KoreaTOPIKCenter
Lv 6Grammar expressionAdvanced · TOPIK II

-으래서야

-euraeseoya

if that's all it takes to tell someone to...

Attaches to verb stems to convey a command or request that was made, and to question it or judge it negatively — implying 'if you're just going to tell someone to do X, how can that be right?'.

Form

Attaches to
Verb, Adjective, Auxiliary
Other shapes
-래서야

Meanings

  1. 1

    An expression used to convey an order and to question or make a negative judgment on it.

    명령의 내용을 전달하면서 그 내용에 대해 의문을 제기하거나 부정적으로 판단함을 나타내는 표현.

    ※ ‘-으라고 해서야’가 줄어든 말이다.

Examples

  • 같은 팀의 일인데 자기 일이 아니래서야 되겠습니까?

    It's the whole team's work — how can you say it's not your problem?

  • 아기가 있는 집이래서야 밤이고 낮이고 시끄러워도 된답니까? 주변을 배려해야지요.

    Just because there's a baby in the house, does that mean it's fine to be loud day and night? You should be considerate of your neighbors.

  • 매일 먹는 음식이 라면이래서야 건강을 어떻게 유지하겠어요?

    If ramyeon is what you eat every single day, how are you supposed to stay healthy?

  • 청소년을 아기래서야 독립적으로 성장할 수 있겠어요? 제 눈에는 마냥 아기 같아서요.

    If you keep treating teenagers like babies, how can they grow up to be independent? To me they still just seem like babies.

  • 하기 싫은 일을 억지로 하래서야 잘할 수 있겠어?

    If you force someone to do something they don't want to do, how can you expect them to do it well?

  • 멀리 있는 사람더러 지금 당장 오래서야 갈 수 있겠니.

    How can someone who's far away possibly come right this instant just because you tell them to?

Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.

Quick check

  1. 1. What does ‘-으래서야’ mean?

  2. 2. Which form means “if that's all it takes to tell someone to...”?