#Modality & Intention
70 Korean grammar points related to "Modality & Intention", ordered by textbook level.
Beginner 1 (초급 1)Beginner 1 Grammar (초급 1)(6)
- V + -고 싶다 / -고 싶어하다V + -go sipdaV + -고 싶다 / -고 싶어하다 – Want to do VWant to / would like to do an action
- V + -겠-V + -get-V + -겠- – Will (Speaker's Intention & Polite Expressions)Will / shall (expresses the first-person speaker's intention or polite fixed phrases)
- V + -(으)ㄹ래요V + -(eu)llaeyoV + -(으)ㄹ래요 – I'll / Would you like to… (Informal Intention)I want to / I'll do (statement); Would you like to do? (question)
- V/A + -(으)ㄹ 거예요V/A + -(eu)l geoyeyoV/A + -(으)ㄹ 거예요 – Will / Probably (Future Tense & Conjecture)Will / going to (future plan); probably (conjecture)
- V + -(으)려고 하다V + -(eu)ryeogo hadaV + -(으)려고 하다 – Intend to / Plan to do VIntend to / plan to / be about to do V
- V + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다V + -(eu)l su itda/eopdaV + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 – Can / Cannot do VCan / cannot; be able to / unable to do V
Beginner 2 (초급 2)Beginner 2 Grammar (초급 2)(10)
- V + -아/어 주다 (드리다)V + -a/eo juda (deurida)V + -아/어 주다 (드리다) – Do V for someonePerform an action for someone else's benefit
- V/A + -아/어도 되다V/A + -a/eodo doedaV/A + -아/어도 되다 – May / It is okay to do VMay do V / It is permissible or fine to do V
- V/A + -아/어야 하다/되다V/A + -a/eoya hada/doedaV/A + -아/어야 하다/되다 – Must / Have to do VMust / have to / should / need to
- V + -(으)ㄹ게요V + -(eu)lgeyoV + -(으)ㄹ게요 – I will do V (Promise & Immediate Volition)I'll do… (expressing a promise or willingness to the listener)
- V/A + -겠- (Phỏng đoán)V/A + -get- (conjecture)V/A + -겠- (Conjecture) – Must be / Looks like / ProbablyMust be / would be / probably (conjecture based on observation)
- V + -아/어 보다V + -a/eo bodaV + -아/어 보다 – Try doing V / Have experienced doing VTry doing V / give V a try / have experienced V
- V/A + -(으)면 좋겠다 / -았/었으면 좋겠다V/A + -(eu)myeon joketdaV/A + -(으)면 좋겠다 – I wish / I hope that…I hope / I wish / It would be nice if…
- V + -(으)면 안 되다V + -(eu)myeon an doedaV + -(으)면 안 되다 – Must not / May not do V (Prohibition)Must not / may not / should not do V
- V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 것 같다V/A + -(eu)n/neun/(eu)l geot gatdaV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 것 같다 – Seem to / Look like / I thinkIt seems that / It looks like / I think that
- V + -기로 하다V + -giro hadaV + -기로 하다 – Decide to / Promise to do VDecide to / agree or promise to do V
Intermediate 3 (중급 3)Intermediate 3 Grammar (중급 3)(12)
- V + -(으)ㄹ 생각/계획/예정이다V + -(eu)l saenggak/gyehoek/yejeongidaV + -(으)ㄹ 생각/계획/예정이다 – Plan / Intend / Be Scheduled to doThink of doing; plan to; be scheduled to
- V + -는 게 좋다V + -neun ge jotaV + -는 게 좋다 – It Is Better to / Should (Advice)Should; had better; it is good to
- A + -아/어 보이다A + -a/eo boidaA + -아/어 보이다 – Look / Seem / Appear (Visual Impression)Look; seem; appear to be
- V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 것 같다V/A + -(eu)n/neun/(eu)l geot gatdaV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 것 같다 – It Seems / I Think That (Conjecture)It seems that; I think that; it looks like
- V/A + -기는 하다V/A + -gineun hadaV/A + -기는 하다 (-긴 하다) – Indeed / Admit That... But...Do/Is indeed..., but...; admit that..., however...
