Lesson 63: ~ㄹ/을까(요), ~ㄹ/을게요

Click here for Korean Short Stories specifically tailored to learners at this level.
Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.

This Lesson is also available in Español

Jump to:

Vocabulary
Introduction

Asking a question to oneself

Asking a question to a listener
Shall we/Should we…
Shall I… 
~ㄹ/을까(요) vs. ~ㄹ/을게(요)
Asking about possibility
Adding ~ㄹ/을까 to 어떻다

 

Vocabulary

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.

Nouns:
책자 = booklet, leaflet, pamphlet, brochure

바퀴 = wheel

기운 = energy, vitality, vigor

무리 = group

정체 = identity

교원 = teacher

살인 = murder

살인자 = murderer

선착순 = first come first served

Verbs:
Conjugate 초과하다 = to exceed

Conjugate 울리다 = to make somebody cry

Conjugate 결재하다 = to approve

Conjugate 퇴근하다 = to leave work

Conjugate 흘러나오다 = to trickle out of

Conjugate 주고받다 = to exchange

Conjugate 고용하다 = to hire

Conjugate 공고하다 = to announce

Conjugate 연기하다 = to act

Conjugate 이루다 = to achieve or accomplish what one hoped for, to make, to merge

Conjugate 이루어지다 = to be comprised of

Conjugate 부서지다 = to be smashed into pieces

Conjugate 부러지다 = to be broken in half

Adjectives:
Conjugate 위태롭다 = to be risky, to be critical

Conjugate 부유하다 = to be rich

Conjugate 번거롭다 = to be cumbersome

Adverbs and Other Words:
모금 = a counter for a “sip,” “breath,” or “drag”

For help memorizing these words, try using our mobile app.

There are 625 vocabulary entries in Unit 3. All entries are linked to an audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

 

Introduction

This lesson, along with Lesson 64 and Lesson 65 will focus on the use of  ~ㄹ/을까. Originally, I wanted to introduce all of the usages of ~ㄹ/을까 in one lesson, but there is simply too much content. Therefore, I have separated the general usages and will introduce them to you over the next three lessons. The usages will be generally divided into the following:

Lesson 63: ~ㄹ/을까 used to ask a question
Lesson 64: ~ㄹ/을까 used to express intent
Lesson 65: ~ㄹ/을까 used to express worry

~ㄹ/을까 can have a variety of meanings depending on the context, and my goal for the upcoming lessons is to explain the context in which they are typically used.

In this lesson, you will learn about how ~ㄹ/을까 can be used to ask a question. The topics in this lesson will further be divided into separate sections:

• ~ㄹ/을까 being used to ask a question to oneself
• ~ㄹ/을까 being used to ask a question to a listener
  • Shall we/Should we…
  • Shall I…
  • ~ㄹ/을까(요) vs. ~ㄹ/을게(요)
  • Asking about possibility
  • Adding ~ㄹ/을까 to 어떻다

 

 

Asking a Question to Oneself

The first (and simplest) way you will hear ~ㄹ/을까 being used is at the end of a sentence where the speaker is directing a question towards himself. This would happen when somebody is wondering something and just expressing their thoughts out loud and not directing their speech at any person in particular.

When ~ㄹ/을까 is added to a verb or adjective where the subject of the sentence is the speaker, this type of question has a nuance that does not exist in the “regular form” of that question. For example:

(내가) 밥을 먹을 거야? = Will I eat rice? (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
(내가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should I eat rice?

Because the speaker is directing the question to himself, the translation of “Will I eat rice?” is illogical and would not describe the subtle nuance of this sentence. It is illogical because the speaker is asking himself about his own free will – something that nobody knows except for himself.  Rather, the speaker is asking himself if he should go (or not). Therefore, a better translation would be “Should I eat rice?”

Another example:

(내가) 이렇게 할 거야? = Will I do it like this? (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
(내가) 이렇게 할까? = Should I do it like this?

Again, because the speaker is directing the question to himself, the translation of “Will I do it like this?” is illogical because the speaker is asking himself about his own free will.  Rather, the speaker is asking himself if he should do it like that (or not). Therefore, a better translation would be “Should I do it like this?”

You can see this same nuance when a question word is used as well. For example:

(내가) 뭐 먹을 거야? = What will I eat? (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
(내가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should I eat?

(내가) 언제 갈 거야? = When will I go? (This is illogical if directed to yourself)
(내가) 언제 갈까? = When should I go?

Here are many more examples of ~ㄹ/을까 being used by the speaker to ask a question to himself:

친구를 만날까? = Should I meet my friend?
공연을 보러 갈까? = Should I go to see the performance?
어디 갈까? = Where should I go?
책자를 그냥 두고 갈까? = Should I just put the pamphlet down and leave?
지금 퇴근할까? = Should I leave work now?
바퀴를 어떻게 갈까? = How should/can I change the wheel?

When you look at these sentences by themselves, there is really no way to know if the speaker is talking to himself or speaking to another person. However, real-life conversation has context and only through this context can the specific usage of these sentences be clear.

In all of the examples above, you can see that the speaker is not only asking a question to himself, but also about himself. In all of the examples above, the speaker is the acting agent of the sentence. It is possible to ask a question to oneself about another person, but I will talk about that usage later in the lesson when I talk about ~ㄹ/을까 being used to ask about possibility.

