KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)려고 하다
Korean Grammar “-(으)려고 하다”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 2)
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 | 보려고 하다 | boryeogo hada |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽으려고 하다 | ilgeuryeogo hada |
| 하다 | to do | 하려고 하다 | haryeogo hada |
| 살다 | to live | 살려고 하다 | sallyeogo hada |
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
내일부터 매일 운동을 하려고 해요.
“-(으)려고 하다” expresses an intention or plan, “I’m going to / I intend to ~”: -려고 after a vowel-final stem, -으려고 after a consonant-final stem. The sentence means “I’m going to exercise every day starting tomorrow.” “-(으)러” is only used with verbs of going or coming, so “하러 해요” is wrong.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 내일부터 매일 운동을 하려고 해요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 내일부터 | ||
| 내 | ㄴ+ㅐ | nae |
| 일 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ | il |
| 부 | ㅂ+ㅜ | bu |
| 터 | ㅌ+ㅓ | teo |
| 매일 | ||
| 매 | ㅁ+ㅐ | mae |
| 일 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ | il |
| 운동을 | ||
| 운 | ㅇ+ㅜ+ㄴ | un |
| 동 | ㄷ+ㅗ+ㅇ | dong |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | eul |
| 하려고 | ||
| 하 | ㅎ+ㅏ | ha |
| 려 | ㄹ+ㅕ | ryeo |
| 고 | ㄱ+ㅗ | go |
| 해요 | ||
| 해 | ㅎ+ㅐ | hae |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 운동 | noun | exercise | TOPIK level 1 |
| 하다 | verb | to do | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 내일부터 매일 운동을 하____ 해요.
Show the answer
Answer: 내일부터 매일 운동을 하려고 해요.
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