Meaning
"How could I"는 영어에서 자신이 어떤 행동을 했는지를 반성하거나 의문을 가질 때 사용하는 표현입니다. 주로 자신이 무언가를 잘못했거나 예상치 못한 행동을 했을 때 그 상황을 되돌아보며 놀라움이나 후회를 표현합니다.
예를 들어, "How could I forget your birthday?"라는 문장은 "내가 어떻게 네 생일을 잊을 수 있었을까?"라는 의미로, 상대방의 생일을 잊은 것에 대한 놀라움과 후회를 담고 있습니다.
이 표현은 감정적으로 강한 어조를 내포하고 있어, 스스로에게 실망하거나 자책하는 상황에서 자주 사용됩니다. "How could I"를 사용할 때는 보통 그 뒤에 동사의 원형이 따라옵니다. 이를 통해 자신이 한 행동에 대해 구체적으로 언급할 수 있습니다.
결과적으로 "How could I"는 자신의 행동을 반성하거나 이해할 수 없다는 감정을 표현하는 데 유용한 영어 표현입니다. 이러한 맥락을 이해하면, 이 표현을 좀 더 자연스럽고 효과적으로 사용할 수 있을 것입니다.
Today's Sentences
- How could I help you?.
- How could I thank you?
- How could I run without you?
- How could I forget your birthday?
- How could I fall out of love with you?
- Writer's Note
01
How could I help you?
Situation 1
How could I help you?
I’m trying to find the offices of Parker and Parker?
They’re located on the 5th floor.
The elevators are to your left.
엘리베이터는 왼쪽에 있습니다.
Thank you so much.
Situation 2
Welcome.
How could I help you?
어떻게 도와드릴까요?
I’m looking for a gift for my dad.
Did you have anything in mind?
I wanted to look at vests, shirts, or accessories.
02
How could I thank you?
Situation 1
Excuse me, did you help my Grandma cross the street yesterday?
I did.
How could I thank you?
You were probably on your way somewhere but took the time to help her across.
아마도 어디론가 가는 길이었을 텐데 그녀를 건너도록 도와주셨네요.
It was no problem, I wanted to help her.
Thank you for reaching out though.
그래도 연락해 주셔서 감사합니다.
Situation 2
I brought over an apple pie to welcome you to our neighborhood.
That’s so sweet of you.
How could I thank you?
어떻게 감사드려야 할까요?
There’s nothing to thank.
Maybe we could have coffee when you’re free.
시간 되실 때 커피 한 잔 할까요?
That would be lovely.
Thanks, again!
다시 한번 감사해요!
03
How could I run without you?
Situation 1
Sorry I can’t work out with you.
That’s okay.
Feel free to go for your morning runs.
How could I run without you?
You’re my favorite running buddy.
너는 내가 가장 좋아하는 달리기 친구야.
Situation 2
I don’t think I can make the marathon this year.
Why not?
How could I run without you?
당신 없이는 어떻게 달릴 수 있을까요?
I’ve got a work trip that I can’t get out of.
You’re my pacemaker and motivator.
But I'll try to get through the marathon the best I can.
하지만 저는 마라톤을 가능한 최선을 다해 완주해 보겠습니다.
04
How could I forget your birthday?
Situation 1
Surprise!
You remembered?
How could I forget your birthday?
I thought everyone forgot this year because no one mentioned anything.
Situation 2
Here, I got you something.
What?
Is this my birthday gift?
이게 내 생일 선물이야?
Of course!
How could I forget your birthday?
네 생일을 어떻게 잊을 수 있겠어?
Well, I never expect anything but thank you for the celebration.
05
How could I fall out of love with you?
Situation 1
Do you think we’ll still be married in 10 years?
What do you mean?
We’re 10 years strong already.
우리는 벌써 10년이나 강하게 이어져 왔습니다.
Well, you never know.
You could meet someone and end up in love.
누군가를 만나 사랑에 빠질 수도 있죠.
How could I fall out of love with you?
Situation 2
Are you still in love with me?
How could I fall out of love with you?
Anything can happen.
There are no guarantees in life.
삶에는 보장이 없습니다.
You’re right.
But I can promise you that I love you as much as I did when we first met.
하지만 처음 만났을 때만큼 당신을 사랑한다는 것을 약속할 수 있어요.
Writer's Note
In the examples above, you can see that the sentences are formed with "How could I" + verb. But we can change the tone and meaning with "How could I have" + past participle. When using this formula it means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it.
- How could I have written this book without you?
- How could I have gotten home without you?
- How could I have lost all this weight without your support?
- How could I have received this award without your guidance?
- How could I have spelled your name incorrectly?
Here's a tip or two about past participles.
- Form past participles of regular verbs. Add "-ed" to the base form of the verb, or "-d" if the verb ends in "e".
For example: call👉called, dance👉danced, watch👉watched. - The past participle and simple past form are the same for regular verbs.
For example: loved👉loved, listened👉listened, played👉played. - Pronunciations can differ for past participles ending in "-ed". The pronunciation depends on the last sound of the verb.
- Use past participles in tenses like present perfect, past perfect, future perfect, and conditional perfect.
Present Perfect👉I have eaten (past participle: eaten)
Past Perfect👉She had finished (past participle: finished)
Future Perfect👉They will have completed (past participle: completed)
Conditional Perfect👉If he had studied harder... (past participle: studied) - Use past participles in the passive voice. Use the conjugated form of the verb "be" with the past participle. Structure would look like this; to be verb (was, were, is, are, etc.) + past participle.
For example: The breaking news has been reported on various channels worldwide. - Use past participles with auxiliary verbs. Precede the past tense verb with an auxiliary verb.
For example: She has finished the dishes.
For example: The kids had eaten before we arrived home.
예를 들어: call👉called, dance👉danced, watch👉watched.
예를 들어: loved👉loved, listened👉listened, played👉played.
현재완료👉I have eaten (과거분사: eaten)
과거완료👉She had finished (과거분사: finished)
미래완료👉They will have completed (과거분사: completed)
조건완료👉If he had studied harder... (과거분사: studied)
예를 들어: 속보가 전 세계의 다양한 채널에서 보도되었습니다.
예를 들어: She has finished the dishes.
예를 들어: The kids had eaten before we arrived home.
