안녕하세요 여러분!
Welcome to today’s lesson, where we’re going to delve into a crucial grammatical structure in the Korean language: “Verb + -(으)라고”. This structure plays a pivotal role in expressing reported speech, commands, or requests in Korean, thus opening up a whole new dimension in your language journey.
If you’ve been studying Korean for a while, you might have encountered situations where you wanted to relay what someone else said or asked someone to do something. This is where the “Verb + -(으)라고” structure comes into play. However, it’s not just limited to these functions. Its uses are wide and varied, extending to diverse conversational contexts and making your Korean sound more fluent and natural.
In this lesson, we’ll break down this structure, discuss when and how to use it, and provide plenty of examples along the way. Whether you’re a beginner trying to expand your grammatical knowledge, or an intermediate learner looking to polish your skills, this lesson will equip you with a vital tool for your Korean learning toolkit. So, let’s dive right in!
Conjugation
- Take a verb i.e. 가다
- Drop “다” i.e. 가
- Add appropriate ending based on the below rules (in this case it is 가라고)
- If the verb stem ends in a vowel, add -라고
- If the verb stem ends in a consonant, add -으라고
- 가다 –> 가 + 라고 했어요 –> 가라고 했어요 – Told you to go
- 먹다 –> 먹 + 으라고 했어요 –> 먹으라고 했어요 – Told you to eat
- 보다 –> 보 + 라고 했어요 –> 보라고 했어요 – Told you to see
- 하다 –> 하 + 라고 했어요 –> 하라고 했어요 – Told you to do
Understanding the meaning of VERB + (으)라고
The “Verb + -(으)라고” structure in Korean is used in various contexts, primarily to report speech, commands, or requests. It’s akin to the English “said that” or “told me to” structure.
Now, how is this structure used in sentences? It’s mostly used to report commands or requests.
Reporting commands and requests
The “Verb + -(으)라고” structure in Korean is frequently used to report commands or requests. This structure can be considered equivalent to the English “told (someone) to (do something)” or “said to (do something)”. Let’s go through this in more detail.
Here’s the general structure when reporting commands or requests:
[Subject – Sayer]가/이 [Receiver]에게/한테 [Verb]-(으)라고 [Said]
- [Sayer]가/이: This part of the sentence indicates the person who is giving the command or making the request so we add the subject particle 가/이.
- [Receiver]에게/한테: This is the person who is being commanded or requested to do something.
- [Verb]-(으)라고: This is where you put the command or request. Remember, if the verb stem ends with a vowel, use “-라고”, and if it ends with a consonant, use “-으라고”.
- [Said]: This refers to the action of conveying the command or request. Usually, the verb “하다” (to do) is used in the past tense form “했다”, but the specific verb can change based on the context.
Let’s look at some examples:
- 엄마가 나에게 방을 청소하라고 했어요. – Mom told me to clean the room.
- 선생님이 학생들에게 숙제를 제출하라고 했어요. – The teacher told the students to submit their homework.
- 지민이가 현수에게 조심하라고 했어요. – Jimin told Hyunsoo to be careful.
In all of these sentences, someone is giving a command or making a request to someone else, and that command/request is being reported by someone.
Remember, the politeness level of your sentence will also affect the verb endings and other particles, so always be mindful of whom you’re speaking to or about.
Examples
- 엄마가 저한테 빨래를 도와달라고 했어요. – Mom asked me to help with the laundry.
- 선생님이 학생들에게 조용히 하라고 했어요. – The teacher told the students to be quiet.
- 경민이 동수에게 빨리 오라고 했어요. – Kyungmin told Dongsu to come quickly.
- 너무 걱정하지 말라고 했어요. – They said not to worry too much.
Negative sentences with VERB + -(으)라고
When you’re using the “Verb + -(으)라고” structure in negative sentences, you need to turn the verb into its negative form before adding the “라고” or “으라고” ending.
