-으려다가
-으려다가: I Was Going To — Then the Plan Shifted
Connective: was intending to do A, then stopped or switched to something else.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stem with batchim | -으려다가 | 찾으려다가 / 입으려다가 |
| Stem without batchim / ㄹ | -려다가 | 사려다가 / 가려다가 / 열려다가 |
| 하다 (hada) verbs | -하려다가 | 연락하려다가 / 예약하려다가 |
-으려다가 (after batchim) / -려다가 (after vowels and many ㄹ stems) means you were heading toward doing A — then the plan broke or swapped.
Curriculum gloss: I was going to, but then. Built from the intention family of -으려고 / -려고 plus the shift feel of -다가.
Shape
| Stem | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Batchim | -으려다가 | 찾으려다가, 입으려다가 |
| Vowel / ㄹ | -려다가 | 사려다가, 가려다가 |
| 하다 | -하려다가 | 예약하려다가 |
중고로 사려다가 새 걸로 바꿨어요.
친구에게 연락하려다가 그냥 잤어요.
창문을 열려다가 추워서 그만뒀어요.
말을 꺼내려다가 참았어요.Versus -으려고
-으려고 / -려고 states purpose or intent and often continues toward that goal:
사려고 돈을 모았어요. intention held
사려다가 다른 걸 샀어요. intention interrupted / redirectedIf there is no break or swap, prefer -으려고.
Versus bare -다가
-다가 interrupts an action already in progress (하다가). -으려다가 interrupts at the intention stage — you may not have started the main action yet.
청소하다가 전화가 왔어요. was cleaning, then call
청소하려다가 전화가 왔어요. was about to clean, then callVersus -고 말다
Same household-goods unit pairs this with -고 말다:
| Pattern | Outcome |
|---|---|
| -으려다가 | Plan A abandoned or replaced |
| -고 말다 | Plan (often unwanted) finally happened |
참으려다가 사고 말았어요. tried to resist → ended up buyingThat line can stack both ideas in one story.
Quick checks
- Intention + shift: -으려다가 / -려다가.
- Attachment mirrors -으려고.
- Do not swap with “ended up” -고 말다 without checking the outcome.
Ask: did I mean to do A, then change course? If yes, this connective is the map.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 중고 소파를 사려다가 새 제품을 샀어요 (I was looking to buy a used sofa but ended up buying a new one.) — Intermediate Korean 1, Unit 18, on the theme of daily necessities. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. 연락하려다가 잠을 잤어요 means…
2. -으려고 vs -으려다가?
3. Which pairs with a vowel stem?
Common questions
Is -려고 하다가 the same?
Closely related paraphrase. -으려다가 compresses intention + -다가 into one classroom chunk.
Must the second clause be different from the first?
Usually yes — a replacement, abandonment, or unexpected next step. A bare intention without shift belongs to euryeogo.
vs -고 말다?
go-malda is ‘ended up doing it’. -으려다가 is ‘meant to, then didn’t (or did something else)’.
Past tense on the first verb?
The intention chunk itself is -으려다가; the follow-up clause carries the realized tense (말았어요, 샀어요).