Meaning and Usage
The adverb '이러다' is used to express a warning or prediction about what will happen if the current situation or behavior continues. It can be translated as "if this keeps up" or "if things go on like this."
Common Contexts
You often hear '이러다' in everyday conversations when someone wants to caution another person about possible negative outcomes. It is frequently followed by verbs indicating consequences, such as '큰일 나다' (to get into big trouble), '떨어지다' (to fail), or '싸우다' (to fight).
Collocations and Patterns
- 이러다 + 큰일 나다: to warn about serious trouble happening if the situation continues.
- 이러다 + (verb) + -겠어요: to predict a likely negative outcome.
- 이러다 + (verb) + 수도 있다: to express possibility of something bad happening.
Register and Politeness
'이러다' is neutral and commonly used in spoken Korean. It fits well in casual and polite speech but is less formal than written or official language.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse '이러다' with '이렇다' (to be like this). Remember, '이러다' is a contraction of '이러면' + '다' and is used conditionally to talk about consequences, not to describe a state.