Korean grammar · Level 5
V-건대 (보건대 · 돌이켜 보건대 · 생각하건대 · 바라건대)
Looking back · As I see it · I hope — opening a formal statement
a speech looks back at the start and hopes at the end. In formal speech and writing Korean opens such sentences with a small, fixed set of verbs + -건대 — 돌이켜 보건대, 생각하건대, 바라건대 — and Hoya's acceptance speech uses two of them.
Example
생각하건대 이번 일은 우리 모두에게 좋은 공부가 되었습니다.
As I see it, this has been a good lesson for all of us.
The full explanation is in the unit · part of the Level 5 Pass, opening soon · Level 5, Unit 12
Practise it in context · Level 5, Unit 12
Award speech (Level 5 review)
The rule with a table, Sori’s tips, practice that checks itself, a review room and a one-page cheat sheet.
See the unit preview →