Cours de coréen ᚛ Level 2 - Korean for Beginners #1 (Lessons 31 to 60) ᚛ Leçon 34 - Can in Korean, To be able to / Cannot, Not to be able to [-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / -(으)ㄹ 수 없다] [못]
Can in Korean, To be able to / Cannot, Not to be able to [-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / -(으)ㄹ 수 없다] [못]
Can do something, to be able to do something
In Korean, to indicate the ability or possibility of doing something, we can go by the following form:
[Modifier -(으)ㄹ] 수 있다
- 하다 (= to do) → 할 수 있다 (= can do / to be able to do / to have the ability to do)
- 먹다 (= to eat) → 먹을 수 있다 (= can eat / to be able to eat / to have the ability to eat)
- 오다 (= to come) → 올 수 있다 (= can come / to be able to come / to have the ability to come)
Reminder: the modifier -(으)ㄹ
수 있다 is used to indicate the ability to perform an action. The verb 있다 can then be conjugated in all the tenses seen so far.
신문을 읽을 수 있어요.
→ I can read the newspaper.
그 편지를 받을 수 있었어요.
→ I could receive this letter.
매운 음식을 먹을 수 있어요.
→ I can eat spicy food.
그 아기는 이제 걸을 수 있습니다.
→ This baby can walk now.
저 아이는 스스로 신발을 신을 수 있어요.
→ This child can put on his shoes by himself.
Cannot, not to be able to - 수
As we saw in the lesson on negation in Korean, the opposite verb to 있다 is 없다. As a result, it is possible to indicate the inability or impossibility of performing an action in the following way:
[Modifier -(으)ㄹ] 수 없다
수 없다 is used to indicate the inability to perform an action. The verb 없다 can then be conjugated in any tense seen so far.*
아직 시작할 수 없어요.
→ I can’t start yet.
그 비밀을 말할 수 없었어.
→ I couldn’t tell this secret.
야채를 작게 썰 수 없어요.
→ I can’t cut the vegetables into small pieces.
Cannot, not to be able to - 못
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Differences between 수 and 못
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Summary table of structure
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Exercises
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