…
Breakdown of jumareneun yeonghwagwane gaseo sae yeonghwareul bogo sipeoyo.
가다gada
to go
~에~e
destination particle
~을~eul
object particle
~는~neun
topic particle
영화yeonghwa
movie
보다boda
to watch
싶다sipda
to want
주말jumal
weekend
영화관yeonghwagwan
movie theater
새sae
new
Questions & Answers about jumareneun yeonghwagwane gaseo sae yeonghwareul bogo sipeoyo.
In 주말에는, what do the particles -에 and -는 each do, and how is 주말에 different from 주말에는?
- -에 marks a point in time (“on the weekend”).
- -는 is the topic marker, adding a nuance of “as for…” or a habitual action.
- 주말에 simply means “on weekends.”
- 주말에는 means “as for weekends” or “when it comes to weekends,” often implying a regular habit or setting the scene for what follows.
What does 가서 mean in 영화관에 가서 새 영화를 보고 싶어요? Is this the past tense of 가다?
- 가서 comes from 가다 + -아서/어서, which is a connective ending, not past tense.
- It links two actions: “go” → “watch.” So 영화관에 가서 means “go to the cinema and then…”
- It can indicate sequence (“went and then…”) or purpose (“go in order to…”), depending on context.
How does 보고 싶어요 express “want to watch”? Why not a literal translation of “I want watch”?
- 보다 (“to watch”) + -고 싶다 (“to want”) = 보고 싶다, literally “watch-and-want.”
- In polite speech you use -고 싶어요, so 보고 싶어요 = “I want to watch.”
- You always attach -고 싶다 to the verb stem; it functions like an adjective describing your desire.
Why is the particle -를 used after 영화 in 새 영화를 보고 싶어요?
- -를 marks 영화 as the direct object of 보다.
- After a vowel-ending noun like 영화, you use -를 (after a consonant you’d use -을).
- It tells you clearly: “the thing being watched” is the movie.
Why is 새 영화 used here instead of 새로운 영화?
- 새 is the native Korean adjective for “new,” used directly before a noun.
- 새로운 is a Sino-Korean adjective form, also meaning “new.”
- In everyday speech, 새 영화 is more concise and common, though 새로운 영화 is also correct—just a bit more formal or emphatic.
Could we rephrase this as 주말에는 영화관에 새 영화를 보러 가고 싶어요? How does that compare with 가서 새 영화를 보고 싶어요?
- 보러 가다 = “go in order to see,” combining purpose into one clause.
- 가서…보고 싶다 breaks it into two steps: go first, then watch.
- Both convey the same overall meaning, but
• 보러 가고 싶어요 emphasizes “I want to go there to see it.”
• 가서…보고 싶어요 feels more like narrating two consecutive actions.
What level of politeness is -고 싶어요, and how can I change it to be more casual or more formal?
- -고 싶어요 is polite (informal polite).
- Casual: drop 요 → 보고 싶어 (used with close friends or younger people).
- Formal: use -고 싶습니다 → 보고 싶습니다 (for public speeches, formal writing, or to superiors).
More from this lesson
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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.
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