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Lesson 61: To wish/to hope: 바라다, ~았/었으면 좋겠다

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Vocabulary
Introduction

To hope: 바라다
I hope/I wish: ~았/었으면 좋겠다

 

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. 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:
쌍둥이 = twin

Common Usages:
세쌍둥이 = triplets
네쌍둥이 = quadruplets
일란성 쌍둥이 = identical twins
이란성 쌍둥이 = fraternal twins

Examples:
저는 쌍둥이예요 = I am a twin
저의 아들은 쌍둥이예요 = My sons are twins
어느 마을에서 쌍둥이가 태어났어요 = Twins were born in some town
일란성 쌍둥이들은 생김새가 동일해요 = The appearance of identical twins is the same

보충 = supplement

Common Usages:
보충 수업 = supplemental class (usually students take these classes after school)

Examples:
오늘은 모든 수업이 끝난 후에 보충 수업이 있어요
After the finish of all classes today, there are supplemental classes.

부족한 비타민을 보충하기 위해서 야채를 먹는 것은 좋아요
= In order to supply vitamins that are deficient, eating vegetables is good

백조 = swan

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “백쪼”

Notes: If somebody doesn’t work, there is a pair of words that Korean people use to jokingly refer to this type of person. Typically, you can call a woman a “백조” and a man a “백수.” If a Korean person asks you “what do you do?” and you respond with “저는 백수예요,” you will definitely get a laugh.

Examples:
백조가 물에서 물고기를 잡고 날아갔어요
= The swan caught a fish in the water and flew away

한국에서 백조는 일을 하지 않고 있는 여성을 가리키는 말로도 사용돼요
= In Korea, the word “백조” is also used to refer to a woman who currently isn’t working

실내 = interior

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “실래”

Common Usages:
실내화 = slippers/house shoes
실내온도 = the temperature indoors, room temperature, indoor temperature
실내수영장 = indoor swimming pool

Examples:
실내에서 운동을 하지 말아 주시기 바랍니다 = Please don’t exercise indoors
발이 춥거든 실내화를 신으세요 = If your feet are cold, wear (indoor) shoes

정책 = policy

Common Usages:
정책을 수정하다 = to amend a policy
정책을 실시하다 = to implement/carry out a policy
정책을 실행하다 = to implement/carry out a policy

Examples:
새로운 정책을 설명할 때 모두 다 잘 들어 주시기 바랍니다
= When I’m explaining the new policy, everybody please listen well

이 정책은 한국에 매우 필요하므로 국내 도입이 시급합니다
= Korea needs this policy a lot, so the introduction of it in the country is urgent

야당이 새로운 정책에 동의하게 하기 위해 거짓말을 했어요
= We lied in order to make the opposition (party) agree with the new policy

통화 = currency

Common Usages:
통화 환전 = currency exchange

Examples:
각 나라의 통화는 매일 경제상황에 따라 가치가 변해요
= The value of each country’s currency changes depending on the economic situation

베트남 돈으로 바꾸고 싶으면 다양한 통화가 있는 큰 은행으로 가야 해요
= If you want to change to Vietnamese money, you need to go to a big bank where they have lots of currencies

단백질 = protein

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “단백찔”

Common Usages:
단백질이 풍부하다 = for something to be rich/full of protein

Examples:
지방을 많이 먹지 말고 단백질을 많이 먹기를 바랍니다
= I hope you don’t eat a lot of fat, and (instead) eat a lot of protein

단백질이 많이 들어있는 음식 중 하나는 닭 가슴살이에요
= Chicken breast is one of the foods that has a lot of protein

지방 = fat

Common Usages:
고지방 = high fat
저지방 = low fat
지방산 = fatty acid
포화지방 = saturated fat
불포화지방 = unsaturated fat

Examples:
몸무게와 지방은 상관이 없어요
= There is no relationship between body weight and fat

적절한 양의 지방을 먹는 것은 우리 몸에 매우 중요해요
= It is very important to our body to eat the proper amount of fat

탄수화물 = carbohydrate

Notes: Below is a list of common carbohydrates. You probably won’t ever need to use most of these, but I can’t help it – I’m a Biology teacher:

포도당 = glucose
과당 = fructose
갈락토오스 = galactose
젖당 = lactose
엿당 = maltose
설탕 = sugar
녹말 = starch
글리코겐 = glycogen

