Sunday, May 30, 2021

Does 어떨 것 같아 translate as "How do you feel?"

ANSWER: No, a better translation would be "How would you feel if  . . .?"

The following song by the Korean singer (or group) 헤일 (HAIL) is entitled "어떨 것 같아" with the translation "How do you feel?" written in parentheses. But the ㄹ in 어떨 indicates future tense or possibility, so 어떨 것 같아 would be better translated as "How would you feel" instead of as "How do you feel." Here is the phrase in context:
어떨 것 같아 내가 널 좋아하고 싶다고 말하면 좋아해도 된다고 말할 수 있겠어?

How would you feel if I said, "I want to like you?" Would you be able to say, "It would be okay if you liked me?" 

So, instead of just saying, "I like you" (널 좋아한다), as American girls would normally say, this Korean girl is thinking about saying, "I want to like you" (널 좋아하고 싶다), which means she would essentially be asking permission to like the guy. Do Korean girls really need permission to like someone? No, but it sounds more submissive if they ask permission, I guess, which is a tactic that seems to work pretty well in Korea. In other words, the girl is thinking about asking the guy, "How would you feel if I said, 'I liked you?'"

 

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