Kovin says ;

The chapter we will study today is auxiliary adjectives. Please remember that, just like auxiliary verbs, auxiliary adjectives are used directly after the main word. Also, unlike auxiliary verbs, auxiliary adjectives always function only as auxiliary adjectives and are never used as general adjectives. The semantic function of auxiliary adjectives is used much more actively compared to auxiliary verbs. Auxiliary adjectives can be categorized by their meaning; they can be divided into those related to tense or aspect, those related to negation, and those related to modality. I have prepared 25 practice exercises."

Korean Grammar: Auxiliary Expressions, Tense, and Aspect

Korean Grammar Guide: ~고 싶다, -았/었으면 싶다, -나/는가 보다, -(으)ㄹ까 보다, -아/어 있다, -고 있다

Learn Korean auxiliary expressions and Korean tense with clear explanations and Korean example sentences, including ~고 싶다, -았/었으면 싶다, -나/는가 보다, -(으)ㄹ까 보다, -아/어 있다, -고 있다, present tense, past tense, completion, and -았었/었었-.

1. What Are Korean Auxiliary Expressions?

Korean auxiliary verbs and auxiliary expressions (보조용언) are used after a main verb or adjective to add meanings such as desire, supposition, continuation, completion, or a speaker's attitude.

The basic structure is:

Main verb/adjective + auxiliary expression

For example:

먹고 싶다 → “want to eat”
기다리고 있다 → “be waiting”
문이 닫혀 있다 → “the door is closed”
비가 올까 보다 → “I think it might rain”

The important point is that the auxiliary expression does not simply add lexical meaning. It can also express aspect, modality, inference, or the speaker's psychological attitude.

2. ~고 싶다: Expressing Desire

~고 싶다 expresses the speaker's desire or wish to perform an action.

Form

Verb stem + -고 싶다

Examples:

먹고 싶다
가고 싶다
배우고 싶다
쉬고 싶다

Usage

With a first-person subject, ~고 싶다 normally means “want to.”

With a third-person subject, Korean commonly uses ~고 싶어하다 to describe another person's desire.

Examples

한국 음식을 먹고 싶어요.
이번 주말에 여행하고 싶어요.
한국어를 더 열심히 공부하고 싶어요.
민수는 제주도에 가고 싶어해요.

Tense with ~고 싶다

The tense is usually expressed by changing 싶다, rather than changing the preceding verb.

가고 싶다 → want to go
가고 싶었다 → wanted to go
가고 싶을 것이다 → will probably want to go / will want to go

Examples

어제는 집에서 쉬고 싶었어요.
어렸을 때 의사가 되고 싶었어요.
방학이 되면 여행을 가고 싶어요.

3. -았/었으면 싶다: Expressing a Wish or Hope

-았/었으면 싶다 expresses a wish or hope that something would happen or become true.

Although -았/었- is formally associated with the past/perfective form, in this construction it does not necessarily indicate past time. It can express a speaker's current wish about a situation.

Form

Verb/adjective stem + -았/었으면 싶다

Examples

이번에는 꼭 합격했으면 싶어요.
날씨가 좀 따뜻했으면 싶어요.
모두가 행복했으면 싶어요.
이번 일이 잘 해결됐으면 싶어요.

The expression often has a softer or more indirect feeling than a simple direct statement of desire.

Compare:

한국에 가고 싶어요. → “I want to go to Korea.”
한국에 갈 수 있었으면 싶어요. → “I wish I could go to Korea.”

4. -나/는가 보다: Expressing an Inference

-나 보다 and -는가 보다 are used when the speaker makes an inference based on some evidence.

The basic meaning is:

“It seems that… / I guess… / Apparently…”

The speaker does not have direct certainty but reaches a conclusion from what they see, hear, or know.

Verb + -나 보다

비가 오나 봐요.
민수가 집에 가나 봐요.

Verb + -는가 보다

민수가 공부하는가 봐요.
사람들이 많이 기다리는가 봐요.

In contemporary conversational Korean, -나 보다 is especially common.

