12.8. The wanna Form in -(으)ㄹ래(요)

  1. A. 뭘 마실래요?
    What do you feel like drinking?
    B. 나는 커피를 마실래요.
    I think I’d like a coffee.

A plain processive base followed by -(으)ㄹ래요 means something like I feel like VERBing, I wanna VERB, I’ve a mind to VERB, I prefer to VERB (if I had a choice), I like to VERB, etc.. L-extending bases attach the full ending -ㄹ래요 onto the unextended form, so that we get 안 알래요, I’d rather not know (about it) (base 아- + -ㄹ래요). The pattern expresses a weak intention, inclination, and/or desire, and is used only in first person statements and second-person questions, as in the exchange above. This is a highly colloquial form, though not quite as informal as English wanna (we have glossed the pattern this way because, like English wanna, the Korean form is a contraction in origin. See lesson 21.)

  1. A. 뭐 마실래요?
    What do you feel like drinking?
    B. 나는 커피를 마실래요.
    I think I’d like a coffee.
  2. A. 춤을 출래요?
    Would you like to dance?
    B. 아니오, 춤을 추지 못해요.
    No, I can’t dance.

In general, the form in -(으)ㄹ래요 has the force of a gentle suggestion, and implies a choice. You should use this form rather than -고 싶어요 in questions, since the latter forces the other person into a yes-or-no answer.

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