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Grammar / Level 4 / Lesson 107

답시고, 다는 것이, (으)려나 보다: meant to, supposedly

By Daniel Buckley · 12 minute read · TOPIK 5

Vocabulary

  1. 고치다 - to fix
  2. 망가뜨리다 - to break, to wreck
  3. 돕다 - to help
  4. 방해 - getting in the way, a hindrance
  5. 따지다 - to argue over, to pick at
  6. 해결하다 - to solve
  7. 소금 - salt
  8. 설탕 - sugar
  9. 넣다 - to put in
  10. 설마 - surely not

Your flatmate has "fixed" the washing machine, and now it doesn't turn on. English puts those quote marks in with your voice. Korean has an ending for it: 고친답시고, and everyone can hear what you think.

All of these forms sit in the gap between what someone meant and what's really going on. You might doubt the claim, regret the slip, or guess what's coming next.

답시고: so-called

답시고 reports the reason someone would give, and sneers at it. The subject thinks it's a good reason, and the speaker doesn't. It's casual and spoken, and it's rude to say about anyone above you. Used about yourself, it's self-mockery, which is safe.

Making 답시고

  • Take the 한다체 form and add ㅂ시고.
  • Verbs: ㄴ/는답시고.고치다 → 고친답시고돕다 → 돕는답시고
  • Adjectives: 답시고.바쁘다 → 바쁘답시고
  • Past: 았/었답시고.했답시고
  • Nouns: (이)랍시고.선물 → 선물이랍시고

Pick a verb

고치다고치고친답시고

  1. 컴퓨터를 고친답시고 아예 망가뜨렸어요.

    He claimed to be fixing the computer, and wrecked it completely.

  2. 공부한답시고 방에 들어가서 게임만 해요.

    He goes to his room to "study" and just plays games.

  3. 청소한답시고 방을 더 어질러 놨어요.

    She "cleaned" the room and left it messier.

  4. 동생이 바쁘답시고 전화도 안 받아요.

    My brother says he's so busy that he won't even pick up.

  5. 선물이랍시고 이걸 줬어요?

    You gave me this and called it a present?

  6. 제가 돕는답시고 갔다가 방해만 됐어요.

    I went along thinking I'd help, and just got in the way.

(으)려 들다: set on doing it

You've met 들다 adding force in 고 들다. On (으)려고 it does the same, so the person isn't just planning, they're pushing. It comes with annoyance more often than not, and 려고 들다 is a common longer form.

It's used in speech and in opinion writing, with 들면 and 들지 마세요 as frequent endings. 가르치려 들다 is close to a set phrase for someone who lectures you when nobody asked.

Pick a verb

따지다따지따지려 들어요

  1. 왜 자꾸 저를 가르치려 들어요?

    Why do you keep trying to lecture me?

  2. 그 사람은 뭐든지 돈으로 해결하려 들어요.

    He tries to solve everything with money.

  3. 그렇게 따지려 들면 할 말이 없어요.

    If you're going to argue like that, I've got nothing to say.

  4. 아이가 밥을 먹으려 들지 않아요.

    The child refuses to eat.

  5. 혼자 다 하려 들지 마세요.

    Don't try to do it all yourself.

다는 것이: meant to, and got it wrong

Here you set out to do A and did something else by mistake. It's built like a quotation, as if to say that what you'd call doing A turned out to be B. In speech it's usually 다는 게. It's verbs only, and the verb stays in the present even though the slip is over.

Compare (으)려다가. With that, you were going to do A and then changed course, perhaps on purpose. With 다는 게, A is what you were trying to do, and something else came out instead.

Making 다는 것이

  • Stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ: ㄴ다는 것이, ㄴ다는 게.보내다 → 보낸다는 게
  • Other stems: 는다는 것이, 는다는 게.넣다 → 넣는다는 게

  1. 소금을 넣는다는 게 설탕을 넣었어요.

    I meant to add salt, and I added sugar.

  2. 친구한테 문자를 보낸다는 게 엄마한테 보냈어요.

    I meant to text my friend, and I sent it to my mum.

  3. 왼쪽으로 간다는 게 오른쪽으로 갔어요.

    I meant to go left, and I went right.

  4. 일찍 일어난다는 것이 늦잠을 자고 말았다.

    I meant to get up early, but I overslept.

  5. 친구를 위로한다는 게 오히려 상처를 줬어요.

    I meant to comfort my friend, and I hurt her instead.

(으)려고요: planning, and doubting

Stop a sentence at (으)려고 and add 요, and you have the everyday way to say what you're planning. It's very common, and it often answers a question, so the rest of the sentence is left unsaid.

  1. 주말에요? 집에서 쉬려고요.

    This weekend? I'm going to rest at home.

  2. 왜 일찍 일어났어요? 운동하려고요.

    Why are you up early? To work out.

The same form has a second life as a doubtful question: surely not? It goes well with 설마, it can take 았/었, and it works on adjectives. I'd call it a little old-fashioned, the sort of thing you hear from older speakers, but you'll meet it in dramas.

