TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-(으)ㄹ 겸
-(으)ㄹ 겸 gives one of two or more purposes for a single action: 'partly to …, and also to …'.
목적·의도Purpose, plans & wishesHan: 겸 always takes the future modifier -(으)ㄹ.
Examples
운동도 할 겸 바람도 쐴 겸 공원에 갔어요.I went to the park to exercise and get some fresh air.
친구도 만날 겸 쇼핑도 할 겸 명동에 가요.I'm going to Myeongdong to meet a friend and also to shop.
한국어 공부도 할 겸 한국 드라마를 봐요.I watch Korean dramas, partly to study Korean.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄹ 겸vs-(으)러-(으)러 gives the single main purpose of going/coming; -(으)ㄹ 겸 adds that there's more than one reason: 운동하러 vs 운동할 겸.
How to build it
V+(으)ㄹ 겸 (V + (으)ㄹ 겸) / N 겸 N
운동하다 → 운동할 겸, 아침 겸 점심 → 아점
- Often two purposes in a row: 운동도 할 겸 바람도 쐴 겸.
- With nouns: N 겸 N = 'serving as both': 거실 겸 서재 'living room-cum-study'.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 운동하는 겸 산책했어요.
Right: 운동할 겸 산책했어요.
겸 always takes the future modifier -(으)ㄹ.
Practise -(으)ㄹ 겸 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 생각이다-(으)ㄹ 생각이다 states a plan or intention you've thought about: 'I plan to / I'm going to'.
- -(으)ㄹ 예정이다-(으)ㄹ 예정이다 says something is scheduled or planned to happen: 'be scheduled to'.
- -(으)ㄹ까 하다-(으)ㄹ까 하다 means 'I'm thinking of doing …' — a loose, not yet fixed plan.
- -(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다 means 'I can't decide whether to do it or not'.
- -(으)려다가-(으)려다가 means 'was about to / intended to do A, but (changed and) did B instead'.
- -도록-도록 links an action to the result or limit it aims at: "so that (something happens)" or "until / to the point that".
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.