- V + -는군요 / A + -군요V + -neungunyo / A + -gunyoV + -는군요 / A + -군요 (-구나) – I See That...! / How...! (Exclamation)I see that...!; Oh, so...!; How...!
- V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는 편이다V/A + -(eu)n/neun pyeonidaV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는 편이다 – Tend to / Be on the ... SideTend to; be on the ... side; relatively
- V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 줄 알았다/몰랐다V/A + -(eu)n/neun/(eu)l jul aratda/mollatdaV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 줄 알았다/몰랐다 – Thought That... / Didn't Know That...Thought that (mistakenly)...; had no idea that...
- V + -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다V + -(eu)l jul alda/moreudaV + -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다 – Know How to / Do Not Know How toKnow how to do; do not know how to do
- V + -(으)ㄹ까 하다V + -(eu)lkka hadaV + -(으)ㄹ까 하다 – Be Thinking of Doing (Tentative Intention)Be thinking of doing; considering doing
- V + -아/어야겠다V + -a/eoyagetdaV + -아/어야겠다 – I Should / Must Do (Personal Resolution)I really should...; I'd better...; I must...
- V/A + -았/었으면 좋겠다V/A + -at/eosseumyeon joketdaV/A + -았/었으면 좋겠다 – I Wish / I Hope That...I wish...; I hope that...; it would be great if...
Intermediate 4 (중급 4)Intermediate 4 Grammar (중급 4)(10)
- V + -나 보다 / A + -(으)ㄴ가 보다V + -na boda / A + -(eu)nga bodaV + -나 보다 / A + -(으)ㄴ가 보다 – It Seems / Appears That (Inference)It seems that; I guess that; it appears that
- V + -게 되다 (Nghĩa bị động / Đành phải)V + -ge doedaV + -게 되다 – End Up Having to / Come About That...End up doing; find oneself in a situation where...
- 얼마나 V + -는지 / A + -(으)ㄴ지 모르다eolmana V + -neunji / A + -(eu)nji moreuda얼마나 V + -는지 / A + -(으)ㄴ지 모르다 – You Have No Idea How... (Extreme Degree)You have no idea how...; extremely; cannot tell you how much...
- V + -(으)ㄹ 만하다 (-아/어 볼 만하다)V + -(eu)l manhada (-a/eo bol manhada)V + -(으)ㄹ 만하다 – Worth Doing / Bearable / Good EnoughWorth doing; well worth trying (-아/어 볼 만하다); tolerable/decent
- V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 모양이다V/A + -(eu)n/neun/(eu)l moyangidaV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 모양이다 – It Appears / Looks Like (Objective Inference)It appears that; it looks as though
- V/A + -(으)ㄹ 텐데V/A + -(eu)l tendeV/A + -(으)ㄹ 텐데 – Must Be / Would Probably... So...Probably / Must be..., so...; would have..., but...
- V/A + -(으)ㄹ까 봐(서)V/A + -(eu)lkka bwa(seo)V/A + -(으)ㄹ까 봐(서) – For Fear That / Worried That...For fear that; worried that... might happen; thinking it might be better
- V + -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다V + -(eu)l ppeonhadaV + -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 – Almost Did / Nearly HappenedAlmost did; nearly happened; came close to doing
- V/A + -(으)ㄹ 정도로 / -(으)ㄹ 정도이다V/A + -(eu)l jeongdoro / -(eu)l jeongdoidaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 정도로 / 정도이다 – To the Extent That / So... That...To the extent that; so much that; to the point of
- V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는 척하다 (체하다)V/A + -(eu)n/neun cheokhada (chehada)V/A + -(으)ㄴ/는 척하다 (체하다) – Pretend to / Act As IfPretend to; act as if; feign
Advanced 5 (고급 5)Advanced 5 Grammar (고급 5)(13)
- -(으)ㄹ걸요-(eu)lgeoryoV/A + -(으)ㄹ걸요 (Probably, I suppose)Probably / I bet / I suppose (expresses the speaker's conjecture based on personal grounds in spoken Korean).