  1. 설마 민수 씨가 그런 말을 하려고요?

    Surely Minsu wouldn't say that?

  2. 설마 벌써 떠났으려고요?

    Surely they won't have left already?

  3. 이 추운 날에 누가 오려고요?

    Who would come on a day this cold?

  4. 그렇게 비싸려고요?

    It can't be that expensive, can it?

※ The dictionary also lists ㄹ/을라고 as an ending of its own with this doubting meaning, as in 설마 그럴라고요?. So the extra ㄹ is fine here, unlike in the plan meaning.

(으)려나 보다: looks as if it's about to

려나 is (으)려고 하나 squeezed together, and 나 보다 you know. So 나 보다 infers what's going on, and (으)려나 보다 infers what's about to. You see the sign, then you say what's coming. It's natural in conversation.

Pick a verb

오다오오려나 봐요

  1. 하늘이 어두워졌어요. 비가 오려나 봐요.

    The sky's gone dark. It looks like rain.

  2. 불이 꺼졌네요. 문을 닫으려나 봐요.

    The lights have gone off. I think they're closing.

  3. 민수 씨가 가방을 챙겨요. 퇴근하려나 봐요.

    Minsu's packing his bag. Looks like he's heading home.

  4. 아기가 눈을 비벼요. 자려나 봐요.

    The baby's rubbing her eyes. I think she's going to sleep.

(으)려나 alone is what you say to yourself: I wonder if it'll happen. It's a light guess, in 반말 or under your breath.

  1. 내일은 날씨가 좋으려나?

    I wonder if the weather will be good tomorrow.

  2. 민수 씨가 오늘 오려나?

    I wonder if Minsu will come today.

  1. ___ 설탕을 넣었어요.

    I meant to add salt, and I added sugar by mistake.

  2. 남편이 컴퓨터를 ___ 망가뜨렸어요.

    My husband "fixed" the computer and wrecked it, and I'm not impressed.

  3. 하늘이 어두워졌어요. 비가 ___.

    The sky's gone dark. It looks like rain.

  4. 설마 민수 씨가 그런 말을 ___?

    Surely Minsu wouldn't say that?

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

부엌이 왜 이렇게 엉망이에요?

Kitchen why this much mess?

B

남편이 요리를 한답시고 다 꺼내 놨어요.

Husband cooking claiming to do everything took out.

A

그런데 국이 왜 이렇게 달아요?

But soup why this sweet?

B

소금을 넣는다는 게 설탕을 넣었대요.

Salt meaning to put in sugar put in, he says.

A

설마 그걸 다 먹으려고요?

Surely not that all going to eat?

B

아니요, 치킨을 시키려고요.

No, chicken going to order.

Common mistakes

  1. 컴퓨터를 고치답시고 망가뜨렸어요.

    컴퓨터를 고친답시고 망가뜨렸어요.

    Verbs need the ㄴ/는다 form. Plain 답시고 is for adjectives and the past.

  2. 소금을 넣다는 게 설탕을 넣었어요.

    소금을 넣는다는 게 설탕을 넣었어요.

    A verb stem with a final consonant takes 는다는 게.

  3. 주말에 집에서 쉴려고요.

    주말에 집에서 쉬려고요.

    Many people say an extra ㄹ, but it isn't there in the spelling. A vowel stem takes 려고요.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

컴퓨터를 ___ 아예 망가뜨렸어요. (고치다, use 답시고) He claimed to be fixing the computer, and wrecked it.

A vowel stem takes ㄴ답시고.

Summary

ㄴ/는답시고 forms
DictionaryStemㄴ/는답시고
가다가간답시고
먹다먹먹는답시고
살다살산답시고
돕다돕돕는답시고
(으)려 들다 forms
DictionaryStem(으)려 들다
하다하하려 들다
먹다먹먹으려 들다
따지다따지따지려 들다
가르치다가르치가르치려 들다
ㄴ/는다는 게 forms
DictionaryStemㄴ/는다는 게
보내다보내보낸다는 게
넣다넣넣는다는 게
살다살산다는 게
듣다듣듣는다는 게
(으)려나 보다 forms
DictionaryStem(으)려나 보다
오다오오려나 보다
먹다먹먹으려나 보다
살다살살려나 보다
듣다듣들으려나 보다

What each one says

  • 답시고: so he says, and I'm not impressed.
  • (으)려 들다: set on doing it, annoyingly.
  • 다는 것이, 다는 게: I meant to, and got it wrong.
  • (으)려고요: I'm planning to. With 설마: surely not?
  • (으)려나 보다: it looks as if it's about to.

Now you can say

  1. 제가 돕는답시고 갔다가 방해만 됐어요.

    I went along thinking I'd help, and just got in the way.

  2. 소금을 넣는다는 게 설탕을 넣었어요.

    I meant to add salt, and I added sugar.

  3. 하늘이 어두워졌어요. 비가 오려나 봐요.

    The sky's gone dark. It looks like rain.

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