Learning grammar is one of the most difficult things for Korean language learners. On this blog, we will try to help you learn Korean grammar in the quickest and easiest way possible. This blog will be helpful for those who are studying the Korean language and want to improve their grammar skills.
Today, we’ll see how to form sentences with the grammar pattern “Verb + (으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다,” along with some example sentences.
Verb + (으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 is used to express possibility or ability. It is similar to “can” or “cannot” in English.
1. When someone or something is able to do something, or when something is possible, (으)ㄹ 수 있다 is used.
2. When someone or something is not able to do something, or when something is not possible, (으)ㄹ 수 없다 is used.
How to conjugate " Verb + (으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 " grammar pattern?
No. | Pattern | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | V + ㄹ 수 있다/없다 | Used when the verb stem ends with vowel | 가 - 갈수 있다/없다 |
2 | V + 을 수 있다/없다 | Used when the verb stem ends with consonant | 먹다 - 먹을수 있다/없다 |
1) Regarding the ‘V + ㄹ 수 있다/없다’ conjugation information.
Remove ‘다’ from the basic form of the verb. If the verb stem ends with a vowel, add ‘ㄹ 수 있다/없다’ after the stem.
For example, in verbs like 가다, after removing ‘다’, the stem ends with the vowel ‘아’, so you add ‘ㄹ 수 있다/없다’ at the end.
Ex: 가 - 갈 수 있다/없다
2) Regarding the ‘V + 을 수 있다/없다’ conjugation information.
Remove ‘다’ from the basic form of the verb. If the verb stem ends with a consonant, add ‘을 수 있다/없다’ after the stem.
For example, in 먹다, after removing ‘다’, the stem ends with the consonant ‘ㄱ’, so you add ‘을 수 있다/없다’ at the end.
Ex: 먹다 - 먹을 수 있다/없다
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
- 농구 잘 할 수 있어요? -Can you play basketball well?
- 오늘 저녁에 만날 수 있을까요? - Is it possible to meet this evening?
- 한국어 할 수 있어요? - Can you speak Korean?
- 한국 음식이 너무 매워서 잘 먹을 수 없어요. - Korean food is so spicy that I can't eat it well.
- 일이 위험한데 잘 할 수 있어요. - The work is dangerous but I can do it.
- 오늘 바빠서 만나서 커피를 마실 수 없어요. - I'm busy today so I can't meet you for coffee.
Learning Korean can be tricky, especially when the goal of your learning is conversation. If you’ve ever attempted to speak Korean but were unable to, then hopefully you’ll find this post helpful.
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