Adjectives

Adjectives generally use -(으)ㄴ가 보다.

날씨가 추운가 봐요.
그 음식이 맛있는가 봐요.

Examples

밖에 비가 오나 봐요.
민수 씨가 아직 안 왔나 봐요.
요즘 많이 바쁜가 봐요.
사람들이 이 식당을 좋아하나 봐요.

The important distinction is that -나/는가 보다 presents the situation as an inference, rather than as a directly confirmed fact.

5. -(으)ㄹ까 보다: Expressing a Tentative Thought or Intention

-(으)ㄹ까 보다 can express a tentative thought, consideration, or intention.

Depending on context, it can be translated as:

“I am thinking of…”
“I might…”
“Maybe I should…”
“I wonder if I should…”

Form

Verb stem ending in a vowel → -ㄹ까 보다
Verb stem ending in a consonant → -을까 보다

Examples

주말에 여행을 갈까 봐요.
오늘은 집에서 쉴까 봐요.
이제 그만 먹을까 봐요.
다음 달에 한국어 시험을 볼까 봐요.

Here, the speaker is considering a possible action rather than firmly announcing a decision.

Important distinction

Do not confuse -(으)ㄹ까 보다 with -(으)ㄹ까 봐(요).

-(으)ㄹ까 봐(요) commonly expresses worry or concern about a possible event.

비가 올까 봐 우산을 가져왔어요.

This means that the speaker brought an umbrella because they were worried that it might rain.

6. -아/어 있다: A Resulting State

-아/어 있다 describes a state that continues as the result of a completed action.

The action itself has already occurred, but the resulting state remains.

Structure

Verb stem + -아/어 있다

Examples

문이 열려 있어요.
창문이 닫혀 있어요.
책이 책상 위에 놓여 있어요.
사진이 벽에 붙어 있어요.

For example:

문을 열었어요.
→ Someone opened the door.
→ Focus: the action of opening.

문이 열려 있어요.
→ The door is open.
→ Focus: the resulting state.

Thus, -아/어 있다 is particularly useful when describing a state resulting from an earlier action.

7. -고 있다: An Ongoing Action

-고 있다 is used with verbs to express an action that is currently in progress.

It is often equivalent to:

“be ~ing”

Structure

Verb stem + -고 있다

Examples

학생들이 한국어를 공부하고 있어요.
지금 밥을 먹고 있어요.
민수 씨가 책을 읽고 있어요.
아이들이 공원에서 놀고 있어요.

The construction focuses on the ongoing process.

Compare:

문을 열고 있어요.
→ Someone is opening the door / is in the process of opening it.

문이 열려 있어요.
→ The door is open / remains in an open state.

Therefore:

-고 있다 = ongoing process

-아/어 있다 = resulting state

8. Korean Present Tense: What Does “Present” Mean?

The Korean present tense is not restricted to something happening right at this exact moment.

Depending on the verb and context, Korean present tense can describe:

An action happening now
A habitual action
A general fact
A repeated action
A current state
A scheduled or contextually current event

Examples: Action Happening Now

지금 밥을 먹어요.
민수 씨가 책을 읽어요.

Examples: Habitual Action

저는 매일 운동해요.
아침마다 커피를 마셔요.

Examples: General Fact

물은 섭씨 100도에서 끓어요.
한국에서는 겨울에 날씨가 추워요.

Examples: Current State

저는 학생이에요.
지금 집에 있어요.

Thus, Korean present tense has a relatively broad semantic range. The exact interpretation depends on aspect, lexical meaning, adverbs, and context.

9. Present Tense with -고 있다

When the speaker wants to emphasize that an action is currently in progress, Korean frequently uses -고 있다.

Compare:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.
저는 지금 한국어를 공부하고 있어요.

The first sentence can mean that studying Korean is a regular/current activity.

The second sentence strongly emphasizes that the activity is in progress at this moment.

More examples

지금 영화를 보고 있어요.
친구와 이야기하고 있어요.
비가 내리고 있어요.
학생들이 시험을 보고 있어요.

