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Lesson 44: Let’s/Shall: ~자, ~ㅂ/읍시다, ~ㄹ/을래(요)

This Lesson is also available in Español and العربية

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Vocabulary
Introduction

Let’s…: ~자 and ~ㅂ/읍시다

~ㄹ/을래요
Usage 1
Usage 2
Usage 3
Usage 4

 

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the example sentences, but most of the grammar used will be introduced by the end of Unit 2. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.

Nouns:
소망 = hope, desire

Notes: 희망 and 소망 have the same translation and effectively mean the same thing. However, 소망 is more likely to be used with some unattainable wish like “My wish is for the two Koreas to be unified.” That being said, in most cases they are both acceptable.

Common Usages:
소망을 이루다 = to fulfil one’s hope/dreams/desire
소망이 이루어지다 = for one’s hopes to be fulfilled

Examples:
우리의 소망은 통일이에요 = Our hope is unification
소망이 무엇인지 말씀해 주실래요? = Could you please tell me what your dream/hope is?

숙어 = idiom

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “수거”

Examples:
영어숙어를 같이 외워 볼래? = Shall we try to memorize English idioms together?
이 숙어가 무슨 뜻인지 설명해 주실래요? = Could you please explain what this idiom means?
숙어는 외우지 않으면 기억하기 힘들어요 = If you don’t memorize idioms it is difficult to remember them

장례식 = funeral

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “장녜식”

Common Usages:
장례식을 치르다 = to have a funeral
장례식장 = a funeral home

Examples:
장례식에 같이 갈래요? = Shall we go to the funeral together?
장례식에 갈 때는 장례식에 맞는 검정색 옷을 입고 가야 해요 = When you go to a funeral, you should wear the appropriate black clothing

연수 = training for work

Notes: When teachers at my school receive formal training for their job (similar to “professional development” in western countries), they call this type of training “연수.”
Also, once per year at my school all staff members go on trip to some interesting tourist destination and have a good time. Very little “training” is done during these outings, but I guess the goal is to improve camaraderie and relationships. Nonetheless, this is called “연수.”

Common Usages:
어학연수 = to study abroad for the purpose of learning a language
직원연수 = employee training
교직원연수 = teacher training

Examples:
연수를 받으러 갑시다 = Let’s go to receive the training
그 문제에 관해 연수를 받았어요 = We/I received training about that problem

연수를 받으시고 싶다면 내일까지 신청하시기 바랍니다
= If you want to receive the training, please apply by tomorrow

오늘은 직원연수가 있어 모든 직원들이 11시에 모여서 버스로 출발할 예정이에요
= There is employee training today, and all employees are scheduled to meet at 11 and leave by bus

규정 = rules, regulations

Common Usages:
규정을 위반하다 = to break a rule
규정을 어기다 = to break a rule

Examples:
그 규정을 내일부터 시행할 거예요 = We will enforce that rule from tomorrow
규정을 위반하면 그에 따라 벌금을 내야 합니다 = If you break a rule, you have to pay a fine accordingly
몇몇 규정은 소수에 의해 만들어졌기 때문에 모두가 동의하지는 않아요 = Some rules were made by the minority, so not everybody agrees on them

무대 = (a performing) stage

Common Usages:
무대에 나서다 = to appear on stage
무대에 나오다 = to appear on stage

Examples:
무대에 같이 올라가자 = Let’s go onto the stage together
무대 위에서 노래를 부를 때마다 저의 걱정과 고민은 모두 사라져요 = Whenever I sing on stage all of my worries and fears disappear

= punishment

Common Usages:
벌금 = a fine
벌을 주다 = to punish
벌을 세우다 = to punish
천벌을 받다 = to be punished by heaven

Examples:
요새 벌이 조금 공평하지 않아. 내일 그것을 선생님이랑 얘기하자
= Lately, the punishments have been a little unfair. Let’s talk about that with the teacher tomorrow

오늘 수업시간에 많은 학생들이 떠들어서 벌을 줬어요
= Many students chatted/were making a lot of noise today so I punished them

쪽지 = a little message written on a piece of paper

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “쪽찌”

Common Usages:
쪽지를 주고 받다 = to exchange messages

Examples:
쪽지를 서로 보내자 = Let’s send messages to each other
핸드폰이 생기기 전에는 친구들과 문자를 보내는 대신에 쪽지를 주고 받았어요 = Before cell phones, instead of sending text messages with friends, we exchanged notes

환불 = refund

Common Usages:
환불은 안 됩니다 = No refund
환불 가능 = refunds are possible (you would see this on a sign in a store)
환불보증 = money back guarantee

