Breakdown of i munjereul pullyeomyeon sigani deo piryohaeyo.
하다hada
to do
~이~i
subject particle
~를~reul
object particle
이i
this
Questions & Answers about i munjereul pullyeomyeon sigani deo piryohaeyo.
What does -려면 mean in 풀려면?
-려면 means something like if one wants to..., if one is going to..., or more naturally in many cases, to do X, ... is needed.
So:
- 이 문제를 풀려면 = to solve this problem / if you want to solve this problem
It often introduces a condition related to intention or purpose.
A helpful way to think about this sentence is:
- 이 문제를 풀려면 = in order to solve this problem
- 시간이 더 필요해요 = more time is needed
So the whole sentence means that solving the problem requires more time.
Why does 풀다 become 풀려면?
The dictionary form is 풀다 (to solve, to untie, to loosen, depending on context).
To attach -려면, you use the verb stem:
- 풀다 → stem 풀-
- 풀- + -려면 → 풀려면
So this is a normal formation.
You may also learn that -려면 is historically related to -려고 하면, and both are connected with intention, but -려면 is the standard compact form you should recognize here.
How is -려면 different from plain -면?