LEARN + KOREAN / 18 of 125 TOPIK I
Shall We? -ㄹ까요?
a
You’re standing outside the cinema and deciding together: 들어갈까요? Attach -(으)ㄹ까요? to suggest an action or ask what someone thinks. The stem ending determines whether to use -ㄹ까요 or -을까요.
Shall We?
oneul gachi jeonyeogeul meogeulkkayo?
Shall we eat dinner together tonight?
jumare gachi yeonghwareul bolkkayo?
Shall we watch a movie together this weekend?
yeogieseo sajineul jjigeulkkayo?
Shall we take a photo here?
oneul sanchaekhalkkayo?
Shall we take a walk today?
Hint · 힌트
Dropping straight to 을까?/ㄹ까? with no 요 is exactly how Koreans text friends about plans: 먹을까? on its own is a complete, natural “wanna eat?” No subject, no object needed when it’s obviously about the two of you.
Do You Think…?
The same ending doubles as wondering out loud or asking someone’s opinion, not just proposing a plan together.
i sikdangi joeulkkayo?
Do you think that restaurant is good?
naeil nalssiga chuulkkayo?
Do you think it will be cold tomorrow?
jeoneun geimeul joahaeyo. geureom gachi geimhalkkayo?
I like games. Then shall we play games together?
In Real Life
Notice there’s no formal register here. -(으)ㄹ까요 already carries a built-in softness (it’s a question, a proposal, never a command), so Korean doesn’t reach for the stiffer -습니다 style with it in everyday use. You’ll see this ending almost exclusively in polite or casual speech.
Suggest It With the Ordinary Polite Form
A plain -아요/어요 sentence can also make a suggestion when the situation and intonation invite doing something together: 같이 가요, “Let’s go together.” -(으)ㄹ까요? explicitly asks for the listener’s opinion; 같이 가요 puts the proposed action forward directly.
gachi gayo.
Let’s go together.
yeogieseo jamkkan swieoyo.
Let’s rest here for a moment.
Vocabulary
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
gachi | together |
sajin | photo |
sanchaek | a walk, stroll |
geureom | then, in that case |
jean | suggestion, proposal |
uigyeon | opinion |
joeun saenggak | good idea |
geulsseyo | well... (hesitating) |
kol! | deal!, I'm in! (casual agreement, from English "call") |
joa | sounds good (casual) |
daeume | next time, some other time |
paeseu | pass (declining an offer, from English "pass") |
moim | gathering, meetup |
deiteu | date |
hoesik | company dinner, work gathering |
beongae | spontaneous meetup (slang) |
mannam | meeting, encounter |
chamseokhada | to attend |
chwisohada | to cancel |
miruda | to postpone |
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