-(으)러 vs -(으)려고: Purpose of Going vs Intention | Korean Grammar

Both -(으)러 and -(으)려고 translate as English in order to / to, and beginners reach for them almost interchangeably. They are not interchangeable. The line between them is grammatical: -(으)러 can only ride on a verb of motion, while -(으)려고 states the intention behind any verb — but refuses to sit under a command. Once you see that the deciding factor is what the main clause is allowed to be, the choice stops being a guess.

The quick answer

Use -(으)러 when the main verb is a motion verb — 가다 (go), 오다 (come), 다니다 (attend/commute) — and the purpose is the goal of the trip: "go/come to do X." Use -(으)려고 to state the intention behind any action at all; it pairs with 하다 for "intend to / plan to," and it can never be capped by an imperative or a suggestion. In short: 러 travels; 려고 intends.

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Litmus test: is your main verb 가다, 오다, or 다니다, and is the purpose the reason for going? Then 러. Anything else — a non-motion main verb, or a command — and you need 려고.

-(으)러: the purpose of a journey

-(으)러 answers "what did you go/come for?" It attaches to the purpose verb, and the main clause must be motion:

밥을 먹으러 가요.

babeul meogeureo gayo

I'm going to eat. (going, for the purpose of eating)

친구를 만나러 홍대에 가요.

chingureul mannareo hongdae-e gayo

I'm going to Hongdae to meet a friend.

커피 마시러 왔어요.

keopi masireo wasseoyo

I came to drink coffee.

한국어를 배우러 학원에 다녀요.

hangugeoreul baeureo hagwone danyeoyo

I attend an academy to learn Korean.

That last one shows 다니다 — the third motion verb — carrying a habitual "commute to do X." Because 러 is bolted to a real journey, its natural companions are exactly the verbs of coming and going and attending, and nothing else.

-(으)려고: intention behind any action

-(으)려고 names the intention driving the main clause, and the main clause can be anything:

살을 빼려고 매일 운동해요.

sareul ppaeryeogo maeil undonghaeyo

I exercise every day to lose weight.

유학 가려고 돈을 모으고 있어요.

yuhak garyeogo doneul moeugo isseoyo

I'm saving money in order to go study abroad.

Look closely at the second example. The purpose involves going (유학 가다), yet the main verb is 모으다 ("save"), which is not motion — so the whole thing must be 려고, not 러. This is the crux: 러 cares about the main clause, not the purpose clause. Contrast the minimal pair directly:

책을 사러 서점에 갔어요.

chaegeul sareo seojeome gasseoyo

I went to the bookstore to buy a book. (motion main clause → 러)

책을 사려고 돈을 모았어요.

chaegeul saryeogo doneul moasseoyo

I saved money in order to buy a book. (non-motion main clause → 려고)

-(으)려고 하다: "intend to / plan to" and "about to"

Capped with 하다, -(으)려고 becomes the standard way to say "intend to" or "be planning to." Here the intention is the whole statement:

밥을 먹으려고 해요.

babeul meogeuryeogo haeyo

I intend to eat.

이따가 도서관에 가려고 해요.

ittaga doseogwane garyeogo haeyo

I'm planning to go to the library later.

Notice that 가려고 해요 is perfectly fine — "intend to go" — even though it contains 가다. That is because 려고 is describing the intention, and 하다 is the main verb. This is a useful contrast to the 러 rule: 러 needs 가다 to be the actual motion of the sentence; 려고 하다 merely reports the plan to go.

-(으)려고 하다 has a second life: with an inanimate or involuntary subject it signals an event that is about to happen:

아기가 울려고 해요.

agiga ullyeogo haeyo

The baby's about to cry.

버스가 막 떠나려고 해요.

beoseuga mak tteonaryeogo haeyo

The bus is just about to leave.

See -(으)려고 하다 for this construction in depth.

The constraint: 려고 can't be commanded

Here is the mirror of the 러 restriction. -(으)려고 cannot be followed by a command or a suggestion. You can intend to do something, but you cannot order someone using 려고. When the purpose sits under an imperative, Korean routes you back to 러 (with its motion verb):

밥 먹으러 식당에 가세요.

bap meogeureo sikdang-e gaseyo

Go to the restaurant to eat. (command of purpose → 러)

You cannot say ×밥 먹으려고 식당에 가세요 to mean "go eat." The imperative 가세요 blocks 려고. Likewise, 러 never takes a past-tense purpose or a command of its own — its whole job is to hang a purpose onto the motion of the main verb.

Allomorphy in one glance

After a consonant: 으러 / 으려고 — 먹다 → 먹으러, 먹으려고; 읽다 → 읽으러, 읽으려고.
After a vowel: 러 / 려고 — 사다 → 사러, 사려고; 배우다 → 배우러, 배우려고.
ㄹ-stems take bare 러 / 려고 with no 으, keeping the ㄹ: 놀다 → 놀러, 놀려고; 만들다 → 만들러, 만들려고.

주말에 놀러 오세요.

jumare nolleo oseyo

Come hang out this weekend. (ㄹ-stem 놀다 → 놀러)

See -(으)러 to go and do, -(으)려고 intending to, and the pronunciation of ㄹ-stems in ㄹ-stem verbs.

Common Mistakes

1. Using 러 with a non-motion main verb. This is the signature error. 러 is not a general "in order to" — it demands a motion main clause. If the main verb is 일하다, 공부하다, 모으다, or anything that isn't go/come/attend, switch to 려고.

❌ 돈을 벌러 열심히 일해요.

doneul beolleo yeolsimhi ilhaeyo

Wrong — 일하다 isn't a motion verb; use 려고.

✅ 돈을 벌려고 열심히 일해요.

doneul beollyeogo yeolsimhi ilhaeyo

I work hard in order to make money.

2. Capping 려고 with a command. A purpose under an imperative forces the 러 + motion pattern.

❌ 밥 먹으려고 식당에 가세요.

bap meogeuryeogo sikdang-e gaseyo

Wrong — 려고 can't sit under a command.

✅ 밥 먹으러 식당에 가세요.

bap meogeureo sikdang-e gaseyo

Go to the restaurant to eat.

3. Dropping the 으 after a consonant-final stem. 먹다 → 먹으러, not ×먹러.

❌ 밥을 먹러 가요.

Wrong form — a consonant-final stem needs 으러, not bare 러.

✅ 밥을 먹으러 가요.

babeul meogeureo gayo

I'm going to eat.

4. Using 러 for a general purpose with no journey. "I study hard to prepare for the exam" has a non-motion main verb (공부하다), so it must be 려고, even though English "to" tempts you toward 러.

❌ 시험을 준비하러 열심히 공부해요.

siheomeul junbihareo yeolsimhi gongbuhaeyo

Wrong — no motion main verb here; use 려고.

✅ 시험을 준비하려고 열심히 공부해요.

siheomeul junbiharyeogo yeolsimhi gongbuhaeyo

I study hard to prepare for the exam.

Key Takeaways

-(으)러 rides only on 가다 / 오다 / 다니다 and names the goal of a trip: "go/come to do X."
-(으)려고 states the intention behind any action, pairs with 하다 for "intend to," and marks "about to happen."
The deciding factor is the main clause: motion verb → 러; anything else → 려고.
려고 can't be commanded; a purpose under an imperative routes back to 러 + motion.
ㄹ-stems keep the ㄹ and take no 으: 놀러, 놀려고.

For a fuller side-by-side, see -(으)러 vs -(으)려고.

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