-으러 | Korean purpose verb ending | how to use -으러 correctly
Meaning of -으러
The ending -으러 is a Korean verb ending used to express purpose, usually together with movement verbs such as 가다 (to go), 오다 (to come), 나가다 (to go out), and 들어오다 (to come in). It is often translated as “to do something” or “in order to do something.”
A typical pattern is 동사 어간 + (으)러 + 가다/오다/다니다. In this structure, the verb with -으러 shows the purpose, and the movement verb shows the direction or movement itself. For example, 밥을 먹으러 가요 means “I am going (somewhere) to eat.”
The ending -으러 is attached directly to the verb stem, without tense markers. The tense is expressed in the following movement verb, not inside the -으러 part. This separation of “purpose part” and “movement part” is an important feature of this grammar.
How to form -으러 with different verb stems
Basic patterns: -으러 and -러
There are two visible forms: -으러 and -러. The choice depends on whether the verb stem ends in a consonant or a vowel, and on a special rule for stems ending in ㄹ.
- Verb stem ending in a consonant → -으러
읽다 (to read) → 읽으러
먹다 (to eat) → 먹으러
입다 (to wear) → 입으러
Example:
책을 읽으러 도서관에 가요.
“I go to the library to read a book.” - Verb stem ending in a vowel → -러
가다 (to go) → 가러 (rarely used in practice; other verbs are more common)
자다 (to sleep) → 자러
놀다 (to play) is treated by the ㄹ rule below.
Example:
친구 집에 놀러 가요.
“I go to my friend’s house to hang out.” - Verb stem ending in ㄹ → drop ㄹ and add -러
살다 (to live) → 살러
놀다 (to play, hang out) → 놀러
Example:
바다에 놀러 가요.
“I go to the beach to have fun.”
In actual usage, 놀러 가다 and 먹으러 가다 appear very often in everyday conversation. Learners can start by memorising a small group of high-frequency combinations and then expand.
Tense and politeness with -으러
The ending -으러 itself does not carry tense or politeness. Tense and politeness are expressed in the following movement verb such as 가다 or 오다.
Compare the following examples:
- 지금 밥을 먹으러 가요.
“I am going now to eat.” - 어제 친구를 만나러 갔어요.
“I went yesterday to meet a friend.” - 내일 한국어를 배우러 갈 거예요.
“I will go tomorrow to study Korean.”
In each sentence, the purpose part (먹으러, 만나러, 배우러) is unchanged, while the movement verb (가요, 갔어요, 갈 거예요) changes to show time and politeness.
Typical usage patterns with -으러
Movement verbs commonly used with -으러
The ending -으러 almost always appears together with a verb of movement or direction. The most frequent partners are:
- 가다 – to go
- 오다 – to come
- 다니다 – to go regularly, to attend
- 나가다 – to go out
- 들어가다 / 들어오다 – to go in / to come in
- 올라가다 / 내려가다 – to go up / to go down
Examples illustrate how the purpose and direction combine:
- 운동하러 공원에 가요.
“I go to the park to exercise.” - 한국어를 배우러 학원에 다녀요.
“I attend an academy to learn Korean.” - 친구를 도우러 회사에 들어갔어요.
“I went into the office to help my friend.” - 커피를 마시러 1층으로 내려가요.
“I go down to the first floor to drink coffee.”
In each case, the part before -으러 / -러 expresses what the speaker intends to do, and the final verb expresses how or where the speaker moves.
Using locations and objects with -으러
The purpose phrase with -으러 often appears together with location particles such as 에 or 에서, and with object markers 을/를 inside the purpose phrase.
Consider the following examples:
- 책을 사러 서점에 가요.
“I go to the bookstore to buy a book.” - 아침을 먹으러 식당에 왔어요.
“I came to the restaurant to eat breakfast.” - 친구를 만나러 카페에 가고 있어요.
“I am going to the café to meet a friend.”
Inside the purpose phrase, objects such as 책을, 아침을, 친구를 are marked with 을/를, the normal object markers. The location of the movement (서점에, 식당에, 카페에) is marked separately with 에.
In this way, -으러 does not replace object particles or location particles. It simply turns the verb into a “purpose phrase” that connects to the movement verb.
Comparison of -으러 with other Korean forms
-으러 vs -(으)려고
The ending -(으)려고 is also used to express intention or purpose. At a basic level, both -으러 and -(으)려고 can be translated as “in order to.” However, their typical patterns are different.
- -으러 is strongly linked to movement verbs: 먹으러 가다, 보러 오다, 배우러 다니다.