Examples:
한국인들이 가장 즐겨 먹는 탄수화물은 밥이에요
= The carbohydrate Korean people enjoy eating most is rice

사람들이 7시 이후에 탄수화물을 많이 먹어서는 안 돼요
= People shouldn’t eat a lot of carbohydrates after 7:00

= amount

Common Usages:
양을 줄이다 = to reduce the amount of something
양을 늘리다 = to increase the amount of something

Examples:
양이 많았으면 좋겠어요 = I hope there is a lot (I hope the amount is a lot)

그 양은 우리 회사가 공급할 수 있는 양을 넘었어요
= That amount is over the amount that our company can supply

유럽 사람들이 쓰는 영어 억양의 개수를 세기도 하고 비교하기도 했어요
= I counted the number of English accents used by European people and compared them too

야간 = night

Notes: If you work night shifts, you can refer to this as “야간” (or 야간 근무). If you work the day shift, you can refer to this as “주간” (or 주간 근무). You wouldn’t need to specifically state “주간” unless you are comparing it to “야간,” as most people would just assume you work during the day.

Common Usages:
야간 근무 = night-time working (nightshift)

Examples:
제가 야간을 안 하기를 바라요 = I hope I don’t work nights
이번 주는 야근이고 다음 주는 주간이에요 = This week is (I am working) the night shift, next week is (I am working) the day shift

최선 = one’s best

You can use 최선 as a noun by itself to indicate that one does his/her best. When used like this, the verb 다하다 usually acts on it. For example:

이번 시험에 최선을 다해 주시기를 바랍니다 = Please try your best on this exam
저는 그냥 모든 일에 최선을 다 할 뿐이에요 = I just do my best in everything I do
유명한 가수들은 후배양성을 위해 최선을 다해요 = Famous singers do their best to develop/train their juniors (singers younger than them)

It can also describe other nouns (방법, 선택, 결정, etc) using ~의 to indicate that something is the best method, choice, decision, etc. For example:

이민을 가는 게 최선의 선택일 것 같아요
= Immigrating will probably be the best choice

최선의 결정을 하기 위해 한 달 내내 고민했어요
= In order to make the best decision, I thought/worried about it for a month straight

한국어를 배우는 최선의 방법이 이 웹사이트로 배우는 것이구나!
= Ah, the best way/method to learn Korean is through this website!

사전 = prior/beforehand/ahead of time

Examples:
그 말을 사전에 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you had told me that beforehand
휴가를 갈 거면 사전에 말해 주세요 = If you are going to go on vacation, please tell me ahead of time

= a pair

Common Usages:
쌍꺼풀 = double eyelid
쌍둥이 = twins

Examples:
학생들을 두 명씩 쌍으로 나누세요 = Divide the students into pairs
슬기와 윌리는 아주 잘 어울리는 한 쌍이에요 = Seulgi and Willy are a pair that gets along well together (a well-matched couple)

의도적 = intentional

의도적으로 = intentionally

Examples:
저를 의도적으로 피하려고 안 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you didn’t deliberately try to avoid me
의도적으로 거짓말을 하는 사람은 매우 나쁜 사람이에요 = People who intentionally tell lies are very bad people

Verbs:
헤엄치다 = to swim, to move through water

Examples:
갓 태어난 애기들은 스스로 헤엄치는 법을 알아요
= New-born babies that are just born know (the way) how to swim by themselves

이 강을 헤엄쳐서 건너면 다른 도시에 도착할 수 있어요
= If you swim across this river, you will arrive at a different city

해고하다 = to fire a person from a job

Common Usages:
해고당하다 = to get fired

Examples:
그는 그녀를 지난 주에 해고했을 것 같아요 = He probably fired her last week
그것 때문에 나를 해고하지 않았으면 좋겠다 = I wish/hope you don’t fire me because of that

죄송하지만 나는 당신을 해고할 수밖에 없어요
= I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything but fire you

부장님이 회사원 몇 명을 해고할 거라고 해서 회사 전체가 긴장했어요
= The whole company was nervous because the boss said he will fire some workers

정부가 예산을 줄여서 우리가 회사원 한 명을 거의 해고해야 할 뻔 했어요
= We almost had to fire an employee because the government cut the budget

건네다 = to hand-over, to pass on

Examples:
그 종이를 저한테 건네 주세요 = Please hand that paper over to me

친구가 연필이 없어서 제가 가지고 있는 연필을 건네 줬어요
= My friend didn’t have a pencil, so I handed him the one that I had

해설하다 = to explain

The noun form of this word (“해설”) translates to “an explanation.”

