TOPIK I · LEVEL 2
-(으)러 가다/오다
-(으)러 가다/오다 says you go or come somewhere to do something.
목적·의도Purpose, plans & wishesHan: 전화하다 is not a movement verb, so -(으)러 cannot be used; use -(으)려고 for purpose with non-movement verbs.
Examples
저는 한국어를 배우러 한국에 왔어요.I came to Korea to learn Korean.
시장에 과일을 사러 갔어요.I went to the market to buy fruit.
수업이 끝나고 엄마가 저를 데리러 학교에 오셨어요.After class, my mom came to school to pick me up.
주말에 친구하고 영화를 보러 갈 거예요.I'm going to go see a movie with a friend this weekend.
Don’t mix up
-(으)러 가다/오다vs-(으)려고-(으)려고 shows intention with any verb but cannot end a suggestion or command; -(으)러 needs a movement verb: 책을 사려고 돈을 모았어요.-(으)러 가다/오다vs-기 위해(서)-기 위해서 is a more formal 'in order to' for bigger goals and works with any verb: 건강해지기 위해서 매일 운동해요.How to build it
V (consonant stem)+으러 가다/오다
V (vowel or ㄹ stem)+러 가다/오다
먹다 → 먹으러 가다, 보다 → 보러 오다, 놀다 → 놀러 가다
- The verb that follows -(으)러 must be a movement verb (가다, 오다, 다니다, 나가다, 들어오다, 올라가다…). The verb before it can be any action verb, so 사러 가다 is fine. If the main verb is not a movement verb, such as 전화하다 or 공부하다, use -(으)려고 instead.
- Put tense only on 가다/오다, never before -(으)러: 먹으러 갔어요, not 먹었으러 가요.
- Only action verbs go before -(으)러; adjectives and the movement verbs 가다/오다 themselves cannot (가러 가다 ✗).
- Unlike -(으)려고, it works fine in suggestions and commands: 같이 밥 먹으러 갑시다.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 친구를 만나러 전화했어요.
Right: 친구를 만나려고 전화했어요.
전화하다 is not a movement verb, so -(으)러 cannot be used; use -(으)려고 for purpose with non-movement verbs.
Practise -(으)러 가다/오다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ까 보다Expresses a vague intention the speaker is considering: 'I think I might…, I'm thinking of…'. Spoken, about the speaker's own plans.
- -(으)려고 하다-(으)려고 하다 says what someone intends or plans to do; with things or nature, it can also mean that something is about to happen.
- -고 싶어 하다-고 싶어 하다 says what someone else wants to do (third person).
- -기 위해(서)-기 위해(서) means 'in order to': the first clause is the purpose of the second.
- -을/를 위해(서)N을/를 위해(서) means 'for the sake of N / for N'.
- -기로 하다-기로 하다 means that someone has decided, or agreed with someone else, to do something.
- -(으)면-(으)면 attaches to a verb or adjective to set a condition: "if X happens or is true, then Y," and it can also mean "whenever X" for things that regularly happen.
- -(으)ㄴ 지Shows how much time has passed since an action happened.
- -(으)ㄹ 것Ends a written instruction or rule with a noun-like command: 'do X; X is to be done'. Impersonal and firm; used in notices, exam instructions, memos and rule lists.