-(으)려던
Was Going to
'-려던' means 'was going to...' or 'intended to...'. It's used when an intended action was interrupted or changed. For example, '사려던 책' means 'the book I was going to buy'.
How It Works
'-려던' is a powerful noun-modifying form that expresses a past intention that was interrupted, changed, or simply not completed. It's formed by combining the intention marker '-(으)려' with the retrospective modifier '-던'.
Conjugation:
- Verb stems ending in a vowel or ㄹ + -려던
- 가다 (to go) → 가려던
- 만들다 (to make) → 만들려던 - Verb stems ending in a consonant (except ㄹ) + -으려던
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹으려던
- 찾다 (to find) → 찾으려던
The noun that follows '-려던' is the object, place, time, or concept related to the unfulfilled plan. For example, '읽으려던 책' means 'the book I was going to read (but didn't)'.
A very common and useful fixed expression is -려던 참이다, which means 'to be just about to do something'. It emphasizes that the speaker was at the very point of starting an action when something else happened.
Comparison with similar patterns:
- -려던 vs. -려다가: '-려던' modifies a noun (읽으려던 책). '-려다가' connects two clauses, showing an action was stopped and another began (책을 읽으려다가 잠들었어요 - I was going to read a book, but I fell asleep).
- -려던 vs. -던: '-던' describes a past action that was habitual or incomplete (읽던 책 - the book I was reading). '-려던' adds the specific meaning of intention (읽으려던 책 - the book I intended to read).
Examples (4)
- 어제 사려던 옷이 오늘 세일하네요.
The clothes I was going to buy yesterday are on sale today.
Word by Word: Yesterday was going to buy clothes today are on sale.
- 원래 가려던 식당이 문을 닫아서 다른 곳에 갔어요.
The restaurant I was originally going to go to was closed, so I went somewhere else.
Word by Word: Originally was going to go restaurant door closed so another place went.
- 전화 잘했어요. 막 집을 나서려던 참이었어요.
Good thing you called. I was just about to leave the house.
Word by Word: Phone well did. Just house was about to leave moment was.
The phrase '-려던 참이다' is very common and means 'to be just about to do something'.
- 친구가 내가 말하려던 것을 먼저 말해 버렸다.
My friend said what I was going to say first.
Word by Word: Friend I was going to say thing first said completely.
Common Mistakes
Confusing -려던 (noun modifier) with -려다가 (clause connector).
Not Quite숙제를 하려던 잠이 들었어요.Better숙제를 하려다가 잠이 들었어요.'-려던' must modify a noun (e.g., 하려던 숙제 - the homework I was going to do). To connect two clauses where the first intended action was interrupted by the second, you must use -려다가.
Using -려던 for an action that was actually completed at the intended time.
Different Meaning어제 먹으려던 피자를 어제 맛있게 먹었어요.Better어제 먹으려던 피자를 오늘 먹었어요.'-려던' implies the action did not happen as planned. The incorrect sentence is contradictory ('I ate the pizza yesterday that I was going to eat yesterday'). The correct sentence shows the plan changed (ate it today instead). If the action was completed as planned, use a simple past modifier like -ㄴ/은 (어제 먹은 피자 - the pizza I ate yesterday).
Learn This First
To express past interrupted intention, you need intention patterns and retrospective forms.
Related Patterns
- -(으)려다가Was Going to, But
Both express an unfulfilled intention. However, '-려던' is a noun modifier (e.g., 가려던 곳 - the place I was going to go), while '-려다가' connects two clauses, showing that the first intended action was stopped and replaced by a second action (e.g., 가려다가 안 갔어요 - I was going to go, but I didn't).
- -던Had Been -ing
'-던' is the retrospective noun modifier that forms the second part of '-려던'. While '-던' on its own describes a past action that was repeated or ongoing (e.g., 가던 곳 - the place I used to go), '-려던' specifically adds the nuance of intention to that past action.
- -(으)려고 하다Intend to, Plan to
'-려고 하다' is the base pattern for expressing intention ('to intend to do'). '-려던' is the noun-modifying form of this pattern, used to talk about a past intention that was not completed.
- -(으)려던 참이다Was Just About to
This is a very common fixed expression using '-려던'. It means 'to be just about to do something', emphasizing the immediacy of the interrupted intention.