Notes:

Common Usages:
해설자 = announcer (for example, of a sports event broadcast on television)
해설지 = answer sheet

Examples:
저의 오늘의 임무는 이 스포츠 경기를 해설하는 거예요
= Our job today is/will be to describe/explain this sporting competition

해설하는 사람에 따라 경기의 재미가 달라질 수 있어요
= Depending on the announcer, the level of enjoyment (of a game) can be different

다하다 = to do all of something, to leave nothing behind

Common Usages:
최선을 다하다 = to do one’s best
전력을 다하다 = to use all of one’s might

Examples:
이번 시험에 최선을 다해 주시기를 바랍니다 = Please try your best on this exam

유명한 가수들은 후배양성을 위해 최선을 다해요
= Famous singers do their best to develop/train their juniors (singers younger than them)

저는 전력을 다해서 이 일을 내일까지 마무리해 볼 거예요
= I will use all of my power and try to finish this work by tomorrow

저는 제 자신의 한계를 뛰어넘기 위해 최선을 다해서 운동을 해요
= In order to exceed my limits, I put everything I’ve got into exercise

지혜는 진심을 다해 남자친구를 사랑했지만 남자친구는 지혜와 헤어지고 싶었어요
= Jihye really/sincerely loved her boyfriend, but her boyfriend wanted to break up with her

데리러 오다 = to have one come and pick you up

Notes: This is actually a combination of the words 데리다 (to make it so one is physically close to you), and 오다 (to come) connected with ~러 (Lesson 32) to indicate that “one comes for the purpose of being with/close to another. Although 데리러 오다 is technically not one word, it is commonly used as one unit and is typically learned as one word.

If the person that is being picked up deserves high respect, the formal equivalent of this is 모시러 오다.

Examples:
엄마가 저를 데리러 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I wish mom would come to pick me up

초등학교에서는 수업이 끝난 후 아이들을 데리러 오는 부모님들이 많아요
= After classes in elementary schools, there are a lot of parents that come to pick up their children

데리러 가다 = to go and pick somebody up

Notes: This is actually a combination of the words 데리다 (to make it so one is physically close to you), and 가다 (to go) connected with ~러 (Lesson 32) to indicate that “one goes for the purpose of being with/close to another person. Although 데리러 가다 is technically not one word, it is commonly used as one unit and is typically learned as one word.

If the person that is being picked up deserves high respect, the formal equivalent of this is 모시러 가다.

Examples:
제가 지금 그녀를 데리러 가는 길이에요 = I am on my way to pick her up now

갑자기 비가 내리기 시작해서 남동생을 데리러 갔어요
= Suddenly it started raining so I went to pick up my younger brother

추가하다 = to add to, to supplement

The noun form of this word (“추가”) translates to “a supplement.”

Common Usages:
추가요금 = additional fees

Examples:
체크아웃을 늦게 하면 추가요금이 있나요?
= If I check-out late, are there additional fees?

부치는 짐이 20kg를 초과하면 추가요금을 내야 해요
= If the baggage you are sending exceeds 20 kg, you will have to pay an additional fee

이 제품을 신용카드로 구입하시면 추가 수수료가 있습니다
= If you purchase this item with a credit card, there is an additional fee

제가 예산계획을 제출하니 혹시 추가하고 싶은 게 있으면 알려주세요
= I am going to submit the budget plan, so if by chance you have something you want to add, let me know

의도하다 = to intend

Examples:
회사에 중요한 정보를 빼내기 위해 의도해서 그 회사에 취직했어요
= In order to take some important information from that company, I intentionally got a job with them

그 사람이 상처를 받게 의도한 게 아니었지만 결과적으로 상처를 주게 되서 마음이 무거워요
= I didn’t intend to hurt that person, but in the end the fact that I hurt him weighs on me

Adjectives:
청결하다 = to be clean

제가 이 식당을 좋아하는 이유는 맛도 있지만 청결하기 때문이에요
= The reason why I like this restaurant is, yes, it is delicious, but (also) because it is clean

꾸준하다 = to be unrelenting, to be tireless

Common Usages:
꾸준히 = tirelessly

Examples:
저는 꾸준한 동기부여를 위해 책을 읽어요
= For constant / steady self-motivation, I read books