10. Korean Past Tense: Examples

The Korean past tense is generally formed with -았- / -었- / -였-.

It commonly indicates that an event or state occurred before the reference time.

Examples

어제 영화를 봤어요.
아침에 밥을 먹었어요.
지난주에 부산에 갔어요.
어렸을 때 서울에 살았어요.
어제는 날씨가 추웠어요.

Past Tense with Action Verbs

친구를 만났어요.
책을 읽었어요.
숙제를 했어요.

Past Tense with Adjectives

날씨가 좋았어요.
음식이 맛있었어요.
어제는 정말 바빴어요.

11. The Completed Meaning of -았/었-

The form -았/었- can indicate that an event has been completed before the reference time.

This is often called the perfective or completed-event meaning.

For example:

밥을 먹었어요.
숙제를 했어요.
영화를 봤어요.
한국에 갔어요.

The speaker presents these events as completed.

However, -았/었- does not always mean simply “past.” Its interpretation depends on context.

For example:

한국에 갔어요.

can mean:

“I went to Korea.”

But depending on context, it can also communicate the relevant fact that the experience/event has occurred.

Therefore, Korean tense and aspect should not always be treated as exactly equivalent to English tense and aspect.

12. -았었/었었-: Past-in-the-Past or a Former State

The form -았었/었었- is often used when the speaker wants to establish a situation as belonging to an earlier period that is no longer true or relevant at the reference point.

It can be understood as emphasizing:

“had been…”

“used to be/had done…”

depending on context.

Examples

예전에 서울에서 살았었어요.
어렸을 때 이곳에 자주 왔었어요.
한때 그 회사를 다녔었어요.
작년에는 이 식당에 자주 갔었어요.

The form can create a contrast between the earlier situation and the current situation.

For example:

예전에 서울에서 살았었어요.

The speaker indicates that living in Seoul was true in an earlier period, but it is generally understood that this is no longer the current situation.

Compare

서울에서 살았어요.
→ “I lived in Seoul.”
→ Simply presents the past fact.

서울에서 살았었어요.
→ “I used to live in Seoul / I had lived in Seoul.”
→ Gives stronger emphasis to the earlier situation and its contrast with the present.

13. -았/었- vs. -았었/었었-

The distinction can be summarized as follows.

Form	Main Function	Example
-았/었-	completed event / past situation	한국에 갔어요.
-았었/었었-	earlier situation, often no longer true or relevant	한국에 갔었어요.
-고 있다	ongoing action	한국어를 공부하고 있어요.
-아/어 있다	resulting state	문이 열려 있어요.

The distinction between -았/었- and -았었/었었- is especially dependent on discourse context. The latter often creates a stronger sense of distance from the present or an earlier stage of events.

14. Summary of Korean Auxiliary Expressions

Grammar	Core Meaning	Example
~고 싶다	desire	한국에 가고 싶어요.
-았/었으면 싶다	wish/hope	모두가 행복했으면 싶어요.
-나/는가 보다	inference	비가 오나 봐요.
-(으)ㄹ까 보다	tentative thought/intention	집에서 쉴까 봐요.
-아/어 있다	resulting state	문이 닫혀 있어요.
-고 있다	ongoing action	책을 읽고 있어요.
-았/었-	completed/past event	숙제를 했어요.
-았었/었었-	earlier/former situation	예전에 이곳에 살았었어요.

Conclusion

Korean tense and aspect become much clearer when tense, aspect, and modality are considered separately.

Present tense can describe current actions, habits, general facts, and current states.
-았/었- commonly presents an event as completed or situated in the past.
-았었/었었- places stronger emphasis on an earlier situation, often suggesting that it is no longer current.
-고 있다 focuses on an action in progress.
-아/어 있다 focuses on a resulting state.
~고 싶다 expresses desire.
-았/었으면 싶다 expresses a wish or hope.
-나/는가 보다 expresses an inference.
-(으)ㄹ까 보다 expresses a tentative thought or consideration.

