LEARN + KOREAN / Note 36 TOPIK I
Have To (-아/어야 돼요)
a
Conjugate the verb into its -아요/-어요 form the way you already know, then swap 요 for 야 돼요. 가다 → 가요 → 가야 돼요.
In Real Life
돼요 comes from 되다, “to become” or “to be okay.” -아/어야 돼요 literally reads as “it only becomes okay if…”, which is exactly why the construction implies obligation. You’ll also hear -아/어야 해요, built on 하다 instead, meaning almost exactly the same thing.
In Real Life
감기에 걸리다 (“to catch a cold,” literally “to get caught by a cold”) is worth learning as one fixed chunk rather than building it word by word. A surprising number of illness expressions in Korean work this way, describing symptoms as things that happen to you rather than states you’re simply in.
Vocabulary
Body Parts
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
meori | head |
nun | eye |
ko | nose |
ip | mouth |
gwi | ear |
mok | neck, throat |
pal | arm |
dari | leg |
bae | stomach |
heori | waist, lower back |
Symptoms
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
yeori nada | to have a fever |
konmuri nada | to have a runny nose |
gichimeul hada | to cough |
gamgie geollida | to catch a cold |
dutong | headache |
baetal | stomach upset |
eojireopda | to be dizzy |
yakguk | pharmacy |
momsal | body aches, coming down with something |
cheobangjeon | prescription |