돈을 매달 꾸준히 모으다 보면 언젠가 집을 살 수 있을 거예요
= If you save money every month continuously, someday you’ll be able to buy a house

한가롭다 = to be leisurely

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “한가롭따”

Examples:
삶을 한가롭게 살았으면 좋겠어 = I wish I could live life freely/leisurely
조용한 마을의 아침은 매우 한가로워요 = The quiet mornings of the village are very peaceful

Adverbs and Other Words:
= exactly, perfectly, precisely

Notes:
딱 is usually used as an adverb to describe that something occurs “exactly” for example:

모든 학생들은 딱 12시에 도착해 주시기 바랍니다 = All students please arrive at exactly 12:00

However, 이다 is often attached to it – therefore making it a noun sometimes. “딱이다!” is often used to describe some sort of situation that is perfect. For example:

그렇게 해 주면 딱이에요 = It would be perfect if you did it like that

Common Usages:
딱 맞다 = to be exactly right

Examples:
크기가 딱 맞아서 다시 조절을 안 해도 돼요
= The size is perfect, so you don’t need to adjust it again

딱 한번만 만나서 저도 그의 이름을 모르겠어요
= I only met him once, so I don’t know his name either

늦게 도착해서는 안 돼! 우리가 딱 9 시에 시작해야 되잖아!
= You shouldn’t arrive late! We need to start exactly at 9:00!

무조건 = unconditionally

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “무조껀”

Notes: While walking around popular tourist areas in Seoul, I often see venders selling various items. Bartering for prices is not something that is very common in Korea – especially for things like souvenirs sold to foreigners. I have often seen signs that read “가격은 무조건 만원입니다” = The price is (no matter what) unconditionally 10,000 won

Examples:
내일 무조건 와야 돼요 = Tomorrow, you must come
나를 무조건 사랑했으면 좋겠어 = I wish you loved me unconditionally (no matter what)
무조건 좋아하는 일이 있으면 포기하지 말고 도전해 보세요 = If you have a job that you like doing unconditionally, don’t give up and challenge yourself

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

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

 

 

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about adding ~았/었으면 좋겠다 to the end of sentences to have the meaning of “hope.” In addition to this, you will learn about the word “바라다” and how this could also mean “hope” in Korean as well. Let’s get started.

 

 

To hope: 바라다

Let’s start off with the peculiar word “바라다.” 바라다 is used to indicate that one “hopes” that something happens or occurs. In its most simple form, it can be placed after a noun to indicate that one “hopes” for that noun to occur. For example:

행복을 바랍니다
건강을 바랍니다
성공을 바랍니다
행운을 바랍니다

It is very difficult to translate these constructions. First, I want to point out that it would be rare to speak these sentences with 바라다. Unless it was in some sort of fabricated, formal speech, you would most likely see these types of constructions used as a type of greeting in writing. For example, when writing to somebody and wanting to “wish them the best of luck” you could say “행운을 바랍니다.” Or when buying a greeting card, the card might want to say “I wish you happiness” you could say “행복을 바랍니다.”

That being said, it can be used in full sentences to indicate that one wants to “possess” or “gain.” For example:

그 회사가 일본통화만 바라요 = That company only wants Japanese currency

Notice that the recording pronounces “바라요” as “바래요.”

I don’t want to provide a lot of examples of 바라다 being used like this. It is more commonly used in a different way, which is shown later. It also looks strange to Korean people because they often pronounce “바라요” a different way.

When ~아/어 (or its derivatives) is added to 바라다, it is often pronounced (and spelt) as 바래. For example:

바래
바래요
바랬어
바랬어요

The governing body for the Korean language states that when the stem of a verb ends in ㅏ (as 바라다 does), then 아 should be added to it (and usually merged to it) in these cases. It does not make any exception for the word 바라다. Therefore, despite “바래” or “바래요” being common in speech, writing, and even in Korean songs, 바라 and 바라요 are correct.

