Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Grammar Supplement · Curriculum gap

-으려던 참이다

-으려던 참이다: Was Just About To… — Brink Intention

Bound noun 참 after -(으)려던/려는: just about to do that — intention interrupted or coinciding at the brink.

Before this, make sure you know: -으려고 / -려고 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Past-leaning brink	-(으)려던 참이다	가려던 참이다 / 전화하려던 참이다
Present-leaning brink	-(으)려는 참이다	나가려는 참이다

-으려던 참이다 seats intention at the brink — was just about to….

우리말샘 참 (의존명사). Neighbour of timing 차.

Why this is hard

-으려고, -으려다가, -던 차에 all touch ‘about to’. Learners collapse them. -으려던 참이다 packages the brink as a state.

What it does

You were on the edge of doing it — then talk, interruption, or coincidence.

가려던 참이었어요.
전화하려던 참이에요.
나가려는 참인데 비가 오네요.
먹으려던 참에 손님이 왔어요.

Forms

가다 → 가려던 참이다 / 가려는 참이다
전화하다 → 전화하려던 참이다
먹다 → 먹으려던 참이다

When not to use it

Do not use it for distant future plans.

Do not drop -려- — bare -던 참 is a different feel.

Do not confuse it with purpose-only -으려고.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
-으려고	Intention / purpose broadly.
-던 차에	Underway juncture, often + sequel.
-으려다가	Tried/intended then switched.

Ask: am I stating the just-about-to brink as a state? If yes, -으려던 참이다.

Do not confuse it with

-으려고 / -려고

intending to, in order to

-던 차에

just when… — at the very moment that was underway (-던 차에)

-으려다가

I was going to, but then

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 교재·표준 교육과정 밖의 문법 (Grammar outside of textbooks and standard curriculum) — Advanced Grammar Supplement, Unit 1, on the theme of Curriculum gap. These come with it:

-는 셈이다 amounts to / counts as — treating the situation as that result (-는 셈이다) -을 지경이다 to the point of… — an extreme state or plight (-을 지경이다) -기 십상이다 almost certain to… — nine times out of ten (-기 십상이다) -는 둥 마는 둥 half-doing it — barely, half-heartedly (-는 둥 마는 둥) -던 차에 just when… — at the very moment that was underway (-던 차에) 으로 말미암아 owing to… — formal written cause (으로 말미암아) -는답시고 under the pretext of… — claiming to, often critically (-는답시고) -는가 하면 and then again… — stacking contrasting cases (-는가 하면) -을 겸 while also… — doing it for that purpose too (-을 겸) -게끔 so that… — purpose with a firm push (-게끔) -을 턱이 없다 no reason whatsoever… — denying grounds flatly (-을 턱이 없다) -을 리 만무하다 utterly no chance… — impossibility stressed (-을 리 만무하다) -을 성싶다 seems likely to… — a soft forecast (-을 성싶다) -을지언정 even if… — conceding then holding the other line (-을지언정) -기 그지없다 endlessly… — extreme degree with no bound (-기 그지없다) -기 이를 데 없다 beyond words… — so much there is no way to say it (-기 이를 데 없다) -다 못해 unable to go on… — past the limit, then the sequel (-다 못해) -는 셈치고 pretending / counting it as… — provisional assumption (-는 셈치고) -는다 뿐이지 only that… — limiting the claim to just that (-는다 뿐이지) -는다손 치더라도 even granting that… — strong concession then pushback (-는다손 치더라도) -어 주십사 please do… for me — earnest old-style request (-어 주십사) -겠거니 thinking it would… — assumption that guides the next act (-겠거니) -으랴 -으랴 what with A and B… — piling pressures or tasks (-으랴 -으랴) -는다기보다는 rather than saying… — reframing the label (-는다기보다는) -은 끝에 after all that… — only at the end of the ordeal (-은 끝에) -은 바 있다 have (once)… — formal experience on record (-은 바 있다) -건 간에 whether A or B… — it does not matter which (-건 간에)

Words used above

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참chambound noun — moment / juncture

-으려던 참이다-euryeodeon chamidawas just about to…

-으려고-euryeogoin order to / intending — neighbour

차chamoment — neighbour frame

직전jikjeonjust before

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. The phone rings at the exact moment you had your coat on. Which line says you were right at the brink of leaving?

2. You are about to act now rather than describing a past brink. Which form does the forms table give for that?

3. Which line simply states that you intended to leave, with no claim about the moment?

Common questions

Dictionary?

참 as bound noun for the moment — after 려던/려는, just-about-to colour.

Tone?

Spoken narrative — interruption, coincidence, ‘I was just…’.

려는 vs 려던?

려는 leans ongoing brink now; 려던 leans ‘was about to’ looking back.

Café soft?

막 가려던 중이었어요. Keep 참이다 when the brink package is clear.