Korean Grammar Practice: 25 Exercises

A. Choose the correct expression

1. 다음 빈칸에 알맞은 것을 고르세요.
저는 한국 음식을 더 많이 ________.
① 먹고 싶어요
② 먹고 있어요
③ 먹어 있어요
④ 먹었었어요

2.
민수 씨는 요즘 한국어를 열심히 ________.
① 공부하고 싶어요
② 공부하고 있어요
③ 공부해 있어요
④ 공부했으면 싶어요

3.
문이 ________. 누가 아까 문을 열었나 봐요.
① 열고 있어요
② 열고 싶어요
③ 열려 있어요
④ 열었으면 싶어요

4.
밖에 비가 ________. 우산을 가져가세요.
① 오고 싶나 봐요
② 오나 봐요
③ 오고 있어 봐요
④ 왔었나 봐요

5.
이번 주말에는 집에서 ________.
① 쉴까 봐요
② 쉬어 있어요
③ 쉬고 있어요
④ 쉬었었어요

B. Complete the sentences

6. Use ~고 싶다.

저는 이번 방학에 제주도에 __________.

7. Use -았/었으면 싶다.

이번 시험에 모두 __________.

8. Use -나/는가 보다.

사람들이 우산을 쓰고 있어요.
→ 비가 __________.

9. Use -고 있다.

지금 학생들이 교실에서 시험을 __________.

10. Use -아/어 있다.

벽에 사진이 __________.

C. Present or past tense?

Choose the appropriate form of the verb in parentheses.

11.
저는 매일 아침에 커피를 ________.
(마시다)

12.
어제 친구를 ________.
(만나다)

13.
지금 한국어를 ________.
(공부하다)

14.
작년에는 부산에서 ________.
(살다)

15.
우리 선생님은 지금 학생들을 ________.
(가르치다)

D. -았/었- or -았었/었었-

Choose the form that best fits the context.

16.
저는 작년에 한국에 ________. 지금은 일본에 살고 있어요.
① 갔어요
② 갔었어요

17.
어제 친구를 ________.
① 만났어요
② 만났었어요

18.
예전에 이 회사에서 ________. 지금은 다른 회사에 다녀요.
① 일했어요
② 일했었어요

19.
지난주에 그 영화를 ________.
① 봤어요
② 봤었어요

20.
어렸을 때 이 동네에서 ________. 지금은 서울에 살아요.
① 살았어요
② 살았었어요

E. Choose the meaning

21. 다음 문장과 가장 가까운 의미를 고르세요.

문이 열려 있어요.

① Someone is opening the door.
② The door is open as a resulting state.
③ I want to open the door.
④ The door was opened in the past.

22.

민수 씨가 책을 읽고 있어요.

① Minsu wants to read a book.
② Minsu has finished reading a book.
③ Minsu is currently reading a book.
④ Minsu used to read books.

23.

한국에 가고 싶어요.

① I went to Korea.
② I want to go to Korea.
③ I am going to Korea now.
④ I used to go to Korea.

24.

비가 오나 봐요.

① It definitely rains.
② I want it to rain.
③ It seems to be raining.
④ It rained yesterday.

25.

예전에 이곳에 살았었어요.

① I am living here now.
② I am planning to live here.
③ I used to live here.
④ I am currently living here.

Answer Key

① 먹고 싶어요
② 공부하고 있어요
③ 열려 있어요
② 오나 봐요
① 쉴까 봐요
가고 싶어요
합격했으면 싶어요
오나 봐요
보고 있어요
붙어 있어요
마셔요
만났어요
공부하고 있어요
살았어요
가르치고 있어요
② 갔었어요
① 만났어요
② 일했었어요
① 봤어요
② 살았었어요
②
③
②
③
③

Key Point for Review

The most important contrasts to practice are:

먹고 싶어요 → desire
먹었으면 싶어요 → wish/hope
먹나 봐요 → inference
먹을까 봐요 → tentative consideration
먹고 있어요 → action in progress
먹어 있어요 → resulting state
먹었어요 → completed/past event
먹었었어요 → earlier/former event or state, often contrasted with the present