Unit 27: In Order To (-고자)

You learned -(으)러 and -(으)려고 to mean "in order to." In formal situations (presentations, news, speeches) in Easy Korean, we use -고자.

Structure

Verb Stem + -고자 (Often followed by 합니다 when expressing an intention: -고자 합니다 - I intend to)

• 하다 -> 하고자 (in order to do)
• 돕다 -> 돕고자 (in order to help - No irregular change for 고!)
• 해결하다 -> 해결하고자 (in order to solve)

Usage

It means the same thing as -(으)려고, but you only write or speak it in formal settings.

Examples

• 이 문제를 해결하고자 회의를 열었습니다. (We held a meeting in order to solve this problem.)
• 여러분께 감사의 말씀을 전하고자 합니다. (I intend to convey my words of gratitude to everyone.)
• 한국어를 배우고자 한국에 왔어요. (I came to Korea in order to learn Korean. -> Sounds very official!)