Breakdown of chingureul mannareo kapee gayo.
가다gada
to go
~에~e
destination particle
친구chingu
friend
~를~reul
object particle
만나다mannada
to meet
카페kape
cafe
~러~reo
in order to
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Questions & Answers about chingureul mannareo kapee gayo.
What does 만나러 represent in 친구를 만나러 카페에 가요?
It’s the verb 만나다 (“to meet”) plus the purpose suffix -러, forming 만나러 (“in order to meet”). This construction is used only with motion verbs like 가다/오다/다니다 to express why you’re going or coming.
Why do we use -를 with 친구 (i.e., 친구를)?
-를 is the object particle marking 친구 as the direct object of 만나다. After a noun ending in a vowel sound, you use -를; if the noun ends in a consonant, you’d use -을.
Why is 카페에 used instead of 카페에서?
-에 marks the destination (“to the café”) when paired with a motion verb like 가요. -에서 marks the location where an action happens (“at the café”). If you wanted to say “I meet a friend at a café,” you’d say 친구를 카페에서 만나요.
What is the main verb in this sentence?
The main verb is 가요 (“go”). The verb 만나다 appears in the purpose form 만나러 and doesn’t act as the main verb here.
Can we omit the subject 저는 in this sentence?
Yes. Korean often drops subjects when they’re understood from context. If you want to be explicit or contrastive, you can say 저는 친구를 만나러 카페에 가요, but dropping 저는 is perfectly natural.
Why can’t we say 친구를 만나 카페에 가요 without -러?
Without -러, 만나 is just the connective form meaning “meet and…,” so 친구를 만나 카페에 가요 would mean “I meet a friend and go to a café.” You need -러 to express “go in order to meet.”
What’s the difference between -러 and -기 위해서 for expressing purpose?
- -러 is an informal, spoken-purpose suffix used only with motion verbs.
- -기 위해서 is more formal/written and works with any verb.
Example:
• Spoken: 친구를 만나러 카페에 가요.
• Formal: 친구를 만나기 위해(서) 카페에 가요.
What is the difference between 만나러 and 만날?
Though they look alike, they have different roles:
- 만나러 = 만나다
- -러 (purpose for motion verbs) = “to meet (in order to).”
- 만날 is the future modifier of 만나다, used in relative clauses, as in 만날 친구 (“the friend [that I] will meet”).
Can we change the word order in 친구를 만나러 카페에 가요?
Korean allows some flexibility, especially with topic or location. You could say 카페에 친구를 만나러 가요 without changing the meaning. However, putting 친구를 만나러 directly before 가요 is most natural because it groups the purpose clause with the main verb.