-도록
so that; to the point of
States the aim or the limit of an action. Unlike -(으)려고, the two clauses may have different subjects — which is what makes it so useful.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Attach -도록 to any stem — no vowel rule, ㄹ stays, no tense in front.
The main use is purpose: 늦지 않도록 일찍 출발하세요. Crucially, the person achieving the aim need not be the one acting: 아이들이 잘 볼 수 있도록 크게 썼어요. With -(으)려고 that sentence would be impossible.
A second use marks an extent or limit, closer to “until”: 밤이 새도록 이야기했어요 (we talked until dawn), 목이 아프도록 노래했어요.
Attached to 하다 it forms -도록 하다, a soft instruction common in workplaces and notices: 다음부터는 늦지 않도록 하세요. It is gentler than a bare imperative because it names the goal rather than the order.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Any verb or adjective | -도록 | 않다 → 늦지 않도록 |
| ㄹ stems keep the ㄹ | -도록 | 만들다 → 만들도록 |
| Different subjects | allowed | 아이들이 보도록 크게 썼어요 |
| Extent, until | -도록 | 밤이 새도록 |
| Soft instruction | -도록 하다 | 늦지 않도록 하세요 |
| Never takes tense | plain stem only | 갔도록 is wrong |
In use
늦지 않도록 일찍 출발하세요.
Set off early so you won’t be late.
아이들이 잘 볼 수 있도록 크게 썼어요.
I wrote it large so the children could see it clearly.
감기에 걸리지 않도록 옷을 따뜻하게 입으세요.
Dress warmly so you don’t catch a cold.
밤이 새도록 이야기를 나눴어요.
We talked until dawn.
약속을 잊지 않도록 달력에 표시해 두었어요.
I marked it on the calendar so that I would not forget the appointment.
음식이 상하지 않도록 냉장고에 넣어 주세요.
Put it in the fridge so the food doesn’t spoil.
Compared with
-(으)려고
-(으)려고 needs one subject and expresses your own intention; -도록 allows two and states a goal that may concern someone else.
사려고 돈을 모아요. (I save so I can buy) / 아이가 사도록 돈을 줬어요. (I gave money so the child could buy it)
-게 하다
-게 하다 makes someone do something; -도록 하다 asks them to see to it. The second is markedly softer and common in polite instructions.
일찍 오게 했어요. (I made them come early) / 일찍 오도록 하세요. (please see that you come early)
-기 위해서
Also states purpose, and also allows an abstract goal. -도록 is more natural when the aim is that some condition should or should not come about.
건강을 지키기 위해서 운동해요. / 병에 걸리지 않도록 운동해요.
Watch out
아이들이 잘 보려고 크게 썼어요.
아이들이 잘 보도록 크게 썼어요.
-(으)려고 requires the same subject in both clauses. Here the children see and you write, so -도록 is the only option.
감기에 걸리지 않았도록 조심하세요.
감기에 걸리지 않도록 조심하세요.
-도록 never carries tense. The goal lies ahead, so the plain stem is all that is needed.
저녁을 만들도록 하세요. — meaning “I made her cook”
저녁을 만들게 했어요.
-도록 하다 is an instruction to the listener. To report that you made someone do something, use -게 하다.
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