haru Korean › Grammar › Level 2A › A/V-았으면/었으면 좋겠다
A/V-았으면/었으면 좋겠다 — I wish … · I hope … — saying what you would like to be true
I wish … · I hope … — saying what you would like to be true. Korean grammar for upper beginner learners — Level 2A, lesson 4: 이 옷, 좀 큰 것 같아요 (I think these clothes are a bit big — guessing and comparing).
What it means
-았으면/었으면 좋겠어요 says what you wish or hope for: 'I wish …', 'I hope …', 'it would be nice if …'. Make the past form as usual, then add 으면 좋겠어요: 작다 → 작았으면 좋겠어요, 크다 → 컸으면 좋겠어요, 하다 → 했으면 좋겠어요, with the usual changes: 오다 → 왔으면, 가볍다 → 가벼웠으면. The -았/었- here is only part of the shape — the wish is about now or later: 내일 눈이 왔으면 좋겠어요, 'I hope it snows tomorrow'. It suits things you cannot simply decide yourself, such as the weather, a size, a price or someone else's health; for your own plans keep -고 싶어요 (저는 쉬고 싶어요). With a noun, use 이었으면/였으면: 오늘이 토요일이었으면 좋겠어요. You will also hear -(으)면 좋겠어요 without -았/었-, with much the same meaning. Learn 좋겠어요 as part of the pattern for now — the -겠- inside it comes in Lesson 8.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -았으면 좋겠어요 | last vowel ㅏ · ㅗ | 작다 → 작았으면 좋겠어요 |
| -었으면 좋겠어요 | any other vowel (ㅡ · ㅂ words too) | 있다 → 있었으면 좋겠어요 |
| 했으면 좋겠어요 | 하다 words | 건강하다 → 건강했으면 좋겠어요 |
Key points
- A/V-았으면/었으면 좋겠어요 = I wish … · I hope …: ㅏ·ㅗ → 았으면 (작았으면) · other vowels → 었으면 (컸으면) · 하다 → 했으면
- The past shape is only shape — the wish is about now or later: 내일 눈이 왔으면 좋겠어요
Examples
- 작다 → 작았어요 → 작았으면 좋겠어요.
- 오다 → 왔으면 좋겠어요. 크다 → 컸으면 좋겠어요. 가볍다 → 가벼웠으면 좋겠어요.
- 건강하다 → 건강했으면 좋겠어요. 세일하다 → 세일했으면 좋겠어요.
- 내일 눈이 왔으면 좋겠어요. (내일 — 과거가 아니에요)
- 저는 쉬고 싶어요. / 주말에 날씨가 좋았으면 좋겠어요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 2A, lesson 4; Yonsei University Korean 2-1, lesson 4; Sogang University Korean 3A, lesson 6; Ewha Womans University Korean 3-2, lesson 12; Hanyang University Korean 1-2, lesson 7.
Also in this lesson
- A-(으)ㄴ/V-는/N인 것 같다 — I think … · it seems … — guessing, and saying your opinion softly
- N보다 (더) (1B 복습·확장) — than — comparing two things with 보다