Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 5 - Intermediate Korean #2 (Lessons 121 to 150) ᚛ Lesson 137 - Worrying in Korean [-(으)ㄹ까 보다] [-(으)ㄹ까 싶다]
Worrying in Korean [-(으)ㄹ까 보다] [-(으)ㄹ까 싶다]
Worrying with -(으)ㄹ까 보다
In Korean, to express the worry that an action might happen, there is a commonly used structure, which is the following:
[Worry: ... Modifier -(으)ㄹ]까 봐(서) 걱정되다
Reminder: the modifier -(으)ㄹ
Also, the suffix -서 is optional.
실패할까 봐 걱정돼요.
→ I’m afraid of failing.
네가 날 잊을까 봐 걱정돼.
→ I’m afraid you’ll forget me.
살이 찔까 봐 걱정돼서 안 먹었어.
→ I was worried about gaining weight, so I didn’t eat.
학교에 늦을까 봐 걱정돼서 뛰었어요.
→ I ran because I was worried about being late for school.
Worrying and acting
The uses of -(으)ㄹ까 보다 do not stop there. Indeed, instead of the verb 걱정되다, it is possible to indicate the action we take as a result of this worry, or the consequence that follows from it, in the following manner:
[Worry: ... Modifier -(으)ㄹ]까 봐(서) [Action]
도둑이 들까 봐 창문과 문을 잠갔어요.
→ I was worried a thief might get in, so I locked the window and the door.
기억 못 할까 봐 메모했어요.
→ I was afraid I wouldn’t remember, so I wrote it down.
아기가 깰까 봐 조용히 요리하고 있어요.
→ I’m afraid the baby might wake up, so I’m cooking quietly.
걱정하실까 봐 전화 드렸어요.
→ I was afraid she would worry, so I called her.
Worrying with -(으)ㄹ까 싶다
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.
Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!
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