If you are studying Korean ability grammar, this lesson is the one to keep. You will learn how -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / 줄 알다 works in real conversation, when to use it, and the mistakes English speakers make first. This is a Korean intermediate grammar guide with examples, romanization, and a five-minute speaking drill.
By the end you should be able to hear -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / 줄 알다 in dramas and K-talk, then reuse it in your own sentences. Read once. Say the examples out loud. Then drill the same lines on Practice.
What -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / 줄 알다 means
-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 is possibility or ability: I can, it’s possible. -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 is know-how: I know how to. English “can” hides the difference. Intermediate Korean should not.
How to form it
- Possible/able: stem + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다
- Know how: stem + -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다
- Can’t (failure in the moment): 못 + verb
- Permission is 어도 되다, not 수 있다
-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / 줄 알다 examples
Use these Korean ability grammar example sentences as a speaking list. Korean first, then pronunciation, then English.
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 한글로 이메일을 쓸 수 있어요. | hangeullo imeireul sseul su isseoyo. | I can write an email in Hangul. |
| 수영할 줄 알아요. | suyeonghal jul arayo. | I know how to swim. |
| 오늘은 시간이 없어서 갈 수 없어요. | oneureun sigani eopseoseo gal su eopseoyo. | I can’t go today because I don’t have time. |
| 젓가락 쓸 줄 몰라요. | jeotgarak sseul jul mollayo. | I don’t know how to use chopsticks. |
| 길이 막혀서 제시간에 못 갔어요. | giri makhyeoseo jesigane mot gasseoyo. | I couldn’t get there on time because of traffic. |
| 여기서 카드 쓸 수 있어요? | yeogiseo kadeu sseul su isseoyo? | Can I use a card here? |
When to use it
- Skills: 줄 알다.
- Possibility, availability, or allowed-by-circumstance: 수 있다.
- A specific failed attempt: 못.
Common mistakes
These are the traps English speakers hit when they translate word-for-word. Fix the pattern, not just the vocabulary.
Watch-out
❌ 수영할 수 있어요 when you mean know-how
✅ 수영할 줄 알아요
수 있다 can also mean “it’s possible for me today.” 줄 알다 is the skill.
Watch-out
❌ 수 있어요? for “may I?”
✅ 해도 돼요?
Permission is 어도 되다. 수 있다 is ability/possibility.
Watch-out
❌ 줄 수 있다 mashup
✅ Pick one pattern
쓸 수 있어요 or 쓸 줄 알아요, not 줄 수.
Mini dialogue
Read it twice. Second time, cover the English.
| Speaker | Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 운전할 줄 알아요? | unjeonhal jul arayo? | Do you know how to drive? |
| B | 네, 할 줄 알아요. 그런데 한국에서는 아직 할 수 없어요. 면허가 없거든요. | ne, hal jul arayo. geureonde hangugeseoneun ajik hal su eopseoyo. myeonheoga eopgeodeunyo. | Yes, I know how. But I can’t in Korea yet — I don’t have a license. |
| A | 아, 그렇군요. | a, geureokunnyo. | Ah, I see. |
Don’t mix these up
수 없다 is a cold impossibility. 못 is a failed try or lack in that situation. 줄을 몰라요 is missing the skill.
Five-minute Korean speaking practice
Korean speaking practice beats extra grammar notes. Do this once today, then again tomorrow without looking.
- Read each example slowly, Korean only.
- Say it at natural speed. Record yourself if you can.
- Cover the Korean and rebuild the sentence from English.
- Swap in your own details: your job, your city, your weekend.
Starter lines for today:
- 김치 만들 줄 알아요?
- 오늘 밤에는 만날 수 없어요.
- 발음이 어려워서 잘 못 하겠어요.
Lesson summary
- Pattern: -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 / 줄 알다
- Search topic: Korean ability grammar
- 수 있다 = can/possible. 줄 알다 = know how. 못 = didn’t manage to.
- Say it out loud on Practice, then come back to Guides if a particle still feels sticky.
Homework
- List four skills with 줄 알다/모르다.
- List four schedule limits with 수 있다/없다.
- Write one 못 sentence about yesterday.
Korean ability grammar: quick answers
할 수 있을 것 같아요?
That’s a hedge: I think I might be able to. Very intermediate, very useful.
Honorific ability?
하실 수 있으세요 is extra polite. 가능하세요 is common in service talk.
Keep going
Want a path, not a single grammar point? Open Learn or browse the rest of this series in Korean intermediate.