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안녕하세요? Welcome back! Are you ready for the next Korean lesson with "My Korean Lesson?" 😊 As always, I'll try to help you understand this grammar!
How can we ask a listener to do something together? Let's learn the Korean suggestion ending and conjugation rules. I'll also provide you with a comparison with a similar rule.
<Table of Contents>
0. Words
Here are some important words that you need in this 을까요 Korean grammar lesson.
몇 시 What time
사다 to buy
만나다 to meet
전화하다 to make the phone call
주다 to give
드리다 (honorific version) to give
같이 [ga-chi] together → Watch out for the pronunciation! Even though we write it as 같이, we read it as [가치] not [가티].
함께 together
1. Korean Suggestion Ending: V(으)ㄹ까요?
"(으)ㄹ까요?" is an ending that you can use to ask a listener to do something together. It is only used as a question. So please always attach the question mark at the end.
몇 시에 만날까요? What time shall we meet?
저기에 갈까요? Shall we go over there?
There is actually another meaning for this (으)ㄹ까요. By using this ending, you can also ask the listener's opinion or idea. You will learn these details more in the future. Let's focus on the "suggest" meaning today!
Since "을까요?" is to suggest doing something together, "우리 we" can be used as a subject. But it is often omitted since it is already implied in the ending.
우리 몇 시에 만날까요? What time shall we meet? =몇 시에 만날까요? What time shall we meet?
Even though the subject "우리" can be easily omitted, the adverb 같이 or 함께 are commonly used with this ending! They both mean "together". They are used to emphasize the meaning. Without those adverbs, you can still deliver the same meaning.
같이 갈까요? = 함께 갈까요? = 갈까요? Shall we go (together)?
2. Conjugation Rules
"(으)ㄹ까요?" has two conjugate forms, "을까요?" and "ㄹ까요?" The final consonant (받침 [bat-chim]) of a stem will decide which one to use! When you use this ending to suggest, you can attach it only to a verb stem. I'll show you examples! You can download the free printable worksheet and follow my lesson here.
A. Regular Rules
1) 받침 O: Add "을까요?"
When the stem has 받침, add "을까요?" to it.
먹다 to eat → 먹 → It has the final consonant ㄱ. → Add 을까요? → 먹을까요? Shall we eat?
↪ Depending on the context, the meaning of this "(으)ㄹ까요?" sentence can have lots of different meanings. "Shall we eat?" or "Should I eat?" or "Do you want me to eat?"
2) 받침 X: Add "ㄹ까요?"
When the stem has no final consonant, we add ㄹ까요. The first ㄹ goes to the final consonant spot of the stem.
가다 to go → 가 → It doesn't have the final consonant, so please attach ㄹ까요? Write ㄹ under the 가. → 갈까요? [gal-gga-yo?] Shall we go?
드리다 (honorific) to give → 드리 → +ㄹ까요? → 드릴까요? Do you want me to give?
3) ㄹ받침: Add "까요?"
Even if there is the final consonant, if the final consonant is ㄹ, you can simply add 까요 because it already has ㄹ.
만들다 to make → 만들 → Attach 까요? because it already has ㄹ at the end. → 만들까요? Shall we make it?
3. Irregular Conjugation Rules
You can't attach adjectives to suggest with this ending. So, let's take a look at the irregular verbs.
1) ㄷ 받침: Change ㄷ → ㄹ, add "을까요?"
Just like other rules, when the final consonants matter, ㄷ always becomes ㄹ. Change that ㄷ to ㄹ and add "을까요?"
듣다 to listen → 듣 → The last (and only) syllable is 듣 with the final consonant ㄷ → So, let's change that ㄷ to ㄹ. → 들 → Now add 을까요? → 들을까요? Shall we listen?
2) ㅅ 받침: Erase ㅅ, add "을까요?"
When the final consonants matter, ㅅ will be erased first. Then you can add "을까요?"
잇다 to connect → 잇 → Since it has ㅅ, let's erase it. → 이 → Let's add 을까요? → 이을까요? Shall we connect?
3) ㅂ받침: Erase ㅂ, add "울까요?"
When the final consonants matter to conjugate, ㅂ is erased. And ㅂ always need some special form. Instead of "을까요?" with the vowel "ㅡ", you need to add "울까요?" with the vowel "ㅜ".
굽다 to bake → 굽 → Drop ㅂ → 구 → ㅂ always has its own wired conjugation form. At this time, we need 울까요? → 구울까요? Shall we bake?
3. Sentence Information
A. How to answer the "을까요?" question
To answer "(으)ㄹ까요?" question, "아/어/여요" for "Let's ~" form is usually used to answer. Take a look at the chart below.
Q: 같이 영화를 볼까요? Do you want to watch a movie together?
"네" is a polite version of yes. 좋아요 means good, so you can translate it as sounds good. You can add a "Let's V" form for a positive answer.
아니요 [ah-ni-yo] is a polite version of no. 안돼요 [an-dwae-yo] means "I can't." 미안해요 means "I'm sorry." You can choose either one to reject the suggestion. You can add the reason why you can't do it together or the alternative action.
B. Adjectives
Our target grammar (으)ㄹ까요 today is to suggest. You may see this ending is conjugated with an adjective. In that case, it is used to ask for the listener's opinion or guess, not to suggest. You are going to learn more about it soon.
예쁠까요? Do you think it will be pretty?
↪ 예쁘다 means to be pretty. This sentence is used to ask for an opinion. It is not to suggest. "Let's be pretty" or "Shall we be pretty?" don't make sense.
C. Comparison
You've learned 을래요? to ask a listener's intention. How can "을까요?" and "을래요?" be the same or be different? Here is a chart for you. I usually use it in my Korean lessons. Please read carefully.
4. Examples
같이 예문을 볼까요? (Shall we see some examples?) I prepared them for you!
1
가: 같이 점심을 먹을까요? Do you want to eat lunch together?
나: 네, 좋아요. 같이 먹어요. Yes. Sounds good. Let's eat together.
↪ To answer V(으)ㄹ까요? questions, "V아/어/여요 Let's V" is usually used as an answer.
2
(식당에서 In the restaurant)
다: 우리 뭐 먹을까요? What would you like to eat (together)?
라: 김밥 어때요? How about gim-bab?
↪ 어때요? means "How about?" 김밥 is a Korean dish of seaweed rolled rice with assorted ingredients.
3
마: 같이 저녁 먹을까요? Do you want to eat dinner together?
바: 미안해요. 벌써 먹었어요. Sorry. I already ate.
↪ 벌써 means already. To reject the suggestion politely, you can start the sentence with 미안해요 I'm sorry.
4
사: 빵 먹을까요? Do you want to eat some bread (with me?)
아: 아니요, 안 먹을래요. 배불러요. No, I don't want to eat. I'm full.
↪ You can express your intention using "V(으)ㄹ래요" 배불러요 came from 배부르다 which means "a stomach is full".
5
자: 함께 운동할까요? Shall we exercise?
차: 네, 같이 운동해요. Sure. Let's exercise together.
↪ 같이 and 함께 both mean together. You can use either one.
5. Wrap-up & Worksheet: Korean suggestion Ending
V(으)ㄹ까요? is a question to suggest doing something together = Shall we V?
Depending on the final consonant of the stem, you have to choose the form from 을까요 or ㄹ까요 and since it is a question, you will always use the question mark.
오늘 수업은 어땠어요? (How was the lesson today?) Here is the free printable PDF worksheet for you. It has an answer sheet as well. Please don't look at the answer sheet and try to solve it on your own first!
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