Learn Korean: Verb + 래

Let's take a look at the Korean sentence pattern Verb + 래. This is a reporting statement that involves requests or commands. It happens when Person A has got something to say to Person B, but for some reasons, A has got to ask Person C to relay the message to B. For example, I woke up to the smell of fried eggs. My mom was setting the table. She told me to tell my sleeping brother to eat breakfast. That was the command; to eat breakfast. I went to my brother’s room and relayed the message. The main verb is 아침을 먹다 (to eat breakfast). We take the verb stem (먹) and attach 으래 because it ends in a consonant. Otherwise, use 래. The actual sentence is 아침을 먹으래. In polite speech, we add 요 at the end.

연주가 오늘 7시 30분까지 오래.

Yeonju said you come at 7:30.

자료 이메일로 보내래.

(Our boss) said you send the date by email.

사진을 오늘 꼭 올리래.

(He) said you should upload the photo today.