- -(으)ㄹ 뿐이다-(eu)l ppunidaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 뿐이다, N + 뿐이다 (Only, merely, nothing more than)Only / merely / just (emphasizes that there is no other action or state beyond what is stated).
- -(으)ㄹ 수밖에 없다-(eu)l subakke eopdaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 수밖에 없다 (Have no choice but to, cannot help but)Have no choice but to..., cannot help doing, it is only natural that...
- -다시피 (하다)-dasipi (hada)V + -다시피 / -다시피 하다 (As you know/see; Almost, practically)1) V + -다시피: As you know/see/heard... 2) V + -다시피 하다: Practically, almost, might as well be doing.
- -(으)ㄴ/는 법이다-(eu)n/neun beobidaV + -는 법이다, A + -(으)ㄴ 법이다 (It is natural that, it is a rule of life that)It is only natural that / bound to (states an inevitable truth, natural law, or universal principle).
- -(으)ㄴ/는 듯이-(eu)n/neun deusiV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는 듯이, N + -인 듯이 (As if, as though)As if, as though (describes an action or state by comparing it to a hypothetical or similar situation).
- -(으)ㄹ걸 (그랬다)-(eu)lgeol (geuraetda)V + -(으)ㄹ걸 (그랬다) (I should have..., I wish I had...)I should have... (expresses regret over not having done something differently in the past).
- -아/어 버리다-a/eo beoridaV + -아/어 버리다 (End up doing completely / Do to the finish)Completely finish doing / end up doing (emphasizes complete finality along with a feeling of regret or relief).
- -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다-(eu)n/neun semidaV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다, N + -인 셈이다 (Practically, amounts to, might as well be)All things considered, it amounts to / practically is (evaluates a situation as being virtually equivalent to a certain conclusion).
- 여간 -지 않다yeogan -ji anta여간 + V/A + -지 않다 (Extremely, extraordinarily, no ordinary...)By no means ordinary / extremely / exceedingly (uses a negative predicate to emphatically affirm a high degree).
- -아/어서 그런지-a/eoseo geureonjiV/A + -아/어서 그런지, N + -(이)라서 그런지 (Perhaps because..., maybe that's why...)Perhaps because..., I'm not sure if it's because..., but... (tentatively guesses the reason for the state/action in the main clause).
- -게 마련이다-ge maryeonidaV/A + -게 마련이다 (Be bound to, it is only natural that)Be bound to / naturally do (expresses that an action or state inevitably occurs by nature).
- -아/어 내다-a/eo naedaV + -아/어 내다 (Manage to do, pull off through perseverance)Successfully carry out / pull off / endure to the end (achieves a result by overcoming difficulties with strong willpower).
Advanced 6 (고급 6)Advanced 6 Grammar (고급 6)(19)
- -기 짝이 없다-gi jjagi eopdaA + -기 짝이 없다 (Matchlessly, beyond compare, extremely)Incomparably, extremely, beyond measure (emphasizes the highest degree of an evaluation or feeling).
- -았/었더라면 (회상)-at/eotdeoramyeonV/A + -았/었더라면 (Had I ... back then, I would have...)If only ... had ... back then (retrospective counterfactual expressing deep regret over a past event).
- -고말고요-gomalgoyoV/A + -고말고요 (Of course!, Naturally!, Without a doubt!)Of course! / Certainly! (strongly affirms or agrees with the interlocutor's question in conversation).
- -(으)ㄹ 따름이다-(eu)l ttareumidaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 따름이다, N + -일 따름이다 (Only, merely, can do nothing but)Only / can only feel or do ... (formal expression emphasizing that there is no other action or emotion possible beyond what is stated).
- -는 수가 있다-neun suga itdaV + -는 수가 있다 (Might end up doing, there is a chance that)There are times when / you might end up ... (warns that an undesirable event could happen under certain circumstances).
