Lesson 154: ~(으)려다가 – I was going to, but then

Examples:
그 여자는 자신이 만날 남자의 이상형을 항상 상상하며 꿈꾸곤 했어요
= That woman always imagined and dreamed about her ideal type of man

Examples:
이 문제를 해결할 한가지 방법이 있어요
= There is one type of solution to this problem

한가지만 사려다가 여러 가지를 샀어요
= I was going to buy just one thing, but I ended up buying several things

Examples:
우리는 주말에 가족과 함께 초원에서 피크닉을 즐겼어요
= We enjoyed a picnic with the family in the meadow over the weekend

초원에 가려다가 날씨가 안 좋아서 포기했어요
= I was going to go to the meadow, but I gave up because of the bad weather

Examples:
대도시의 복잡한 생활은 저를 가끔 지치게 해요
= The hectic life in the big city sometimes makes me tired

대도시에 이사하려다가 비용이 너무 많이 들어서 포기했어요
= I intended to move to the big city, but then gave up because it was too expensive

Notes: This is difficult to describe in English. When my wife reads anything, her forehead gets a bit crinkly, as if she is focusing on the content of the book. She doesn’t like it, as it makes wrinkles show on her forehead. I tell her “인상!” and she immediately smiles and the wrinkles go away.

Common Usages:
인상을 찌푸리다 = to furrow one’s brow

Examples:
인상을 찌푸리려다가 상냥하게 웃었어요
= I was about to furrow my brow, but I smiled gently instead

그 남자의 진지한 인상이 사람들에게 깊은 인상을 남겼어요
= That man’s serious expression left a deep impression on people

Examples:
하늘에 먹구름이 끼여서 비가 올 것 같아요
= Dark clouds are covering the sky, so it seems like it will rain

하늘에 먹구름이 가득해서 비가 올 것 같아요
= The sky is full of dark clouds, so it looks like it’s going to rain

먹구름이 끼려다가 갑자기 해가 나왔어요
= Dark clouds were about to gather, but suddenly the sun came out

Examples:
저는 어릴 때부터 해적 이야기를 좋아했어요
= I liked pirate stories since I was a child

해적에 관한 이야기를 동생에게 하려다가 너무 무서울까 봐 그만뒀어요
= I was going to tell a pirate story, but I stopped because I thought it might be too scary

Notes: When washing your face, it would be more common to use 세수. However, 세면 is often used in other words (세면대, 세면도구), and 세면 is technically a word, so I figured I would include it in this list.

Examples:
아침마다 세면을 한 후에 항상 개운해요
= Every morning, I feel refreshed after washing my face

Examples:
세면대에서 손과 얼굴을 깨끗이 씻었어요
= I washed my hands and face clean in the sink

세면대를 청소하다가 갑자기 소변이 마려웠어요
= I was cleaning the sink, and then all of a sudden I had to pee

Examples:
여행 갈 때 세면도구를 챙기는 것을 잊지 마세요
= Don’t forget to pack your toiletries when you go on a trip

세면도구를 챙기려다가 친구가 가져올 것 같아서 안 챙겼어요
= I was going to bring my face-washing items but it was likely my friend was going to bring them so I didn’t

Examples:
그 영화 배우는 미남으로 유명해요
= That movie actor is famous for being a handsome man

미남을 만나다가 외모의 중요성을 알게 됐어요
= After meeting a handsome man (going out with a handsome man), I realized the importance of appearance/looks

Common Usages:
육식동물 = carnivore

Examples:
우리 아빠는 건강을 위해 육식을 줄이기로 결심했어요
= Our dad decided to reduce his meat diet for his health

매일 육식을 먹으려다가 건강을 위해서 채식으로 바꾸었어요
= I was just going to eat meat every day, but for my health I changed it to vegetable (based)

Common Usages:
채식동물 = herbivore
채식주의자 = vegetarian

그 사람이 저녁식사를 같이 했을 때 고기를 먹지 않아 가지고 채식주의자라고 추측했어요
= When I had dinner with that person, he didn’t eat meat, so I guessed that he is a vegetarian

우리 딸은 채식을 하면서 건강한 생활을 유지하고 있어요
= Our daughter maintains a healthy lifestyle by following a vegetable diet

매일 육식을 먹으려다가 건강을 위해서 채식으로 바꾸었어요
= I was just going to eat meat every day, but for my health I changed it to vegetable (based)

Notes: This is an abbreviation of 여자 중학교.

Examples:
여중에서 공부하는 여학생들은 활기차고 열정적이에요
= The girls studying at the girls middle school are lively and passionate

여중에서 강연을 하려다가 일정이 변경되어 여고로 갔어요
= I was going to give a lecture at a girls’ middle school, but the schedule changed, so I went to a girls’ high school instead

Notes: This is an abbreviation of 여자 고등학교

Examples:
여고 시절의 추억은 언제나 소중하게 간직될 것이에요
= The memories of my girls high school days will always be cherished

여중에서 강연을 하려다가 일정이 변경되어 여고로 갔어요
= I was going to give a lecture at a girls’ middle school, but the schedule changed, so I went to a girls’ high school instead

Examples:
이 소설의 저술자는 문학계에 큰 영향을 미쳤어요
= The author of this novel had a significant impact on the literary world

이 책의 저술자를 만나려다가 시간이 안 맞아서 못 만났어요
= I was going to meet the author of that book, but the timing wasn’t right, so I couldn’t meet him

Examples:
동전을 자판기에 투입하려다가 기계가 고장 난 것을 알았어요
= I was going to insert a coin intothe vending machine when I realized it was broken

새로운 프로젝트에 인력을 투입하려다가 예산 문제가 생겼어요
= I was about to allocate manpower to the new project, but a budget issue arose

Examples:
부장님이 불쾌한 소식을 듣고 이마를 찌푸렸어요
= The boss frowned when he heard the unpleasant news

인상을 찌푸리려다가 상냥하게 웃었어요
= I was about to furrow my brow, but I smiled gently instead

Examples:
그 그림의 색상이 매우 선명해요
= The colors in that painting are very vivid

사진을 선명하게 찍으려다가 카메라를 떨어뜨렸어요
= I was going to take a clear picture, but I dropped the camera

Examples:
그 선생님은 모든 사람들을 상냥하게 대해요
= That teacher treats everyone with kindness

상냥하게 말하려다가 화를 내고 말았어요
= I was going to speak gently, but I ended up getting angry

인상을 찌푸리려다가 상냥하게 웃었어요
= I was about to furrow my brow, but I smiled gently instead