Continuing Korean. Ross King
Lesson Notes
18.1. Uses of the Infinitive V: with 야 Only if
To express obligation—have to, must, should, ought to—you use an infinitive for the main verb, and attach to it the particle 야 only if plus a form of 하 or 되- becomes; -어야 해요 or -어야 돼요 gives the meaning of have to to the main verb. Literally, the pattern means only if (someone) VERBs will it do or become, but in practice this is merely the normal Korean way of saying that someone is compelled or has to do something.
| 1. | 오늘 저녁에 친구를 만나야 해요. I have to meet a friend this evening. |
| 2. | 이 구두를 바꿔야 하겠어요. I’ll have to exchange these shoes. |
| 3. | 교회 안에서는 조용히 해야 돼요. You have to be quiet inside the church. |
| 4. | 머리가 너무 길어서 이발을 해야겠습니다. My hair is so long I’ll have to get a haircut. |
| Occasionally -어야 is followed by some verb other than the auxiliary 해요. | |
| 5. | 1,000원이 있어야 들어가요. You have to have 1000 wǒn to get in. (lit.: Only if you have 1000 wǒn do you go in). |
| 6. | 선생님께 여쭤 봐야 알아요. We will only find out by asking the teacher. or We won’t find out unless we ask the teacher. |
Be careful about trying to use negatives for this type of expression. The genuine opposite of these, in English, is doesn’t have to; needs not. But the Korean opposites are made by an altogether different construction, discussed in Section 18.2.4.
Must not—which appears on the surface to be the negative of has to—is actually a denial of permission; it is the opposite of may, which gives permission. The denial of permission, again, is an entirely different Korean construction that will be taken up later.
Here are some more examples of -어야.
| 7. | 오늘 밤까지는 이 과를 마쳐야 해요. I must finish this lesson by tonight. |
| 8. | 나는 오후 5시까지는 약국에 들러야 해요. I have to drop by the pharmacy by 5 pm. |
| 9. | 내일 선배 한 분을 찾아 가야 해요. I have to look up one of my seniors tomorrow. |
| 10. | 보증금을 따로 내야 합니다. You have to pay a deposit separately. |
| 11. | 고기는 그 가게에 아침 일찍 가야 사요. You’ll get meat only by going to that shop early in the morning. |
In some forms it is common for the auxiliary verb 하- to be abbreviated. In colloquial Korean, this happens most often in these two patterns.
| 해야 하 지요 | → | 선생님도 오셔야지요! |
| . . . should do it, you know. | You should come, too! | |
| 해야 하 겠어요 | → | 빨리 가야겠어요. |
| . . . will have to do it. | I really must hurry along. |
| 12. | A. | 이 문제를 꼭 풀어야 돼요? Do we have to solve this problem? |
| B. | 그럼요，풀어야지요! Of course you have to solve it! | |
| 13. | 자동차를 빌려야겠어요. We’ll have to rent a car. | |
| Finally, note that you can use the particle 야 on a past infinitive, in a construction meaning should have done, i.e., only if one had done. | ||
| 14. | 어젯밤에 숙제를 했어야 됐지만，못 했어요. I should have done my homework last night, but I couldn’t. |
18.2. Uses of the Infinitive VI: with 도 Even though
18.2.1. -어도 : Even though . . .
An infinitive with the particle 도 has the basic meaning even though [so-and-so happens].
| 15. | 수진 씨는 돈이 많지 않아도，늘 쇼핑을 해요. Even though Sujin hasn’t much money, she’s always shopping. |
| 16. | 상점이 멀어도 자주 가요. Even though the stores are far away, I go there often. |
| On a past base: | |
| 17. | 돈이 조금밖에 없었어도 늘 즐겁게 살았어요. Even though he hadn’t much money, he always lived happily. |
Again, with this construction, it is not necessary to use a past-tense infinitive before the 도, even when the meaning is past, unless ambiguity would otherwise result; the past-tense verb at the end does all the work.
Notice the basic similarity between this construction and the -지만 but, although construction you have learned. Both constructions mean though [so-and-so happens] . . . but -어도 is stronger. It means even though . . . or in spite of the fact that . . . ; if we want to switch its force to the next part of the sentence, we can give it some such translation as . . . but even so.
I haven’t much money, but even so I’m always buying things.
The stores are a long way off, but in spite of this I go there a lot.
He had no money at all, but nonetheless he was always happy.
Constructions with -지만 (although . . . or . . . but) are not this strong, but the fundamental meaning is similar.
18.2.2. Special Copular Form -(이)라도
Just as the copula