To hope or to wish for in Korean

We already learned how to say to want to have something using 가지다 together with the 고 싶다 form.

저는 새로운 자동차를 가지고 싶어요.

I want a new car. / I want to have a new car.

But there are more ways to express that you want or wish for something.

To want using 원하다

Another way to say to want in Korean can be done using the action verb 원하다. 원하다 sounds much stranger than 가지고 싶다, therefore it’s much less common when saying you want something.

To hope for using 바라다

To say you hope something use 바라다 (to hope) with the 기 form. Since 바라다 can take an object, you can add the object marker after the 기 form. You can also shorten 기를 to 길, as in the examples below. This 바라다 form is more commonly used in writing or formal speaking (compared to another form covered later in this chapter).

다시 만나기를 바라요.

I hope we meet again.

너무 바쁘지 않길 바라요.

I hope you are not too busy.

건강하고 행복하길 바라요.

I hope you are healthy and happy.

잘되길 바라요.

I hope it goes well.

Would be or must be using the 겠다 form

The 겠다 form can also be used to mean would be or must be when used together with descriptive verbs.

We know this form from the earlier chapter about formal polite speech.

Here it will most often conjugate as 겠어요. (Or 겠어 in casual speech.)

맛있겠어요.

It would/must be delicious! / It will be delicious!

정말 좋겠어요.

It would/must be really good. / It will be really good

비싸겠어요.

It would/must be expensive. / It will be expensive.

This form can also be used with a past tense verb stem to mean “would have been” or “must have been”.

힘들었겠어요.

That would/must have been difficult.

To hope for or wish for using (으)면 좋겠다

This is another way to say you hope or wish for something. This (으)면 좋겠다 form is more commonly used when speaking than the 바라다 form.

Verb Stem + (으)면 좋겠다

1. Conjugate the (으)면 form normally, including any exceptions.
2. Add 좋겠다 and conjugate it.

좋겠다 literally means “will be good”, “would be good”, or “must be good”.

You can think of this form meaning “It would be good if...”. A natural translation for this form is “I hope...” or “I wish...”.

The past-tense form -았/었으면 좋겠다 can also express a present or future wish, often with a more hypothetical feeling, as in the weather example below.

주말에 비가 오면 좋겠어요.

I hope it rains on the weekend.

날씨가 더 좋았으면 좋겠어요.

I wish the weather were better.

이안 씨도 도와주면 좋겠어요.

I hope Ian will help too.

사장님도 오시면 좋겠습니다.

I hope that you will come too, boss.

제가 가수가 될 수 있으면 좋겠어요.

I hope that I can become a singer.

새로운 냉장고랑 냉동실이 잘 되면 좋겠어요.

I hope that the new refrigerator and freezer work well.

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Sources & References

• Billy Go’s Beginner Korean Course | #80: Hoping and Wishing