A/V ~(으)ㄹ지도 모르다 [ Korean Grammar ]

Today we'll be looking at the usage of " A/V ~(으)ㄹ 지도 모르다 " Korean grammar point with some example sentences.

Usage:

This pattern is equivalent to “may; might; perhaps; maybe; possibly etc.”

This grammar pattern is used when there is a doubt and something isn’t known for sure. It expresses a guess that something might happen or is likely to happen. 

The basic conjugation rules are :

Adjective/Verb + (을)지도 모르다

When the stem ends with a patchim then -(을)지도 모르다 is added in the end. 

Eg: 먹다 → 먹을지도 모르다.

Adjective/Verb + ㄹ 지도 모르다

When the stem ends with a vowel then -ㄹ 지도 모르다 is added in the end. 

Eg: 가다 → 갈지도 모르다.

Lets see some example sentences :

• He might come again.
  그 사람이 다시 올지도 몰라요.
• Watch out. It may be hot.
  조심해. 뜨거울지도 몰라요.
• These clothes might be small to my brother.
  이 옷이 내 동생에게는 좀 작을지도 모르겠어요.
• He may possibly recover.
  그는 회복할지도 모른다.
•  I´m afraid not.
  그렇지 않을지도 모른다.
•  It may be true for aught I know.
  어쩌면 사실일지도 모른다.
• He is right, I dare say.
  그가 옳을지도 모른다.
• They´ll be here at any moment, so you'd better hurry.
  그들이 언제 올지도 모르니 서둘러라.
•  War becomes a probability.
  쟁이 일어날지도 모른다.

NOTE:

When you want to use this grammar in past tense (like 'may have/might have been'), it is incorrect to change 모르다 to 몰랐다 in the past tense form. The correct way to use is:

Adjective/Verb + -(으)ㄹ 지도 모르다 (Present tense) / -았/었을지도 모르다 (Past tense)

For Example:-

오다-

올지도 모르다 (Present tense) / 왔을지도 모르다 (Past tense).

있다-

있을지도 모르다 (Present tense) / 있었을지도 모르다(Past tense).

돌아가다-

돌아갈도지 모르다 (Present tense) / 돌아갔을지도 모르다(Past tense).

*듣다-

들을지도 모르다 (Present tense) / 들었을지도 모르다 (Past tense).

*열다-

열지도 모르다 (Present tense) / 열었을지도 모르다(Past tense).

떨어지다-

떨어질지도 모르다 (Present tense) / 떨어졌을지도 모르다(Past tense).

Some Example Sentences in Past Tense:

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1. TOPIK – The Complete Guide & 2. TOPIK Levels and Passing Marks. You can also Practice Online with TOPIK GUIDE Mock Tests.

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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.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or suggestions. Comment down below.