haru Korean › Grammar › Level 3A › V-(으)려던 참이다

V-(으)려던 참이다 — I was just about to … — perfect timing

I was just about to … — perfect timing. Korean grammar for intermediate learners — Level 3A, lesson 11: 이번엔 진짜 공부해야겠어요 (This time I really have to study — exam season).

What it means

-(으)려던 참이다 says you were on the very point of doing something — 'I was just about to …'. It comes from -(으)려고 하다 'to intend to' (Lesson 1B-3) and 참 'the very moment', and it is learned as one chunk. After a 받침 add 으려던 참이다 (먹으려던 참이에요, 읽으려던 참이에요); after a vowel or ㄹ, 려던 참이다 (가려던 참이에요, 쉬려던 참이에요, 만들려던 참이에요). ㄷ and ㅂ irregular verbs change as they do before 으: 듣다 → 들으려던, 돕다 → 도우려던. The past goes on 참이다 — 전화하려던 참이었어요 — never on the verb in front. It is used most when someone suggests or does the very thing you were about to do: 같이 도서관에 갈래요? — 좋아요, 저도 지금 가려던 참이었어요. Start with 안 그래도 ('funny you should say that') to make it warmer. To say what happened at that moment, use -(으)려던 참에: 나가려던 참에 전화가 왔어요. Compare -(으)려고 했어요: 어제 전화하려고 했어요 is a plan that didn't happen, while 지금 전화하려던 참이었어요 is about this very moment.

Forms

Key points

• V-(으)려던 참이다 = I was just about to …: 받침 → 으려던 참이에요 (먹으려던) · no 받침 or ㄹ → 려던 참이에요 (가려던 · 만들려던)
• The past goes on 참: 참이었어요. Often with 안 그래도 — 안 그래도 전화하려던 참이었어요. -(으)려던 참에 = just as I was about to …

Examples

• 막 하려고 한 바로 그때를 말해요: 지금 전화하려던 참이에요.
• 받침 O → -으려던 참이에요: 먹으려던 · 읽으려던 · 들으려던(ㄷ).
• 받침 X · ㄹ → -려던 참이에요: 가려던 · 쉬려던 · 만들려던(ㄹ).
• 지난 일은 참이었어요: 저도 나가려던 참이었어요. 친구가 먼저 말했을 때: 안 그래도 …
• 그때 다른 일이 생기면 -(으)려던 참에: 자려던 참에 전화가 왔어요.

Where university textbooks teach it

This point also appears in: Yonsei University Korean 3-1, lesson 2; Ewha Womans University Korean 3-2, lesson 13; Hongik University Korean 3B, lesson 12; Hanyang University Korean 4-2, lesson 10.

Also in this lesson

• A/V-아/어야 — only if … — the one condition you can't skip
• V-아/어야지(요) — I'm going to … · of course you should … — promises and what is right

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