-기를 바라다 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -기를 바라다 to any verb or adjective stem and say the polite and formal forms.
• Wish someone health, happiness or success in natural Korean.
• Read and write the notice style -시기 바랍니다.
• Choose between -기를 바라다, -고 싶다 and -았/었으면 좋겠다.
• Spell 바라요 correctly and avoid the 바래요 mistake.

Before you start: you should know how to find a stem (drop 다 from the dictionary form) and the honorific -(으)시-, because wishes for another person almost always use it. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -기를 바라다 Grammar Mean?

-기를 바라다 grammar means "hope that" or "wish that." It builds a small noun phrase and makes it the object of the verb 바라다 ("to hope, to wish"). The first part names the thing you hope for, and 바라다 says that you hope for it. The result is one idea: a hope about a state or an event, usually for someone else's good.

Here are the first two examples. The pattern is the same in both, and only the stem changes.

• 행복하시기를 바랍니다. (haengbokasigireul baramnida.) [행보카시기를 바람니다] = "I hope you are happy."
• 시험에 합격하기를 바라요. (siheome hapgyeokagireul barayo.) [시허메 합껴카기를 바라요] = "I hope you pass the exam."

In 합격하기를 바라요, 합격하 is the stem of 합격하다 (to pass), 기 turns the stem into a noun ("passing"), 를 is the object particle, and 바라요 is the polite form of 바라다. Grammar books call 기 a nominalizer (명사형 어미), which means it makes a clause work like a noun. That detail explains two later rules: the pattern works with verbs and adjectives, and the particle 를 can be dropped in notices. Next comes the mechanism that builds the pattern.

How Do You Form -기를 바라다?

-기를 바라다 is formed by dropping 다 from the dictionary form and adding -기를 바라다. Nothing else changes. The same rule works for vowel stems, consonant stems and irregular stems, because 기 starts with a consonant and never triggers a stem change.

The table shows one rule applied to six words. The next three parts look at the groups of stems one at a time.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

A vowel stem takes -기를 바라다 directly. 가다 becomes 가기를 바라다, 자라다 becomes 자라기를 바라다, and 건강하다 becomes 건강하기를 바라다. Examples:

• 새해에 건강하시기를 바랍니다. (saehae geonganghasigireul baramnida.) [새해에 건강하시기를 바람니다] = "I hope you are healthy in the new year."
• 아이들이 건강하게 자라기를 바랍니다. (aideuri geonganghage jaragireul baramnida.) [아이드리 건강하게 자라기를 바람니다] = "I hope the children grow up healthy."

Vowel stems are the simplest case. A stem with a final consonant looks different on the page but follows the same rule.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

A consonant stem also takes -기를 바라다 directly, with no linking vowel. Compare this with endings such as -으세요, which need 으 after a consonant. For -기를, 먹다 becomes 먹기를 바라다, and 읽다 becomes 읽기를 바라다.

The spelling stays 먹기 and 읽기, but the sound changes: after a final ㄱ, ㅂ or ㄷ sound, the ㄱ of 기 is pronounced tense, so you hear [먹끼를], [일끼를], [돕끼를] and [듣끼를]. In 읽기를, the ㄺ cluster is pronounced [ㄹ] before ㄱ, which is why it is [일끼를]. This follows the standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원 (National Institute of Korean Language). Write the plain spelling and say the tense sound. Revised Romanization does not show this kind of tensing, so 먹기를 is meokgireul.

• 늦지 않기를 바랍니다. (neutji ankireul baramnida.) [늗찌 안키를 바람니다] = "I hope you will not be late."

The negative -지 않기를 shows two sound changes: the ㅈ of 지 is tense after 늦, whose final ㅈ is pronounced [ㄷ], and the ㅎ of 않 joins the ㄱ of 기 to make [ㅋ]. 않기를 is pronounced [안키를].

Two more groups need a short note, because learners expect trouble with them.

Do Irregular Verbs and Nouns Change?

Irregular stems do not change before -기를. ㄷ-, ㅂ- and 르-irregular stems change only before an ending that starts with a vowel, and ㄹ-stems lose ㄹ only before ㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ. The syllable 기 starts with a consonant, so the dictionary stem stays whole:

• ㄷ-irregular: 듣다 stays 듣기를 바라다 (not 들기를).
• ㅂ-irregular: 돕다 stays 돕기를 바라다, and 춥다 stays 춥기를 바라다.
• ㄹ-stems: 살다 stays 살기를 바라다, and 만들다 stays 만들기를 바라다.
• 르-verbs: 모르다 stays 모르기를 바라다.

