TOPIK I · LEVEL 2
-(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.
목적·의도Purpose, plans & wishesHan: 가다 has a vowel stem, so it takes 려고 directly: 가려고. The extra ㄹ in 갈려고 is common in casual speech but is non-standard; ㄹ appears only when the stem itself ends in ㄹ (만들려고).
Examples
이번 주말에 친구하고 영화를 보려고 해요.I'm planning to see a movie with a friend this weekend.
어제 운동하려고 했는데 비가 와서 못 했어요.I meant to work out yesterday, but it rained, so I couldn't.
하늘을 보니까 곧 비가 오려고 해요.Looking at the sky, it's about to rain.
내년에 한국에서 대학원에 들어가려고 해요.I intend to enter graduate school in Korea next year.
Don’t mix up
-(으)려고 하다vs-고 싶다-고 싶다 only expresses a wish; -(으)려고 하다 means you actually intend to do it. 한국에 가고 싶어요 (I'd like to) vs 한국에 가려고 해요 (I'm planning to).-(으)려고 하다vs-(으)ㄹ 거예요-(으)ㄹ 거예요 presents the plan as more settled (and can also be a guess); -(으)려고 하다 stresses a current intention that might still change. 내일 갈 거예요 vs 내일 가려고 해요.-(으)려고 하다vs-기로 하다-기로 하다 reports a decision already made, often agreed with someone; -(으)려고 하다 just states an intention. 친구하고 만나기로 했어요 (we agreed to meet).How to build it
V (vowel stem / ㄹ-stem)+려고 하다
V (consonant stem)+으려고 하다
가다 → 가려고 해요, 먹다 → 먹으려고 해요, 만들다 → 만들려고 해요
- It attaches to verbs. For a change of state, turn an adjective into a verb first: 따뜻하다 → 따뜻해지려고 해요.
- A consonant stem takes 으려고; a vowel stem or ㄹ-stem takes 려고 (만들려고). Forms like 갈려고 or 먹을려고 are heard in speech but are non-standard.
- The past form -(으)려고 했어요 usually means the plan did not happen, so it is often followed by -는데 or -지만.
- With a non-human subject (rain, a train), it means 'be about to': 비가 오려고 해요.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 저는 내일 부산에 갈려고 해요.
Right: 저는 내일 부산에 가려고 해요.
가다 has a vowel stem, so it takes 려고 directly: 가려고. The extra ㄹ in 갈려고 is common in casual speech but is non-standard; ㄹ appears only when the stem itself ends in ㄹ (만들려고).
Practise -(으)려고 하다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)러 가다/오다-(으)러 가다/오다 says you go or come somewhere to do something.
- -(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.
- -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.