# -같아선



## wonlon

What does -같아선 mean?

It is from my textbook, but the book explains it too briefly and I also can't find a satisfactory explanation from the web and there is no entry for this structure in my grammar reference books, too.

Some Japanese sources say it means* では* ("~according to")(actually my Japanese is not so good), but the structure of *같아선 *doesn't seem match this.

Would you also explain this structure?
And also briefing translating the "나:" sentences (from my book) with *같아선*? 

**
1.
가: 회사 형편이 어려워서 이번 달에 월급도 못 받았다면서요?
나: 네, 이번 달 *같아선 *다른 직장으로 옮기고 싶어요.

2.
가: 날씨가 더우니까 짜증만 나요.
나: 네, 요즘 *같아선* 시원한 바다로 피서라도 갔으면 좋겠지요?

3. 
가: 집값이 너무 올라서 언제면 집을 살 수 있겠는지 걱정이에요.
나: 지금 *같아선* 집을 살 수 있을 것 같지 않아요.

4.
가: 일단 취직부터 하고 기회가 생기면 유학을 가는 게 어때요?
나: 정말 생각 *같아선* 그리 하고 싶습니다만 기회라는 건 어디 쉽게 얻어지나요?

**

정말 감사합니다!


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## 조금만

We await the native speakers, but I've always taken this just to be 같아서 (i.e. a form of the familiar  같다, to be like, to resemble etc.) plus the (here more or less fossilized) topic marker. But my assumption may be quite wrong.    I can't recall actually encountering it "in the wild" except from in the phrase 마음 같아선, which is an adverbial expression meaning to do something "in the way one thinks best" or "the way that feels right to one personally" or "the way that suits one's inclination", according to context.   More generally, "X 같아선" would mean "In the manner that resembles X", whoever or whatever X may be. But in most of your examples, it looks like to me like just a slightly fancy way of saying "like" or "similar to"


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## Superhero1

Helloo wonlon

Looking at your examples 1,2,3, we can find the similarity among them that there is a noun for time before 같아선.(이번달 this month, 요즘 these days, 지금 now: in English, they are adverbial word but in Korean, they are nouns.)  In this case, it has the meaning of 'if the undesirable circumstances continue', showing one's desire for its not continuing any more, and the following sentence would denote one's desire or the negative situation[consequences]. We can furthermore presume the speaker feels helpless against the given situation. 

In example 4, I think Mr.조금만 explained very well. To directly translate those expression through my clumsy English, I think 'considering only within my mind[thinking], not any circumstances at all' but can't vouch for its suitability in English.


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## wonlon

Thank you 조금만 and Superhero1.
I think I will take this expression as: if it is like X / in a situation like X, (then...).
where the speaker sets up a condition/prerequisite and in the following clause presumes a action that s/he will take.


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