In Korean, there are few ways to turn sentences into negative form. In this case, we use the structure “지 마다”. We have covered this structure in previous lesson (click here if you want to recap).
In the Korean language, “지 마세요” is a phrase that carries a strong directive meaning. It can be translated as “don’t,” “please don’t,” or “stop.” The literal breakdown of the phrase helps to grasp its meaning: “지” is the negative form of the verb stem (also used in 지 않아요 i.e. 하지 않아요), and “마세요” is a polite imperative form of the verb “마다”, which means “to do.“
Conjugation
This verb is conjugated slightly differently.
지 마다 –> 지 말라고 했어요
Let’s look at some examples:
- 엄마가 저한테 가지 말라고 했어요. – Mom told me not to go.
- 선생님이 학생들에게 소리치지 말라고 했어요. – The teacher told the students not to shout.
- 친구가 너무 걱정하지 말라고 했어요. – My friend told me not to worry too much.
- 친구가 내일 오지 말라고 했어요. – My friend said not to come tomorrow.
- 형이 저한테 게임을 하지 말라고 했어요. – My older brother told me not to play games.
Future tense
Using future tense with the “Verb + -(으)라고” structure in Korean is straightforward.
Conjugation
VERB + ㄹ/을 거라고 했다
- If the verb stem ends in a vowel, add “ㄹ 거라고 했다”
- If the verb stem ends in a consonant, add “을 거라고 했다”
- 가다 –> 가 + ㄹ 거라고 했다 –> 갈 거라고 했다 (Said will go)
- 오다 –> 오 + ㄹ 거라고 했다 –> 올 거라고 했다 (Said will come)
- 먹다 –> 먹 + ㄹ 거라고 했다 –> 먹을 거라고 했다 (Said will eat)
- 기다리다 –> 기다리 + ㄹ 거라고 했다 –> 기다릴 거라고 했다 (Said will wait)
- 하다 –> 하 + ㄹ 거라고 했다 –> 할 거라고 했다 (Said will do)
Examples
- 그녀가 나중에 전화할 거라고 했어요. – She said that she will call later.
- 친구가 내일 비 올 거라고 말했어요. – My friend said it will rain tomorrow.
- 선생님이 시험은 어려울 거라고 했어요. – The teacher said that the exam will be difficult.
- 엄마가 나중에 밥을 해 줄 거라고 했어요. – Mom said she will make food later.
- 형이 내일 도서관에 갈 거라고 했어요. – My older brother said that he will go to the library tomorrow.
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks
- 아빠가 저한테 늦게 _____________________. – Dad told me not to come home late.
- 엄마가 저한테 약을 _________________. – Mom told me to take the medicine.
- 친구가 다음 달부터 한국어를 ____________. – My friend told me he will learn Korean from next month.
- _________________. – They told me not to wait.
- 현민이 내일 시간 ____________. – Hyeon-Min said he won’t have time tomorrow.
Activity 1 Answers
- 아빠가 저한테 늦게 들어오지 말라고 했어요. – Dad told me not to come home late.
- 엄마가 저한테 약을 먹으라고 했어요. – Mom told me to take the medicine.
- 친구가 다음 달부터 한국어를 배울 거라고 했어요. – My friend told me he will learn Korean from next month.
- 기다리지 말라고 했어요. – They told me not to wait.
- 현민이 내일 시간 없을 거라고 했어요. – Hyeon-Min said he won’t have time tomorrow.
Remember, language learning is all about practice. Therefore, don’t shy away from making mistakes or asking questions as they can provide the best learning opportunities. Don’t forget to consider the nuances of formality, politeness, and context when using this structure as well.
Please share in the comments any sentences you’ve created using the “Verb + -(으)라고” structure. We encourage all learners to try making sentences related to your daily life, or perhaps sentences about what someone said or requested.
We’re eager to see what you come up with, and we’re here to provide any necessary corrections or explanations. Your active participation helps not only you but also other learners on this journey to mastering Korean. Happy learning!
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