KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)려던 참이다
Korean Grammar “-(으)려던 참이다”: How to Use It (TOPIK 5)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 보려던 참이다 | boryeodeon chamida |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽으려던 참이다 | ilgeuryeodeon chamida |
| 하다 | to do | 하려던 참이다 | haryeodeon chamida |
| 살다 | to live | 살려던 참이다 | sallyeodeon chamida |
What changes
- After a stem ending in a vowel, the ending attaches directly (보-). After a stem ending in a consonant, 으 is inserted first (읽으-). A stem ending in ㄹ also takes the ending directly (살-).
Explanation
지금 막 전화하려던 참이었는데 마침 전화가 왔네요.
“-(으)려던 참이다” means “I was just about to ~” and describes a moment when you were about to do something and something else happened. It attaches to a verb stem and often appears as “-(으)려던 참이었는데.” The sentence means “I was just about to call you, and you called at just the right moment.”
마침 제가 전화를 드리려던 참이었어요.
“-(으)려던 참이다” means “was just about to ~” and shows that you were right on the verge of starting an action (stem + (으)려던 참이다). The sentence means “I was just about to call you.” “-(으)ㄴ 셈이다” expresses a conclusion (“it amounts to ~”) and cannot convey “was just about to.”
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 지금 막 전화하려던 참이었는데 마침 전화가 왔네요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [지금 막 전화하려던 차미언는데 마침 전화가 완네요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 지금 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 금 | ㄱ+ㅡ+ㅁ | geum |
| 막 | ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄱ | mak |
| 전화하려던 | ||
| 전 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄴ | jeon |
| 화 | ㅎ+ㅘ | hwa |
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 려 | ㄹ+ㅕ | ryeo |
| 던 | ㄷ+ㅓ+ㄴ | deon |
| 참이었는데 | ||
| 참 | ㅊ+ㅏ+ㅁ | [차] cha |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [미] mi |
| 었 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅆ | [언] eon |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 데 | ㄷ+ㅔ | de |
| 마침 | ||
| 마 | ㅁ+ㅏ | ma |
| 침 | ㅊ+ㅣ+ㅁ | chim |
| 전화가 | ||
| 전 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄴ | jeon |
| 화 | ㅎ+ㅘ | hwa |
| 가 | ㄱ+ㅏ | ga |
| 왔네요 | ||
| 왔 | ㅇ+ㅘ+ㅆ | [완] wan |
| 네 | ㄴ+ㅔ | ne |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 참이 → [차미]
- Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 었는데 → [언는데]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 지금 | noun | now | TOPIK level 1 |
| 전화 | noun | phone, call | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 지금 막 전화하____ 참이었는데 마침 전화가 왔네요.
Show the answer
Answer: 지금 막 전화하려던 참이었는데 마침 전화가 왔네요.
Question 2 Choose the word that fits the blank: 마침 제가 전화를 드리려던 ____.
Show the answer
Answer: 마침 제가 전화를 드리려던 참이었어요.
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