When one hopes for an entire clause to occur (i.e. something ending in a verb or adjective) it is very common to attach ~기(를) to the predicating verb or adjective in the clause to turn it into a noun. For example:

아버님이 항상 행복하시기 바랍니다 = I hope you (father) are always happy
저는 그 일을 잘 하기를 바라요 = I hope I do that job well
숙제가 많지 않기를 바라요 = I hope there isn’t a lot of homework
많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다 = I hope many people (many of you) come
제가 야간을 안 하기를 바라요 = I hope I don’t work nights
정부가 그 정책을 수정하기를 바라요 = I hope the government amends that policy
실내에서 신발을 안 신기를 바라요 = I hope you don’t wear your shoes indoors (inside)
그 백조가 다시 헤엄치기를 바라요 = I hope that swan can swim again
지금 만날 여자가 예쁘기를 바라요 = I hope the girl I am meeting now is pretty
아빠가 곧 오기를 바라요 = I hope dad comes home soon
그가 나에게 돈을 많이 주기를 바라 = I hope he gives me a lot of money
지방을 많이 먹지 말고 단백질을 많이 먹기를 바랍니다 = I hope you don’t eat a lot of fat, and (instead) eat a lot of protein

Funny, the sentences above using “바라요” and “바라” look unnatural to Korean people because they would prefer to pronounce these as “바래요” and “바래.” Because of this, when pronouncing these words in speech I recommend that you say “바래” or “바래요.” My wife recorded everything as “바래” and “바래요” because she couldn’t force her tongue to say “바라” and “바라요.”

The word “hope” is used in the English translations above, but that is really just because there is no good way to translate 바라다 to English. As I’ve already alluded to, using 바라다 allows the speaker to indicate that he/or she wants that clause to occur. The word “hope” doesn’t need to be included. Instead, depending on the situation, you could translate the sentences above to a request that the speaker is giving to the listener. For example:

많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다 = I hope many people (many of you) come

Imagine you are having a party, and you are announcing this to the group of people that work at your office. Of course, you want a lot of people to come, so at the end of your announcement, you could say “많은 사람들이 오시기를 바랍니다.” You could translate this to “(Lots of people), please come (to my party).”

In Lesson 40, you learned how to ask for something by adding ~아/어 주세요 to the end of a verb. For example:

그 일을 해 주세요 = Please do that for me
그 종이를 저한테 건네 주세요 = Please hand that paper over to me

You can use ~기 바라다 to essentially create this same meaning. For example:

그 일을 하기 바랍니다 = Please do that for me
그 종이를 저한테 건네기를 바랍니다 = Please hand that paper over to me

Again, don’t be married to the translation of “hope” for 바라다. The word “hope” could be used in the sentences above (for example “I hope that you do this for me”), but I used the same translations as when ~아/어 주세요 was added to show that ~기 바라다 can be used to ask for something to be done.

When adding just ~기 바랍니다 to “commands” or “requests” like this, it sounds as though the person who is speaking has authority. For example, if a boss was telling his workers to get their work done, he would say “그 일을 하기 바랍니다.” Implied in this meaning is that the work technically should/ought to be done, and that the boss is ordering them to do it.

You can remove that “authoritative” feel by adding 아/어 주다 after the verb that you are hoping is done. For example:

그 일을 해 주기 바랍니다
그 종이를 저한테 건네 주기를 바랍니다

To make those sentences more formal, the honorific “시” (Lesson 39) is often added to 주다:

그 일을 해 주시기 바랍니다 = Please do that/I hope that you do that
그 종이를 저한테 건네 주시기 바랍니다 = Please hand that paper over to me/I hope that you hand that paper over to me

Giving a command this way is very formal, and is most often heard in overhead announcements made to large crowds of people instructing them to do something. For example, if you take the subway in Seoul, the announcement might say:

지금은 서울 역. 서울역입니다. 공항철도나 KTX를 타시고 싶은 승객은 이 역에서 갈아타시기 바랍니다 = This is Seoul Station. Riders wanting to take the Airport Railroad or the KTX, please transfer at this station.

If you need to tell somebody what to do, and you were to climb the figurative ladder of politeness, it would look something like this:

지금 나가
지금 나가라
지금 나가세요
지금 나가기 바랍니다
지금 나가 주기 바랍니다
지금 나가십시오
지금 나가 주시기 바랍니다

Heh, you could translate all of the above to “Please go now”

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

Here are more examples:

실내에서 운동을 하지 말아 주시기 바랍니다 = Please don’t exercise indoors
이번 시험에 최선을 다해 주시기를 바랍니다 = Please try your best on this exam
모든 학생들이 딱 12시에 도착해 주시기 바랍니다 = All students please arrive at exactly 12:00
새로운 정책을 설명할 때 모두 다 잘 들어 주시기 바랍니다 = When I’m explaining the new policy, everybody please listen well

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Another good example that illustrates how “바라다” is difficult to translate is from the Star Wars movies. Remember, using “바라다” allows the speaker to indicate that he/or she wants that clause to occur. Even if you’re not a fan of the Star Wars movies, I am sure that you are aware of the famous line “May the force be with you.” If you ever happen to watch the Star Wars movies with Korean subtitles, you’ll notice that this is translated to:

포스가 함께 하기를 바랍니다

Here, the word “hope” isn’t directly in the English translation. However, Obi-Wan can use this phrase to say that he “wants” the force to be with Luke.