- -(으)려고 can be used more widely to show intention, sometimes without any movement verb: 공부하려고 일찍 일어났어요 (“I got up early to study.”).
Compare the following pairs:
- 친구를 만나러 가요.
“I am going to meet a friend.” (focus on movement to meet) - 친구를 만나려고 시간표를 바꿨어요.
“I changed my schedule to meet a friend.” (intention, but no movement verb)
In many contexts with a movement verb, both forms are grammatically possible, but -으러 often sounds more natural and direct when the main idea is “go somewhere for this purpose.”
-으러 and particles like 에, 에서, 을/를
Learners sometimes confuse the purpose ending -으러 with particles such as 에, 에서, 을/를 because all of them can appear in the same sentence. Their roles, however, are different.
- 에 marks the destination or direction of movement.
도서관에 가요. – “I go to the library.” - 에서 marks the place where an action happens.
도서관에서 공부해요. – “I study at the library.” - 을/를 marks the object of the verb.
책을 읽어요. – “I read a book.” - -으러 marks the purpose that is connected to movement.
책을 읽으러 도서관에 가요. – “I go to the library to read a book.”
In the last example, all elements work together: 책을 is the object, 읽으러 is the purpose, and 도서관에 가요 is the movement. Understanding this division of roles helps learners avoid mixing purpose endings with basic case particles.
Common learner errors with -으러
Error 1: using -으러 without a movement verb
One frequent mistake is to finish the sentence with -으러 alone, without any movement verb. In Korean, the purpose expression with -으러 normally requires a final verb such as 가다 or 오다.
Incorrect:
✕ 밥을 먹으러.
Correct:
○ 밥을 먹으러 가요.
“I am going to eat.”
When learners want to end a sentence with a purpose meaning but without movement, another pattern like 먹으려고 해요 may be more suitable.
Error 2: adding tense markers before -으러
Because tense appears after the movement verb, tense markers should not appear between the verb stem and -으러. Forms like 먹었으러 or 마실 거러 are not correct.
Incorrect:
✕ 커피를 마셨으러 카페에 갔어요.
Correct:
○ 커피를 마시러 카페에 갔어요.
“I went to the café to drink coffee.”
The action “to drink” appears as 마시러 in the purpose part. The past tense is expressed only once in 갔어요.
Error 3: using -으러 with verbs that do not involve movement
The ending -으러 is tied to physical or directional movement. Using it with verbs that do not involve moving to another place can sound unnatural.
Incorrect:
✕ 한국어를 공부하러 집에서 있어요.
More natural alternatives:
- 집에서 한국어를 공부해요.
“I study Korean at home.” - 한국어를 공부하려고 집에 있어요.
“I stay at home to study Korean.”
In these corrected sentences, either the movement verb is removed, or a different purpose ending is used. This keeps -으러 for situations where actual movement is involved.
Error 4: confusion between -으러 and -(으)려고
Learners often mix -으러 and -(으)려고, because both can be translated as “to” or “in order to.” Sometimes the difference is only in nuance, but in some sentences one form is clearly more natural.
Consider the following contrasts:
- 한국 친구를 만나러 한국에 갔어요.
“I went to Korea to meet Korean friends.” (movement to a place) - 한국 친구를 만나려고 한국어를 열심히 공부해요.
“I study Korean hard to meet Korean friends.” (intention, no movement verb)
When the main verb is a movement verb such as 가다 or 오다, -으러 is usually the first choice. When there is no movement, or when the focus is on planning or trying, -(으)려고 often sounds more appropriate.
Summary of -으러
The verb ending -으러 is a core pattern for expressing purpose together with movement verbs in Korean. It attaches directly to the verb stem, appears as -으러 after consonant stems and -러 after vowel stems (with a special rule for ㄹ-final stems), and combines naturally with verbs such as 가다, 오다, and 다니다.
Inside the purpose phrase, ordinary particles like 을/를 for objects and 에 for destinations still appear. Tense and politeness are carried by the final movement verb, not by -으러 itself. This separation allows learners to keep the purpose part stable while flexibly changing time and politeness.
By paying attention to common errors—such as omitting the movement verb, inserting tense markers before -으러, using it in non-movement contexts, or confusing it with -(으)려고—learners can avoid unnatural sentences. With repeated practice using patterns like 밥을 먹으러 가요, 친구를 만나러 와요, and 한국어를 배우러 다녀요, -으러 can become a natural and accurate part of everyday Korean.
