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Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Korean 1 · expression

-으려나 보다

-으려나 보다: I Guess They Mean To… — Reading Intention

Soft infer: seems they intend / are about to… — reading intention from clues.

Before this, make sure you know: -는가 보다 / -(으)ㄴ가 보다 , -으려고 / -려고 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When Form Example
Verb + -(으)려나 보다 -(으)려나 보다 가려나 보다 / 먹으려나 보다 / 자려나 보다

-으려나 보다 means I guess they mean to… — reading someone’s likely intention.

Why this is hard

It packages intention -으려- with appearance -나 보다. Learners hear purpose -으려고 and miss the guessing ending. You are reading a plan from signs, not stating purpose as fact.

What it does

You softly infer what someone seems about to do or intend.

지금 가려나 봐요.
울려나 봐요.
말하려는가 봐요.
포기하려는가 봐요.

Forms

-으려나 보다 / related -려나 보다 shapes.

When not to use it

Do not use it as a purpose connective ‘in order to’. Do not assert the intention as hard fact. Do not fire it as accusation without softening.

Neighbours — and why they differ

FormWhy it is not this slot
-으려고Purpose connective — in order to.
-으려고?Challenge ending — sharper pushback.
-는가 보다It seems — without intention 려.

Narration and quiet observation love this. Soften upward — guessing intent can feel nosy.

Classroom examples should keep the meaning concrete: one clear scene beats three vague glosses. If a neighbour form already says the same thing more lightly, prefer the lighter tool unless register demands this one.

Ask: am I guessing someone’s intention from signs? If yes, -으려나 보다. If you mean purpose, use connective -으려고.

Do not confuse it with

-는가 보다 / -(으)ㄴ가 보다

it seems that / I guess / judging by appearances... (inferential deduction from signs)

-으려고 / -려고

intending to, in order to

-을 것 같다

I think, it seems — the hedge Koreans put on almost everything

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -자기에 because one decides to… — contracted -자고 하기에 (청유 인용 + 이유), pair of -는다기에 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -기에 앞서(서) before doing… — prior to the step you name -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 법하다 likely to… — a reasonable prediction -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another 를 가지고 with, using — taking that as the means or topic -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition 에도 불구하고 despite — in spite of that noun situation -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged -는데도 불구하고 even so — despite the whole preceding clause

Words used above

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-(으)려나 보다-(eu)ryeona bodaI guess they mean to…
가다gadato go
먹다meokdato eat
자다jadato sleep
짐작jimjakguess

Quick check

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

1. From their coat and keys you softly guess they mean to leave — reading intention, not stating your own plan. Which line?

2. Which line uses the forms-table shape 먹으려나 보다?

3. Same stem 가다 — you are guessing they intend to go, not making a broader ‘seems they’re going’ call. Which line?

Common questions

Dictionary?

려나 「001」: soft wonder/guess ending. Stack with 보다 for ‘looks like they intend…’.

Vs -으려고?

-으려고 states intention. -으려나 보다 guesses someone else’s.

Vs -나 보다?

나 보다 is broader soft infer. 려나 보다 zooms to intention/about-to.

Speech?

Very spoken: 가려나 봐.