Examples:
환불해 주실래요? = Could you please give me a refund?
우리 가게는 환불이나 교환을 해 주지 않습니다 = Our store doesn’t do refunds or exchanges
사과가 다 상해서 환불을 받아야 돼요 = I need to get a refund because all the apples have gone bad
각 가게마다 환불을 받을 수 있는 시기가 다르니 꼼꼼히 확인해야 해요 = The time/period that you can receive a refund at each store is different, so make sure you check them meticulously

Verbs:
외우다 = to memorize

Translation: to memorize

Common Usages:
어휘를 외우다 = to memorize vocabulary
단어를 외우다 = to memorize a word/word

Examples:
한국어 어휘를 외우는 것은 어려운 편이에요 = Memorizing Korean vocabulary is quite difficult
가사를 더 잘 외울걸 = I should have memorized the lyrics better (but I didn’t)
저는 이렇게 많은 단어를 외울 수 없어요 = I can’t memorize this many words
새로운 단어를 계속 외우다 보면 점점 헷갈려요 = If I keep memorizing new words, I gradually get confused
영어문법을 공부할 때 예외를 그냥 다 외워야 돼요 = When you study English grammar, you just need to memorize all of the exceptions

저버리다 = to back out on something

Common Usages:
약속을 저버리다 = to back out on a plan, promise
기대를 저버리다 = to back out on one’s expectations

Examples:
저의 남자친구는 저와의 약속을 저버리고 새로운 여자를 만났어요
= My boyfriend backed out on our plans/promise and met a new girl

그 소년은 가족의 기대를 저버리고 자신이 원하는 선택을 했어요
= That boy went against family expectations and made his own choices

모집하다 = to recruit

The noun form of this word (“모집”) translates to “recruitment.”
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “모지파다”

Common Usages:
회원을 모집하다 = to recruit members
신규사원을 모집하다 = to recruit new workers
신입생을 모집하다 = to recruit new students

Examples:
회원을 모집해 볼래요? = Shall we try to recruit some members?
매년 초에 각 대학마다 신입생을 모집하기 위해 홍보 활동을 해요 = Every year at the beginning of the year, each university does promotional activities in order to recruit new students

복제하다 = to duplicate, to replicate

The noun form of this word (“복제”) translates to “a duplication/replication.”
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “복쩨하다”

Common Usages:
복제인간 = a human clone (a copy of a human)

Examples:
그 파일을 이 컴퓨터로 복사해 주실래요? = Could you please copy that file to this computer?

인간을 복제하는 것은 많은 사회적 문제를 불러일으킬 거예요
= Cloning humans will raise / stir up a lot of social problems

이 책을 복제해서 판매할 경우 법을 위반한 것으로 간주되어 벌금을 받습니다
= If you copy this book and sell it, it is considered breaking the law so you will receive a fine

울리다 = to be ringing, to be vibrating

Common Usages:
핸드폰이 울리다 = for a phone to vibrate
목소리가 울리다 = for a voice to echo
벨이 울리다 = for a bell to ring

Examples:
울리는 핸드폰을 받아 주실래요? = Could you please pick up the phone that is ringing?
목소리가 울려서 잘 안 들려요 = I can’t hear (you) well because your voice is echoing
하지만 바로 그때였다. 핸드폰이 울렸다. ‘아 누구지?’ 핸드폰을 확인해 봤다. 그 문자는 바로 민호한테서 온 것이었다 = But, it was right at that moment. My phone rang. Who could it be?  I checked the phone. That message had come from none other than 민호.

희망하다 = to hope, to wish

The noun form of this word (“희망”) translates to “a wish.”
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “히망하다”

Notes: 희망 and 소망 have the same translation and effectively mean the same thing. However, 소망 is more likely to be used with some unattainable wish like “My wish is for the two Koreas to be unified.” That being said, in most cases they are both acceptable.

Common Usages:
희망자 = somebody hoping for something
희망사항 = a wish list

Examples:
모든 아이들이 밥을 먹을 수 있기를 희망해요 = All children hope/want/wish to be able to eat food
미래에 사람들이 더 살기 좋은 사회가 되기를 희망합니다 = In the future, I hope for a better society to live in

측정하다 = to measure

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “측쩡하다”

Common Usages:
무게를 측정하다 = to measure weight
몸무게를 측정하다 = to measure one’s body weight

Examples:
기후변화를 측정할 길이 없어요 = There is no way of measuring climate change
캐나다 사람들은 거리를 미터와 피트 둘 다로 측정해요 = Canadians measure distance in both feet and meters
신체검사를 할 때 몸무게를 측정하기 때문에 여자아이들은 신체검사를 싫어해요 = When you get a body check-up, you have to measure your body weight so girls don’t like getting check-ups