Nouns do not take -기를 바라다. When you hope for a thing, put the noun straight in front of 바라다 with 을/를: 평화를 바랍니다 ("I hope for peace"). Adjectives do take the pattern, unlike -고 싶다, which makes -기를 바라다 handy for wishes about states: 건강하기를 바라요 ("I hope you are healthy"). With the formation clear, one full sentence can be built step by step.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -기를 바라다

-기를 바라다 grammar works by turning a wish about a state into a sentence. Follow the steps with the idea "The children grow up healthy."

1. Start with the plain sentence. 아이들이 건강하게 자라요. (aideuri geonganghage jarayo.) = "The children grow up healthy." The verb is 자라요.
2. Find the dictionary form. 자라요 comes from 자라다 (to grow up). The stem is 자라.
3. Add -기를 바라다 to the stem. 자라 + 기를 바라다 = 자라기를 바라다.
4. Choose the style. For a public message or a letter, use the formal ending: 바랍니다. For a friend, use 바라요.
5. Rebuild the sentence. Keep everything before the verb: 아이들이 건강하게 자라기를 바랍니다. (aideuri geonganghage jaragireul baramnida.) [아이드리 건강하게 자라기를 바람니다] = "I hope the children grow up healthy."

You will know it worked when the subject and the adverb stay in place and only the last words changed, from 자라요 to 자라기를 바랍니다. The most common slip at this step is to add 기를 to the polite form (자라요기를 바랍니다). Always work from the stem. The sentence is now a hope, but a hope can appear in several styles and tenses, and each has limits.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -기를 바라다?

-기를 바라다 works in the present and past, in statements, and in formal or polite styles. The change always happens on 바라다, the last word. The table shows the forms for 행복하다.

The past form puts the tense on 바라다 and describes a hope you held earlier. 그때 저는 그가 돌아오기를 바랐어요 (geuttae jeoneun geuga doraogireul barasseoyo.) [그때 저는 그가 도라오기를 바라써요] = "At that time I hoped he would come back."

The clause before 기를 normally keeps its plain stem, because the hope looks toward the future. If the hope is about something that may already have happened, a past marker inside the clause can appear (도착했기를 바랍니다, "I hope that he has arrived"), but this is a smaller point that you can leave for later.

Questions with this pattern are rare, because a hope is a personal feeling. Commands are not possible either. A negative wish puts -지 않기를 before 바라다, as in 늦지 않기를 바랍니다. The most useful contrast for a learner is the neighbouring pattern that speakers use for everyday wishes.

How Is -기를 바라다 Different from -았/었으면 좋겠다?

-기를 바라다 is a formal hope, often for another person, while -았/었으면 좋겠다 is the everyday way to say "I wish" or "I hope." Both express a hope about a situation that has not happened yet. The difference is mostly register and who benefits. The full rules for the second pattern are on the page for -았/었으면 좋겠다.

Notice that the past ending in -았/었으면 좋겠다 shows the wish, not a past event: 그쳤으면 좋겠어요 is about a rain that has not stopped yet. A second neighbour is -고 싶다, which expresses your own wish to do something: 저는 쉬고 싶어요 ("I want to rest"). If you say 저는 쉬기를 바라요, a listener will understand, but the sentence sounds stiff, as if you were reading a statement aloud. Use -기를 바라다 when the wish goes outward to someone or something else. These contrasts lead to the smaller variations of the pattern itself.

Variations and Edge Cases of -기를 바라다

-기를 바라다 has four common variations: a notice style that drops the particle, a short form for messages, an honorific greeting and a noun form. Each one is short, and each appears in real life.

• Dropping 를 in notices. Public signs and announcements often say -기 바랍니다 without 를: 협조해 주시기 바랍니다. (hyeopjohae jusigi baramnida.) [협쪼해 주시기 바람니다] = "We ask for your cooperation." Here the pattern works as a polite, official request. The listener is expected to act, so the sentence is closer to "please" than to "I hope."
• The short form -길. In messages and speech, 기를 shrinks to 길: 오래오래 행복하길 바라요. (oraeorae haengbokagil barayo.) [오래오래 행보카길 바라요] = "I hope you are happy for a long, long time." This shape is natural in texts and cards, and it also appears as 잘 지내길 바라요 ("I hope you are doing well").
• Greetings with -시-. For an older or respected person, add the honorific -(으)시- before 기: 건강하시기를 바랍니다. See honorific -(으)시- for the rule.
• The noun 바람. The noun form of 바라다 is 바람 ("a wish, a hope"): 제 바람은 건강입니다 ("My wish is good health"). Note that 바람 also means "wind", and context tells you which one is meant.

This lesson covers the common blessing, letter and notice uses, not the full range of Korean hope expressions. Wishes that are your own desires belong to different patterns. The mistakes below show where the boundary with those patterns causes real errors.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -기를 바라다?

