-어야

See also: 어야

Korean

Alternative forms
  • 여야 (-yeoya) — used after 하다 (hada) verbs and adjectives

Etymology

From Middle Korean 어〮ᅀᅡ〮 (Yale: é-zá), from Old Korean 良沙 (*-a-sa); equivalent to the addition of the particle 야 (-ya) to the infinitive suffix 어 (-eo). Cognate with Jeju 어사 (-eosa) which preserves the original consonant. Compare 어서 (-eoseo).

Pronunciation
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?eoya
Revised Romanization (translit.)?eoya
McCune–Reischauer?ŏya
Yale Romanization?e.ya

Suffix
Ablaut/harmonic pair
Yin-form 어야 (-eoya)
Yang-form 아야 (-aya)

어야 • (-eoya)

  1. only if: a suffix indicating a strong, essential condition which has to be achieved to realize a certain goal.
    Synonyms: 면 (-myeon), 려면 (-ryeomyeon), 거든 (-geodeun)
    물을 많이 마셔야 살을 뺄 수 있어.
    Mur-eul mani masyeoya sar-eul ppael su iss-eo.
    You have to drink a lot of water to be able to lose weight.
    (literally, “You can lose weight only if you drink a lot of water.”)
    그 짓 안 했어야지... 그래야 사람이지!
    Geu jit an haess-eoyaji... geuraeya saram-i-ji!
    He shouldn't have done such a thing... He doesn't even deserve to be called a person otherwise!
    (literally, “He shouldn't have done such a thing... Only if he does so [i.e. he still did what he shouldn't have] is he a human being!”)
  2. no matter: a suffix indicating that an action or a state has no influence over a certain situation, often questioning the extent of it.
    Synonyms: 어도 (-eodo), 더라도 (-deorado), 자 (-ja)
    알겠지만, 예뻐야 얼마나 예쁘겠나?
    al-get-jiman, yeppeoya eolmana yeppeu-gen-na?
    I got that, but granted she is pretty, how pretty can she really be?
    (literally, “I understand that, but no matter if she is pretty, how pretty will she be?”)
    아무리 열심히 연습해 봐야 원어민처럼 말할 수는 없을 거예요.
    Amuri yeolsimhi yeonseuphae bwaya woneomin-cheoreom malhal su-neun eops-eul geo-yeyo.
    No matter how diligently you may practice, you won't be able to speak like a native.

Usage notes
  • For vowel harmony, contractions, and allomorphy, see 아/어/여 (-a/eo/yeo).
  • Since 어야 (-eoya) expresses condition or futility, the past tense marker 었 (-eot-) is not used in the second clause.
  • Similarly to 어서 (-eoseo), 어야 (-eoya) cannot be followed by imperative or propositive clauses.
  • When 어야 (-eoya) expresses condition, it is most likely to be followed by 하다 (hada) or 되다 (doeda) to express obligation or necessity.
  • To intensify the meaning of the condition, 만 (-man) and 지 (-ji) are added to 어야 (-eoya).
  • In the second sense, the suffix is usually accompanied by 아무리 (amuri) or is used in the interrogative construction R어봐야 얼마나 R겠 (R-eo-bwaya eolmana R-get-).

Derived terms
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