation to the verb stem. If the verb stem ends in a vowel, you’ll use “려고 했다”, if it ends in a consonant, you’ll use “으려고 했다”. In our example, “읽다” becomes “읽으려고 했다”.
- Insert the subject and any other necessary information. For instance, “저는 책을 읽으려고 했어요”, which translates to “I intended to read a book.”
In the case of a negative past tense sentence, you will use the negative form of the verb before attaching “(으)려고 했다”. So for example, “앉다” (to sit) becomes “앉지 않다” (to not sit) and then “앉지 않으려고 했다” (intended not to sit). Or using the “안” structure you can say 안 앉으려고 했어요.
Here are some examples:
- 저는 일찍 일어나려고 했어요. – I intended to wake up early.
- 그녀는 사진을 찍으려고 했어요. – She intended to take a photo.
- 우리는 영화를 보려고 했어요. – We intended to watch a movie.
- 그들은 공부하지 않으려고 했어요. – They intended not to study.
- 어제 저녁을 안 먹으려고 했어요. – I intended to not eat dinner yesterday.
Remember, practice makes perfect. Try forming sentences in past tense using this structure and soon it will become second nature!
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks.
- 내일 여자친구한테 __________. – I plan to call my girlfriend tomorrow.
- 우리는 이번 주말에 산에 _________. – We plan to go to the mountains this weekend.
- 저는 친구한테 선물을 _________. – I intend to buy a gift for my friend.
- 오늘 새로운 레시피를 ___________. – I plan to try a new recipe today.
- 이 주제에 대해 더 많이 __________. – I plan to find out more about this topic.
Activity 1 Answers
- 내일 여자친구한테 전화하려고 해요. – I plan to call my girlfriend tomorrow.
- 우리는 이번 주말에 산에 가려고 해요. – We plan to go to the mountains this weekend.
- 저는 친구한테 선물을 사려고 해요. – I intend to buy a gift for my friend.
- 오늘 새로운 레시피를 시도하려고 해요. – I plan to try a new recipe today.
- 이 주제에 대해 더 많이 알아보려고 해요. – I plan to find out more about this topic.
In conclusion, the Korean grammar structure “-(으)려고 하다” is a highly practical and useful expression to convey your intentions or plans. By understanding how to use it and applying it in your daily conversations, you can significantly enhance your communication skills in Korean.
Remember, the key to mastering any language is consistent practice and usage. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. With every error, you’re one step closer to fluency.
Now it’s your turn! I encourage you to create your own sentences using the “-(으)려고 하다” structure. Whether it’s something you plan to do tomorrow or a goal you’re setting for the future, share your sentences in the comments below. Not only will this help you practice, but it’ll also enable us to learn from each other.
Looking forward to reading your sentences. 파이팅! (Fighting – an expression of encouragement in Korean).