- -(으)ㄹ 법하다-(eu)l beophadaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 법하다 (Be likely to, stand to reason that, ought to)It stands to reason that / is very likely to (judging from common sense or the circumstances, the situation is natural and probable).
- -기 십상이다-gi sipsangidaV + -기 십상이다 (Be very apt to, nine times out of ten will end up...)Be very prone/apt to, almost certain to suffer (warns of a high probability of a negative outcome).
- -고 들다-go deuldaV + -고 들다 (Persistently press on, aggressively dive into)Dive into / persistently press / aggressively pursue an action.
- -(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다-(eu)llak mallak hadaV + -(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다 (Be on the verge of, barely / intermittently)Be on the point of doing and not doing / alternate between doing and not doing / barely perceptible.
- -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다-(eu)l liga eopdaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다, N + -일 리가 없다 (There is no way that..., cannot possibly be)There is no reason/way that..., it is impossible that... (categorically denies a possibility as contrary to reason or known facts).
- -기 일쑤이다-gi ilssuidaV + -기 일쑤이다 (Be habitually prone to, routinely end up doing)Routinely / habitually end up doing (expresses that an undesirable mistake or mishap happens all the time).
- -(으)나 마나-(eu)na manaV + -(으)나 마나(이다) (Whether one does it or not, no need to even try)It makes no difference whether one does it or not (either because doing it is futile or because the result is already completely obvious).
- -(으)ㄹ 줄이야-(eu)l juriyaV/A + -(으)ㄹ 줄이야, N + -일 줄이야 (Who would have thought that...!, To think that...!)Who could have imagined that...! / To think that...! (exclamation of surprise at a completely unexpected situation).
- -기 마련이다-gi maryeonidaV/A + -기 마련이다 (Be bound to, it is only natural that)Be bound to / naturally do (states that something inevitably happens as a matter of course).
- -(으)리라-(eu)riraV/A + -(으)리라, N + -(이)리라 (Will surely ..., I shall ... - literary)1) I shall / will surely (solemn resolution). 2) Would probably / must have (literary conjecture).
- -아/어 봤자-a/eo bwatjaV/A + -아/어 봤자 (Even if you try doing..., it is no use)Even if one tries doing..., it will do no good / at best it's only... (dismisses the effort in the first clause as futile).
- -기 나름이다 / 나름이다-gi nareumida / nareumidaV + -기 나름이다, N + 나름이다 (Depends on how one does it, up to...)Depends on / is up to (indicates that the outcome varies depending on how something is done or handled).
- -는 둥 마는 둥-neun dung maneun dungV + -는 둥 마는 둥 (하다) (Barely doing, doing half-heartedly)Half-heartedly / barely doing at all (describes performing an action so perfunctorily or distractedly that it is as if it wasn't done).
- -(으)ㄴ/는걸요-(eu)n/neungeoryoV/A + -(으)ㄴ/는걸요, N + -인걸요 (Actually..., you see / How ... it is!)1) Gently counters or explains a reason to the listener ('Actually..., you see'). 2) Mild exclamation ('It's quite ...!').
All topics
- Connective Endings (연결 어미)
- Particles (조사)
- Time & Sequence
- Conditionals & Supposition
- Cause & Reason
- Polite Sentence Endings
- Comparison (비교)
- Basic Sentence Patterns
- Tenses & Aspect (시제)
- Purpose & Plans
- Negation (부정 표현)
- Questions & Interrogatives
- Verb/Adjective Conjugation
- Noun Modifiers (관형사형)
- Change of State
- Experience & Trial
- Requests & Commands
- Suggestions & Invitations
- Ability & Possibility
- Location & Place
- Irregular Conjugation (불규칙)
- Honorifics (높임말)
- Obligation & Necessity
- Numbers & Ordinals
- Movement & Direction
- Desire & Wishes
- Nominalization (명사형)
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Counters (단위 명사)
- Existence & Possession