틀다 = to turn on

Common Usages:
음악을 틀다 = to turn on music
보일러를 틀다 = to turn on the boiler (heating system in a house)
틀어놓다 = to turn something on and leave it
물/수도꼭지를 틀어놓다 = to turn and leave on the water/faucet

Examples:
에어컨을 틀어 주실래요? = Could you please turn on the air conditioner?
더워서 에어컨을 틀고 싶어요 = I want to turn the air conditioner on because it is hot
겨울에는 보일러를 틀어야 해서 난방비가 많이 나와요 = In the winter you have to turn on the boiler, so heating bills are high

작성하다 = to write up, to fill out

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “작썽하다”

Common Usages:
서류를 작성하다 = to fill out a document
양식을 작성하다 = to fill out a form
이력서를 작성하다 = to write a resume

Examples:
이것을 다 작성해 주실래요?  = Could you please write all of this up for me?
펜으로 양식을 작성해 주시기 바랍니다 = Please fill out the form using a pen

부장님이 리포트를 내일까지 다 작성하라고 했어요
= The boss told me to write up the whole report by tomorrow

결혼비자를 받기 위해서는 작성해야 할 서류가 매우 많아서 복잡해요
In order to get a marriage visa, there are really a lot of documents that have to be filled out, so it’s complicated

연기하다 = to delay

Common Usages:
일정을 연기하다 = to delay a schedule
날짜를 연기하다 = to push back a date
계획을 연기하다 = to delay plans

Examples: 우리는 이 일을 더 이상 연기할 수 없어요 = We can’t delay this work any more
경기를 내일까지 연기할래요? = Shall we delay the match until tomorrow?

우리가 원래 내일 만나기로 했는데 우리 둘 다 너무 바빠서 다음 주로 연기했어요
= We originally decided to meet tomorrow, but we delayed it to next week because we were both so busy

놀리다 = to tease

Examples:
너무 안타까워서 내일 그 왕따를 놀리지 말자
= Let’s not tease that outcast tomorrow because it is too sad/sorry (of a situation)

저를 놀리곤 했던 친구를 길에서 마주쳐서 당황스러웠어요
= I bumped into a friend that used to tease me on the street so I was embarrassed

시행하다 = to enforce, to conduct, to implement

Common Usages:
법을 시행하다 = to enforce/implement a rule

Examples:
법을 엄격하게 시행할래요? = Shall we enforce the punishment strictly?
그 규정을 내일부터 시행할 거예요 = We will enforce that rule from tomorrow

몇몇 나라에서는 법이 매우 엄격하게 시행되기 때문에 법을 어겨서는 안됩니다
= In some countries, laws are very strictly enforced, so the law must not be broken

이 법이 시행되면 사회에 많은 변화가 있을 것으로 예상됩니다
= If this law is implemented/enforced, it is expected that there will be  lot of changes in society

실시하다= to enforce, to conduct, to implement

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “실씨하다”

Examples: 기한이 이미 지나서 선거를 실시할 수 없어요
= You can’t hold an election because the time limit has already passed

새로운 체육 프로그램을 오늘부터 실시할 예정이니 체육복을 꼭 입고 수업에 참가해주세요
= We will be running a new P.E. program from today, so make sure you put on your exercise clothes and attend the class

Adjectives:
공평하다 = to be fair

Common Usages:
공평하게 대우하다 = to treat fairly
불공평하다 = to be unfair

Examples:
우리 아버지가 엄격하지만 공평해요 = Our father is strict but fair
요새 벌이 조금 공평하지 않아. 내일 그것을 선생님이랑 얘기하자 = Lately, the punishments have been a little unfair. Let’s talk about that with the teacher tomorrow.

엄격하다 = to be strict

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “엄껴카다”

Common Usages:
법이 엄격하다 = for a law to be strict
규칙이 엄격하다 = for a rule to be strict
규정이 엄격하다 = for a rule/regulation to be strict
선생님이 엄격하다 = for a teacher to be strict

Examples:
우리 아버지가 엄격하지만 공평해요 = Our father is strict but fair

저희 부모님께 제가 어렸을 때부터 엄격하셔서 저는 부모님을 무서워했어요
= I was scared of my parents because they were strict since I was young

몇몇 나라에서는 법이 매우 엄격하게 시행되기 때문에 법을 어겨서는 안됩니다
= In some countries, laws are very strictly enforced, so the law must not be broken