Learners most often get the spelling, the subject or the register wrong. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Spelling 바라요 as 바래요. The verb is 바라다, a regular verb. Adding the polite ending to 바라 gives 바라요, because the two ㅏ sounds merge. 바래요 is a common misspelling that comes from speech. A different word, 바래다, means "to fade" (색이 바래다) or, in 바래다주다, "to see someone off", so mixing them can change the meaning.
2. Using it for your own small wish. 저는 커피를 마시기를 바라요 is understandable but strange. Say 커피를 마시고 싶어요 or 커피를 마셨으면 좋겠어요.
3. Attaching it to the dictionary form. 합격하다를 바라요 is wrong. A noun can go straight before 바라다, as in 합격을 바라요 ("I hope for success"). Use the stem and 기를: 합격하기를 바라요.
4. Sounding like an order. In a notice, 주의하시기 바랍니다 is a firm official request. To a friend or a colleague, the same sentence feels cold. In personal talk, use 주의하세요 or 조심해 주세요.

A quick check for any wish sentence: Is the wish for someone else, or for a state of the world? Is the word before 기 a stem, not a full form? Is the ending spelled 바라요 or 바랍니다? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set below tests these points directly.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Choose the form. Complete the greeting to a teacher: 선생님, 항상 건강하시기를 ___. (바랍니다 / 바랍니까)
2. Fix the error. A learner writes 합격하기를 바래요 in a card. Correct it.
3. Translate. "I hope you are not late." Use 늦다 and the formal style.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence wishing a friend something good, using -기를 바라요 or the short form -길 바라요. Then write it for a respected person in the formal style.

Answer key

1. 바랍니다. The sentence is a formal greeting to a teacher, so 바랍니다 is right: 선생님, 항상 건강하시기를 바랍니다. 바랍니까 would turn it into a question.
2. 합격하기를 바라요. The verb is 바라다, so the polite form is 바라요, not 바래요.
3. 늦지 않기를 바랍니다. (neutji ankireul baramnida.) [늗찌 안키를 바람니다] = "I hope you will not be late." The negative -지 않기를 sits before 바랍니다.
4. Answers vary. Check that the stem comes before 기를 and the verb is spelled 바라요 or 바랍니다. An example: 시험을 잘 보길 바라요 → 시험을 잘 보시기를 바랍니다. (I hope you do well on the exam.)

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can use the pattern in conversation. Next, the lesson hands off to related patterns.

What Should You Learn Next after -기를 바라다 Grammar?

After -기를 바라다 grammar, learn the everyday way to express wishes, then compare. This lesson teaches the formal hope for others and does not cover your own wishes, first-person desires or polite requests in depth. Those live on their own pages.

1. Start with -았/었으면 좋겠다, which expresses an everyday "I wish" or "I hope that."
2. Return to Desire and Wishes to see every lesson in this set, including the patterns for wanting to do something yourself.
3. Visit the Intermediate Grammar list for other B1 patterns.

With these steps, -기를 바라다 becomes automatic: take the stem, add 기를 바랍니다, and keep the wish aimed at someone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -기를 바라다 mean?

-기를 바라다 means "hope that" or "wish that." 시험에 합격하기를 바라요 means "I hope you pass the exam." The pattern states a hope about a state or an event, and it is usually used for another person's benefit. It sounds warm in blessings and formal in letters and notices.

How do I attach -기를 바라다 to a verb or adjective?

Drop 다 from the dictionary form and add -기를 바라다. Verbs and adjectives both work: 합격하다 becomes 합격하기를 바라다, and 행복하다 becomes 행복하기를 바라다. Because 기 begins with a consonant, no stem changes happen, and ㄹ-stems and irregular stems stay whole.

Can -기를 바라다 be used in the past tense?

Yes, on 바라다. 그가 돌아오기를 바랐어요 means "I hoped he would come back." The past tense here describes a hope you held earlier. For a hope you hold now, keep the present: 바라요 or 바랍니다. The clause before 기를 normally stays in its plain stem.

Is -기를 바라다 used in speech or only in writing?

Both, but it leans formal. In letters, speeches, greetings and public notices, 바랍니다 is common. In daily talk people say 바라요 or the short 길 바라요, as in 행복하길 바라요. Friends often choose -았/었으면 좋겠다 instead, because it sounds more natural for personal wishes.

What is the most common mistake with -기를 바라다?

The most common mistake is spelling 바라요 as 바래요. The verb is 바라다, so the polite form is 바라요 and the formal form is 바랍니다. A second slip is using the pattern for your own simple wish, such as 저는 가기를 바라요, where 가고 싶어요 is far more natural.

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