Example Sentences#

1. 다들 힘들게 사는데, 서로 도와주고 이해하면서 조금씩 변해가는 게 너무 좋았어.¹
   While everyone lives with difficulty, I really liked how they help each other, understand each other, and gradually change.
   • 도와주다 means ‘to help’ or ‘to assist’. It is formed by combining 돕다 (to help) with the pattern -아 주다, where 주다 (to give) is used as an auxiliary verb to indicate that the action is done for someone else’s benefit.
   • 고 is a connective ending used to link two actions or states, meaning ‘and’.
2. 여자는 스님들에게 강을 건너는 것을 도와달라고 부탁했다.²
   The woman asked the monks to help her cross the river.
   • 도와달다 is a compound verb formed from 돕다 (to help) and 달다 (to ask for), meaning ‘to request help’.
   • (으)라고 is a quotative marker used in imperative sentences, indicating that the phrase is being quoted or reported.
   • When quoting an imperative sentence where the original speaker is asking for the action to be done for themselves, -아 달라고 is used instead of -아 주라고 (used when the action is done for someone else). This distinction removes ambiguity. For example, 도와주라고 would have meant the woman asked someone to help the monks cross the river.
3. 그때 나이 든 스님은 아무 말 없이 여자를 들어 강을 건너게 도와주고, 다른 쪽에 내려놓은 후 다시 길을 떠났다.²
   At that moment, the old monk picked up the woman without a word, helped her cross the river, set her down on the other side, and resumed the journey.
   • 도와주다 means ‘to help’ or ‘to assist’. It is formed by combining 돕다 (to help) with the pattern -아 주다, where 주다 (to give) is used as an auxiliary verb to indicate that the action is done for someone else’s benefit.
   • When combined with -게, it forms 건너게 도와주다, which translates to ‘help (someone) to cross’.
   • -고 is a connective ending used to link two actions or states, meaning ‘and’, or to join the main verb to auxiliary verbs.