Meaning and Usage
The adverb '저러다' is used to indicate that if someone continues to act or behave in a certain way (usually negatively), a certain consequence will likely happen. It often implies a warning or prediction about a bad outcome.
Common Contexts
You will frequently hear '저러다' in everyday conversations when someone wants to caution another person about their behavior or actions. It is often followed by verbs indicating results or consequences, such as '큰일 나다' (to get into big trouble), '다치다' (to get hurt), or '늦다' (to be late).
Collocations and Patterns
- 저러다 + 큰일 나다: to warn that continuing such behavior will cause serious trouble.
- 저러다 + 다치다: to caution about potential injury.
- 저러다 + 늦다: to predict being late if the behavior continues.
Register and Politeness
'저러다' is neutral and commonly used in spoken Korean. It is informal but polite enough for everyday conversation. It is not used in very formal writing.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse '저러다' with simply '저렇다' (to be like that). Remember, '저러다' implies a conditional or consequential meaning: "If you do that..." rather than just describing a state.