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.

byeongwone gaya dwaeyo.
I have to go to the hospital.
gongbuhaeya dwaeyo.
I must study.
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.
yageul meogeoya dwaeyo.
I have to take medicine.
seonmureul saya dwaeyo.
I have to buy a gift.
puk swieoya dwaeyo.
You need to rest well.
mureul mani masyeoya dwaeyo.
You need to drink a lot of water.
bijaga isseoya dwaeyo.
You must have a visa.
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

KoreanEnglish
meori
head
nun
eye
ko
nose
ip
mouth
gwi
ear
mok
neck, throat
pal
arm
dari
leg
bae
stomach
heori
waist, lower back

Symptoms

KoreanEnglish
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