유창하다 = to be fluent

Common Usages:
유창하게 말하다 = to speak (a language) fluently

Examples:
저는 한국어를 유창하게 할 수 있어요 = I can speak Korean fluently
저는 외국어를 유창하게 하는 사람들이 부러워요 = I am envious of people who can speak foreign languages fluently

Adverbs and Other Words:
요새 = these days

Common Usages:
요새 들어 = Recently, these days

Examples:
요새 갑자기 날씨가 추워져서 모두들 감기 조심하세요!
= The weather suddenly got cold these days so be careful of (catching) a cold

요새 들어 모기가 많아져서 잠을 자기 전에 꼭 모기향을 피워야 해요
= There got to be many mosquitoes recently so before you go to sleep make sure you light some mosquito repellent

알몸 = naked

Examples:
물에 알몸으로 들어가자 = Let’s go into the water naked
잠옷이 없으니까 저는 오늘 밤에 알몸으로 잘 거예요 = I don’t have pajamas, so I’m going to sleep naked tonight

For help memorizing these words, try using our mobile app.

 

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about ~자 and ~ㅂ/읍시다, which are two common endings that you can use to suggest that you do something with another person. In addition, you will learn how to use ~ㄹ/을래(요) which can sometimes be used in similar situations. Let’s get started.

 

 

Let’s…: ~ and ~/읍시다

By adding ~자 to the stem of a word at the end of a sentence, you can suggest that that action be done together. In English, this typically translates to “Let’s…”

This is a very easy ending to learn because (by the nature of the meaning) it is always added to words in the present tense and no irregulars are affected by its usage. Not only that, ~자 gets added to stems ending in consonants and vowels. For example:

밥을 먹자! = Let’s eat!
내일 공원에 가자! = Tomorrow, let’s go to the park!

If you want to say “Let’s not do something” you should attach ~자 to ~지 말다, which you learned in Lesson 40. Remember, if you wanted to say “don’t’ go,” you should say:

가지 말다 = Don’t go

말다 is usually conjugated with an imperative ending. For example:

가지 마
가지 마라
가지 마세요

However, if you wanted to say “let’s not go,” you can add ~자 to 말다. For example:

내일 공원에 가지 말자 = Let’s not go to the park tomorrow
우리 애기를 위해 그것을 사지 말자 = Let’s not buy that for our baby

Below are many more examples:

무대에 같이 올라가자 = Let’s go onto the stage together
쪽지를 서로 보내자 = Let’s send messages to each other
물에 알몸으로 들어가자 = Let’s go into the water naked
있던 약속을 그냥 저버리자 = Let’s just back out of our plans that we had

요새 벌이 조금 공평하지 않아. 내일 그것을 선생님이랑 얘기하자
= Lately, the punishments have been a little unfair. Let’s talk about that with the teacher tomorrow

It is important to note that using ~자 is informal, and adding ~요 to ~자 is not done in Korean. Therefore, the sentences above could only be said to people who do not deserve high respect, like your friends or people younger than you.

A slightly more formal way to create this same meaning is to use ~ㅂ/읍시다 instead of ~자. ~읍시다 gets added to stems ending in a consonant, and ~ㅂ시다 gets added directly to stems ending in a vowel. For example:

밥을 먹읍시다! = Let’s eat!
내일 공원에 갑시다! = Tomorrow, let’s go to the park!

Other examples:

그 규정을 내일부터 시행합시다 = Let’s enforce that rule starting tomorrow
연수를 받으러 갑시다 = Let’s go to receive the training

This is slightly more formal than ~자, but it isn’t incredibly formal either. You commonly hear this form being used in offices – when the boss is speaking to a group of his/her subordinates or when coworkers are speaking to each other (of course, there are many other situations where this could be used – “in an office” is just one example). In these cases, some respect should be given to the listeners so ~ㅂ/읍시다 can be appropriate. However, I would advise against using ~ㅂ/읍시다 when speaking to somebody who deserve a high amount of respect – like your boss or your father-in-law. Instead, I recommend simply asking him a question using the information you learned in Lesson 21. For example:

같이 먹고 싶습니까? = Do you want to eat together?

Want to see how ~ㅂ/읍시다 would be used in a Korean street sign? Watch me breakdown the usage in a YouTube video.

There is another Korean ending that you can use to say something similar to “let’s…” that you can add the formal ending ~요 to. We will learn about this next.

 

 

 

~/을래()

I will separate my explanation of ~ㄹ/을래(요) into four usages. Each usage has a slightly different feel so I think this separation is helpful. Notice that (unlike ~자 and ~ㅂ/읍시다) ~요 can be added to this ending to make it more formal. Let’s discuss these four usages.

