Questions & Answers about geu hoesa-e jiwonharyeodaga junbiga deol dwaeseo da-eum dallo mirwosseo.
What does 지원하다 mean here? Does it mean support or apply?
Here, 지원하다 means to apply.
This verb has more than one meaning:
- 회사에 지원하다 = to apply to a company
- 회사를 지원하다 = to support a company
So the particle helps tell you which meaning is intended. In your sentence, 그 회사에 지원하려다가 clearly means I was going to apply to that company.
Why is it 그 회사에 지원하다 and not 그 회사를 지원하다?
Because with the meaning to apply to, Korean normally uses 에 for the place/organization you are applying to.
- 회사에 지원하다 = apply to a company
- 대학에 지원하다 = apply to a university
If you use 를 instead:
- 회사를 지원하다
that usually means to support the company, not to apply to it.
So this is an important particle distinction.
What does -려다가 mean in 지원하려다가?
-려다가 means something like:
- was going to... but
- was about to... but
- intended to... but then
It shows that the speaker had the intention to do something, but that action did not happen because something interrupted it or changed the situation.
So:
- 지원하려다가 = I was going to apply, but...
There is usually a sense of a change in direction or an uncompleted plan.
Is -려다가 similar to -려고 하다가?
Yes. They are very close.
- 지원하려다가
- 지원하려고 하다가
Both can mean while intending to apply / when I was about to apply, but...
In everyday speech, -려다가 is very common and compact. It often feels slightly more direct and natural in sentences where the plan gets interrupted or abandoned.
So in this sentence, 지원하려다가 is a very natural choice.
What does 준비가 덜 돼서 literally mean?
Literally, it means something like:
- because the preparation was less done
- because things were not fully ready
More naturally in English:
- because I wasn’t fully prepared
- because my preparation wasn’t complete
Breaking it down:
- 준비 = preparation
- 가 = subject marker
- 덜 = less, not enough, not completely
- 돼서 = became / was done, and so / because
So 준비가 덜 돼서 expresses that the speaker’s state of readiness was insufficient.
Why does Korean say 준비가 되다 instead of just 준비하다 here?
Because 준비가 되다 focuses on the state of being ready or having preparations completed.
Compare:
- 준비하다 = to prepare
- 준비가 되다 = to be prepared / to become ready
So:
- 준비를 덜 해서 would focus more on the action of preparing
- 준비가 덜 돼서 focuses more on the result: I wasn’t ready enough
In this sentence, the speaker is explaining why they postponed it, so the state of not being sufficiently ready is the important point.
What exactly does 덜 add here?
덜 means less or not fully.
It softens the statement a bit. Instead of saying:
- 준비가 안 돼서 = because I wasn’t prepared
the speaker says:
- 준비가 덜 돼서 = because I wasn’t fully prepared / because I still wasn’t prepared enough
That suggests partial preparation. The speaker had done some preparation, but not enough.
Why is it 돼서 and not 되서?
Because 돼서 is the correct contracted form of 되어서.
- 되다 → 되어 → 돼
- so 되어서 → 돼서
So:
- 준비가 덜 돼서 = correct
- 준비가 덜 되서 = commonly seen, but nonstandard in careful writing
This is a very common spelling issue for learners and native speakers alike.
Why does the sentence use both -려다가 and -서?
Because they do different jobs.
- 지원하려다가 = sets up the abandoned intention: I was going to apply, but...
- 준비가 덜 돼서 = gives the reason: because I wasn’t fully prepared
- 다음 달로 미뤘어 = final result: I postponed it to next month
So the structure is roughly:
- I intended to do X,
- but because of Y,
- I did Z instead.
This stacking of connectors is very normal in Korean.
Why is it 다음 달로 미뤘어 and not 다음 달에 미뤘어?
Because -로 marks the new destination or target point after moving something.
- 다음 달로 미루다 = postpone it to next month
Here, the plan is being moved forward to a different time point.
If you say 다음 달에, that usually just means in next month / next month, without the same strong sense of something being shifted to that point.
So with 미루다 or 옮기다, -로 is very common when you mean move it to...
What is being postponed in 미뤘어? There’s no object.
The object is omitted because it is understood from context.
Possible understood objects are:
- 지원을 미뤘어 = I postponed the application
- 지원하는 걸 미뤘어 = I postponed applying
- 그 회사에 지원하는 걸 미뤘어 = I postponed applying to that company
Korean often leaves out objects when they are obvious. English usually has to say it, but Korean often does not.
What nuance does 미뤘어 have here?
미루다 means to put off, delay, or postpone.
In this sentence, 미뤘어 sounds very natural and conversational. It suggests:
- the speaker did not cancel the plan completely
- they pushed it to a later time instead
So this is not I gave up on applying. It is more like:
- I decided to wait and do it next month instead
What level of speech is 미뤘어?
미뤘어 is casual, informal speech.
It would be natural when speaking to:
- a close friend
- someone younger
- yourself in a diary or inner monologue
More polite versions would be:
- 그 회사에 지원하려다가 준비가 덜 돼서 다음 달로 미뤘어요.
- 그 회사에 지원하려다가 준비가 덜 돼서 다음 달로 미뤘습니다.
So the original sentence sounds like relaxed spoken Korean.
Does 그 회사 literally mean that company, or can it also feel like the company?
It can do both, depending on context.
그 often refers to something already known or previously mentioned, so in natural English it may be translated as:
- that company
- the company
It does not necessarily mean physical distance like that one over there. Very often it just means the company we both know which one I’m talking about.
Does -려다가 suggest that the speaker came close to actually applying?
Yes, often it does.
Compared with a simple statement like:
- 지원하려고 했어 = I was planning to apply
지원하려다가 can sound a bit more immediate, like the speaker had really reached that point of intention and then stopped or changed course.
So the nuance is not just I had the idea. It is more like:
- I was on the verge of doing it
- I was about to do it
- I had started heading in that direction, but then I held off
That makes it a very natural choice in this sentence.
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