haru Korean › Grammar › Level 5B › A/V-(으)려고(요)?
A/V-(으)려고(요)? — surely you're not going to …? · how could …? — doubting a plan or a claim
Surely you're not going to …? · how could …? — doubting a plan or a claim. Korean grammar for advanced learners — Level 5B, lesson 4: 집 구하기와 자취 (Finding a room, living alone — a lease, the five checks before you sign, rental fraud, asking for repairs and cooking for yourself).
What it means
In a question, -(으)려고(요)? shows that you can hardly believe something. It can doubt the other person's plan — 설마 이 집을 계약하려고요? 'surely you're not going to sign for this place?' — or doubt that something can be so at all — 그렇게 싼 집이 있으려고요? 'a place that cheap? I doubt it'. Stems with 받침 take -으려고요?, stems without 받침 or with ㄹ take -려고요?. It often comes with 설마 or 정말; to friends, drop 요: 설마 혼자 이사하려고?
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| V-(으)려고(요)? | 동사 — 상대방이 하려는 일 (받침 O 으려고 · X · ㄹ 려고) | 계약하다 → 설마 계약하려고요? |
| A/V-(으)려고(요)? | 그럴 것 같지 않은 일 — 형용사도 | 있다 → 그렇게 싼 집이 있으려고요? |
Key points
- -(으)려고(요)? in a question = surely not … / how could …: 받침 O -으려고요? (있으려고요?) · 받침 X · ㄹ -려고요? (계약하려고요? · 살려고요?).
- Two doubts: someone's plan (설마 이 집을 계약하려고요?) and a fact (그렇게 싼 집이 있으려고요? = 없을 거예요). Often with 설마; informal -(으)려고?. Not the plan -(으)려고 해요 (1B-3).
Examples
- 상대방이 하려는 일을 믿기 어려울 때 놀라서 물어요: 설마 이 집을 계약하려고요?
- 어떤 일이 그럴 것 같지 않을 때도 써요: 그렇게 싼 집이 있으려고요? (= 없을 거예요)
- 받침이 있으면 -으려고요?, 없거나 ㄹ이면 -려고요?: 있으려고요? · 계약하려고요? · 살려고요?
- 「설마 · 정말」과 같이 많이 써요. 친구에게는 「요」를 빼요: 설마 혼자 이사하려고?
Also in this lesson
- V-기가 바쁘게 — no sooner … than · the moment … — one thing hard on the heels of another
- A-(으)ㄴ걸(요) · V-는걸(요) — but actually … · oh, it's … — a gentle 'that's not quite so' or a little surprise
- A/V-네 — oh, it's … — a reaction to what you notice right now, to a friend or to yourself (Lesson 1A-8 -네요, now in informal speech)