I don’t think my boss thought that in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

The sentence is built as follows:

• “내 상사” – “my boss.” “내” means “my” and “상사” means “boss.” The subject marker “가” is attached (상사가).

• “그렇게” – means “that way” or “so.” It describes the manner in which something was thought.

• “생각했을 리” – comes from the verb “생각하다” (“to think”) in its modified (relative clause) form “생각했을,” which is used to modify “리.” The suffix “리” is added after a verb to express that something is logically impossible or extremely unlikely. So “생각했을 리” implies “the possibility (or chance) of having thought that.”

• “없다고” – means “that there is no” or “does not exist.” This negative part is connected to the previous clause to state that such a possibility does not exist.

• “생각해” – means “I think.” It is the main verb of the sentence reporting the speaker’s opinion.

Tip to remember:
• When you see “리” after a verb in Korean, remember it’s used to express that something is highly unlikely or impossible (often combined with “없다”). A useful example is “그가 올 리가 없어” meaning “There's no way he will come.”
• Break complex sentences into segments (subject, condition, possibility, main verb) to understand the full meaning.

Alternate ways to say “I don't think my boss thought that”:
• 내 상사가 그렇게 생각했을 리 없다고 봐.
  (Romanized: Nae sangsaga geureoke saenggakhaesseul ri eopdago bwa.)
• 내 상사가 그렇게 생각한 적이 없다고 생각해.
  (Romanized: Nae sangsaga geureoke saenggakan jeogi eopdago saenggakhae.)
• 내 상사가 그런 생각을 했을 리가 없다고 봐.
  (Romanized: Nae sangsaga geureon saenggageul haesseul ri-ga eopdago bwa.)

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