A little side-note here for my readers who are also Star Wars fans. In preparation for the new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens,” I made my (Korean) wife watch all six original Star Wars movies (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3 – if you’re wondering). My wife went into the movies knowing nothing. Absolutely nothing. Something that is essentially impossible in western countries because even if somebody isn’t a Star Wars fan, they typically know about “Darth Vader” and the famous line that comes at the end of Empire Strikes Back. She absolutely loved them and now we’re both waiting in anticipation for the next slew of movies to come out.

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There is another way that you can say “I hope” in Korean, which we will talk about next.

 

 

I hope/I wish: ~/었으면 좋겠다

By adding “~았/었으면 좋겠다” to the end of a verb/adjective, you can create the meaning of “I hope” or “I wish.” This is one of the grammatical principles where I suggest looking at the whole thing as one and not trying to break it up into separate pieces. Let’s look at one simple example and then talk about it:

비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope it doesn’t rain

Notice that the past tense conjugation is used before “~면” and the future tense conjugation is used on “좋다.” Despite the use of these past and future conjugations within it, the speaker is indicating that he/she is currently hoping for that situation to occur – whether that situation be in the present or in the future. Below are many other examples:

양이 많았으면 좋겠어요 = I hope there is a lot (I hope the amount is a lot)
내일 일이 없었으면 좋겠어요 = I wish I didn’t have work tomorrow
그 말을 사전에 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you had told me that beforehand
나를 무조건 사랑했으면 좋겠어 = I wish you loved me unconditionally (no matter what)
삶을 한가롭게 살았으면 좋겠어 = I wish I could live life freely/leisurely
집에 가서 집이 청결했으면 좋겠어요 = I hope the house will be clean when I go home
엄마가 저를 데리러 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I wish mom would come to pick me up
우리는 그 여자랑 같이 갔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope we go together with that girl
그것 때문에 나를 해고하지 않았으면 좋겠다 = I wish/hope you don’t fire me because of that
저를 의도적으로 피하려고 안 했으면 좋겠어요 = I wish you didn’t deliberately try to avoid me
내일 경기에서 우리 팀 모두가 최선을 다하면 좋겠어 = Tomorrow, I hope everybody on our team tries their best

You also may see other words (usually 하다 or 바라다) used instead of 좋다. For example:

우리가 곧 만났으면 해
우리가 곧 만났으면 바래요
= I wish we could meet soon, it would be nice if we could meet soon

It is also possible for ~(으)면 to be attached to a word without being conjugated to the past tense. For example:

비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요
비가 안 오면 좋겠어요
= I hope it doesn’t rain

If you ask a Korean person, they will say that the two examples above have the same meaning. Both of them are indicating “hope” or a “wish” in the present tense. I’ve never read a concrete explanation as to why the two examples above have the same meaning. Korean people just tend to use the first example (using “~았/었으면”) when indicating one’s hope or wish.

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That being said, I would like to provide my own take on this topic. This is based on nothing but my own feelings. I’ve tried to discuss this with Korean grammar teachers, and I’ve tried to research it, but they all say that both examples are identical, and that they would be more likely to say “ ~았/었으면”)

I like to think that using “~았/었으면 좋겠다” is a grammatical principle itself, and something that can’t be separated into pieces. The whole construction indicates one’s “wish.” For example:

비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요 = I hope it doesn’t rain

However, I like to think that using ~(으)면 좋겠다 is something that can be separated into individual grammatical pieces. The use of ~(으)면, meaning “if” or “when” (from Lesson 43) followed by “좋겠다” indicating that “it will be good.” We can look at these examples as sentences that are made up of its individual parts. For example:

비가 안 오면 좋겠어요 = It would be good if it doesn’t rain

The thing is, both sentences (in English and Korean) – whether you think of “~았/었으면” as a single unit or see “~(으)면 좋겠다” as individual pieces – express the same meaning.

Anyways, that is just my observation.

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That’s it for this lesson!

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.
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