 

Usage 1:
To ask if the listener would like to do an action together

In this usage, the speaker is asking if the listener would like to do an action together. The typical translation for this usage is “Shall we…” For example:

내일 공부하러 독서실에 갈래요? = Shall we go to the library tomorrow to study?
서울에 있는 공연을 보러 갈래요? = Shall we go to see the show in Seoul?

I feel that “Shall we…” is not a very common English expression. Although this is the most common translation for “ㄹ/을래요,” the following translation would also be acceptable:

내일 공부하러 독서실에 갈래요? = Would you like to go the library with me tomorrow to study?
서울에 있는 공연을 보러 갈래요? = Would you like to go to see the show with me in Seoul?

More examples:

장례식에 같이 갈래요? = Shall we go to the funeral together?
영화를 볼래요? = Shall we see a movie together?
저녁을 내일 먹을래요? = Shall we eat dinner together tomorrow?
회원을 모집해 볼래요? = Shall we try to recruit some members?
벌을 엄격하게 시행할래요? = Shall we enforce the punishment strictly?
경기를 내일까지 연기할래요? = Shall we delay the match until tomorrow?
영어숙어를 같이 외워 볼래? = Shall we try to memorize English idioms together?

It is also possible for this usage to be applied to a sentence that has a question word in it. The translation of “Shall we…” is usually appropriate in these sentences as well. For example:

언제 할래? = When shall/should we do it?
어디 갈래? = Where shall/should we go?
뭐 먹을래? = What shall/should we eat?

 

Usage 2
To ask if the listener would like if something happened

In this usage, the speaker typically threatens the listener with some sort of pain. The English equivalent of this would be something like:

“Do you want me to smack you?”

The two most common words that are used in this situation are:

맞을래? = Do you want to be hit? (Do you want me to hit you?)
죽을래? = Do you want to die? (Do you want me to kill you?)

Both of these are (usually) not used literally, and are simply empty threats from the speaker. These are typically used when the speaker becomes annoyed at somebody, and he/she can express her annoyance by threatening the person.

 

Usage 3

To ask if the listener can do something for the speaker

In this usage, ~ㄹ/을래(요) is typically attached to 주다 (either as a stand alone verb, or as ~아/어 주다 as you learned in Lesson 41). For example:

김치를 더 줄래요? = Can you give me more kimchi?
문을 닫아 줄래요? = Can you close the door?

In Lesson 40, you learned how to use ~(으)세요 (and other imperative endings) to give a command. In effect, using ~ㄹ/을래(요) in this way is simply another way you can ask a person to do something for you. Because it is not a direct command, it sounds a little bit softer than telling a person directly to do something – almost like a request instead of a command.

In practice, the honorific ~(으)시 is often added to 주다 to make the request softer and more formal. In English, I would normally translate this to something that conveys this formality – for example, “Could you please…”. For example:

김치를 더 주실래요? = Could you please give me more kimchi?
문을 닫아 주실래요? = Could you please close the door?

More examples:

환불해 주실래요? = Could you please give me a refund?
에어컨을 틀어 주실래요? = Could you please turn on the air conditioner?
울리는 핸드폰을 받아 주실래요? = Could you please pick up the phone that is ringing?
이것을 다 작성해 주실래요? = Could you please write all of this up for me?
그 파일을 이 컴퓨터로 복사해 주실래요? = Could you please copy that file to this computer?
소망이 무엇인지 말씀해 주실래요? = Could you please tell me what your dream/hope is?
이 숙어가 무슨 뜻인지 설명해 주실래요? = Could you please explain what this idiom means?

 

Usage 4

To indicate that the speaker wants to do something

In theory, this usage is very similar to ~고 싶다 (which you learned in Lesson 17) or just a simple future tense conjugation. Here, the speaker is indicating that he/she will do something or wants to do something. For example:

나는 집에 갈래 = I’m going home/I want to go home
나는 집에 갈 거야 = I’m going home
나는 집에 가고 싶어 = I want to go home

As you know, a regular future tense conjugation and ~고 싶다 can be applied to very complex sentences. Typically, ~ㄹ/을래(요) is only attached to simple sentences like the one shown above. Other examples:

Also note that ~or ~지 않다 can be used to indicate that the speaker doesn’t want to do something.

나는 그거를 먹을래 = I’m going to eat that/I want to eat that
나는 안 할래 = I’m not going to do it/I don’t want to do it
나는 안 먹을래 = I’m not going to eat/I don’t want to eat that
나는 먼저 할래 = I’m going to do it first/I want to do it first

That’s it!

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