📙 Lesson point
How to say “Would you walk together with me?” in Korean
Hello, everyone! We’re going to learn three things today. First, we’ll learn about the Korean expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래?’ We’ll take a look at how the meaning changes depending on whether it is used as a declarative sentence or interrogative sentence. Next, we’ll look at how to change the original form of verbs into the form of ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래?’ Finally, we’ll learn about how to use this expression in a more polite manner using honorifics.
After reading today’s post, not only will you be able to learn how to say “Would you walk together with me?” in Korean, but you’ll also understand how this Korean expression is grammatically formed. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Shinyu of TWS used for his Instagram post. Let’s begin!
Expressing willingness with ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’
The Korean expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’ has different meanings depending on which type of sentence it is used in. First, let’s take a look at when this expression is used as a declarative sentence.
When it is used as a declarative sentence, it is attached to the stem of the verb to show the speaker’s willingness. For this expression, “willingness” would be the main keyword. Let’s look at some examples.
하다 (to do)
할래: I have willingness to do it
= I will do it, I want to do it
가다 (to go)
갈래: I have willingness to go
= I will go, I want to go
자다 (to sleep)
잘래: I have willingness to sleep
= I will sleep, I want to sleep
Making suggestions with ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’
Now, let’s look at when ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’ is used in interrogative sentences. Interrogative sentences are simply just questions. In this case, it is attached to the stem of the verb to ask the willingness of the speaker. Therefore, we can say it has the meaning of “Would you do the (Verb)?” Let’s look at some examples.
할래?: Do you have the willingness to do it?
= Do you want to do it? Would you do it?
나랑 그거 할래?
Do you want to do that with me?
숙제 오늘 할래?
Do you want to do the homework today?
갈래?: Do you have willingness to go?
= Do you want to go? Would you go?
오늘 뉴욕에 갈래?
Do you want to go to New York today?
나랑 방학 때 바다에 갈래?
Do you want to go to the beach with me on vacation?
잘래?: Do you have willingness to sleep?
= Do you want to sleep? Would you sleep?
오늘 일찍 잘래?
Do you want to go to bed early today?
내일 몇 시에 잘래?
What time do you want to sleep tomorrow?
How to conjugate verbs into ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’ form
Now, let’s look at how to change the original form of verbs into the ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’ or ‘(Verb)-을래’ form. There are mainly three cases.
The first case is when there is no final consonant in the verb’s stem. Verbs such as ‘하다’, ‘가다’, ‘자다’ would be the case. For these, all you need to do is add ‘-ㄹ’ as the final consonant of the stem of the verb and change it to the form of ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래.’
하다 (to do)
할래 (I will do it)
할래? (Do you want to do it? Would you do it?)
가다 (to go)
갈래 (I will go)
갈래? (Do you want to go? Would you go?)
자다 (to sleep)
잘래 (I will sleep)
잘래? (Do you want to sleep? Would you sleep?)
Next is the case where the stem of the verbs do have a final consonant. To begin with, let’s look at the case where the final consonant isn’t ‘ㄷ.’ For this case, all you need to do is add ‘-을래,’ leaving the original final consonant alone.
먹다 (to eat) > 먹을래 / 먹을래?
웃다 (to laugh) > 웃을래 / 웃을래?
The final case is when the final consonant of the verb is ‘ㄷ.’ In this case, you need to change the final consonant to ‘ㄹ’ and add ‘-을래.’
걷다 (to walk) > 걸을래 / 걸을래?
듣다 (to listen to) > 들을래 / 들을래?
How to change ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래’ into a politer form using honorifics
Now, let’s move a step further. Let’s learn how to use the expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래 / -을래’ in a more polite manner. We can simply do this by adding ‘-요’ to the end of the sentence.
하다 (to do): 할래 > 할래요
가다 (to go): 갈래 > 갈래요
먹다 (to eat): 먹을래 > 먹을래요
걷다 (to walk): 걸을래 > 걸을래요
There are more formal and polite expressions such as ‘하시겠어요?’ or ‘하시겠습니까?’ which use the honorific expression ‘시 or 세’ for verb usage, but we’ll learn this later for more advanced Korean course.
Shinyu says: “나랑 같이 걸을래?”
To conclude, let’s take a look at the post Shinyu of TWS posted on Instagram. ‘나랑’ means “with me” and ‘같이’ means “together.” ‘걸을래,’ which would be the expression using ‘(Verb)-ㄹ래 / -을래’ with the Korean verb ‘걷다’ (to walk).
Even though Shinyu didn’t enter the question mark to the end of the sentence, he seems to have intended to use this sentence in the meaning of an interrogative sentence. Therefore, ‘나랑 같이 걸을래’ would have the meaning of “Would you walk together with me?”