In Lesson 93, you will learn another common ending that can be used to ask questions to yourself.

 

 

Asking a Question to a Listener

Shall we/Should we…

In the previous section, you learned that ~ㄹ/을까 can be added to ask a question to oneself, about oneself. For example:

(내가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should I eat rice?
(내가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should I eat?

This same idea and structure can be used to ask a question to another person about you and the listener. Here, both the speaker (you) and the listener (the person you are talking to) are the acting agents of the sentences.

We see a very similar translation as the sentences above, for example:

(우리가) 밥을 먹을까? = Should we eat rice?
(우리가) 뭐 먹을까? = What should we eat?

The typical English translation for sentences like this is “Shall…” For example:

(우리가) 밥을 먹을까? = Shall we eat rice?
(우리가) 뭐 먹을까? = What shall we eat?

In Lesson 44, you learned about ~ㄹ/을래(요) and how it can be used to have this meaning as well. For example:

밥을 먹을래? = Shall we eat rice?
뭐 먹을래요? = What shall we eat?

Below are many more examples of ~ㄹ/을까 being used to have this meaning.

Note that ~요 can be added to ~ㄹ/을까 in these cases and anytime a sentence ends with ~까 to make it more formal. I didn’t introduce this at the beginning of the lesson because ~요 would not be added if the question is directed at the speaker himself: 

지금 갈까요? = Shall we go now?
영화를 볼까요? = Shall we watch a movie?
지금 주문할까? = Shall we order now?
버스를 탈까요? = Shall we take the bus?
부서진 집을 같이 지을까요? = Shall we build the shattered house again?
어디 갈까요? = Where shall we go?
전화번호를 주고받을까요? = Shall we exchange phone numbers?
그 사람을 고용할까요? = Shall we hire that person?
한 모금 더 마실까요? = Shall we drink one more sip?
너무 번거로워서 지금 그만할까요? = It’s so cumbersome, so shall we stop now?
기회를 사람들에게 선착순으로 줄까요? = Shall we give the opportunity to people on a first-come first-served basis?

In Lesson 23, you learned that the meaning of the word ‘그렇다’ is close to the meaning of ‘like that.’ By attaching this usage of ~ㄹ/을까 to 그렇다 you can create “그럴까?” It is commonly said after another person suggests something to do – at which point, the listener in effect agrees and repeats the question back to the original speaker. As with most grammatical principles that attach to 그렇다, a perfect translation is hard to create. Look at the following example:

Person 1: 집에 늦게 갈래요? = Shall we go home late?
Person 2: 그럴까? = Sure, shall we do (it like) that?

 

 

 

 

 

Shall I…

In the above example sentences, the speaker is asking for the listener’s opinion about something they (the speaker and the listener) will both do.

This same idea and structure can be used to ask a question to another person about what you (the speaker) will do. Here, only the speaker (you) is the acting agent of the sentence, and the speaker is asking for the listener’s opinion.

This form is most commonly used immediately before giving/offering something to somebody. In a way, the speaker is asking “if it is okay” if he/she gives/offers something to the listener. For example:

밥을 줄까? = Shall I give you rice?

Though this often translates in English to “Shall…” it is more a statement of what you will be doing in the very near future, and you are slightly asking for permission to do that action. For example, both of these could be acceptable:

밥을 줄까? = Shall I give you rice?
밥을 줄까? = I’m going to give you rice, if that is okay with you?

It is also possible to use the honorific 드리다 or combine a verb with 주다 (which you learned about in Lesson 41). Below are many examples:

문을 열어 줄까? = Shall I open the door for you?
불을 켜 드릴까요? = Shall I turn on the light for you?
내 상황을 자세히 설명해 줄까? = Shall I explain my situation in detail?
공고를 붙여 줄까? = Shall I post the announcement for you?
흘러나오는 물을 막아 줄까? = Shall I block the water that is flowing out for you?
책을 읽어 줄까요? = Shall I read you a book?

 

 

~ㄹ/을까(요) vs. ~ㄹ/을게(요)

By using ~ㄹ/을까 as introduced in the section immediately above, you can create sentences where the speaker is asking permission to help/service the listener. If you use ~ㄹ/을까 as in the examples above, the sentence is in the form of a question.

A very similar grammatical principle is ~ㄹ/을게(요). Despite having a very similar meaning and usage, sentences ending in ~ㄹ/을게(요) are not questions. Rather, they are statements of what the speaker will be doing unless the listener objects/interjects in some way. Aside from one being a question and the other one not being a question, their translations and meanings are essentially the same. For example:

문을 열어 줄까? = Shall I open the door for you? (Is it okay if I open the door for you?)
문을 열어 줄게 = I’m going to open the door for you (if that is okay with you)

In a way, using ~ㄹ/을게(요) is very similar to a regular future tense conjugation. The difference is that a regular future tense conjugation (for example, ~ㄹ/을 것이다) is more blunt and direct but using ~ㄹ/을게(요) softens the sentence a little bit. When using ~ㄹ/을게(요), you are checking with the listener before you perform the action. For example:

문을 열 거야 = I will open the door
문을 열게 = I will open the door (if that is okay with you)

The usage of ~ㄹ/을까(요) to ask for “permission” (as described earlier) is typically used when giving something or doing something for the listener. As such, it is more common to find ~ㄹ/을까(요) used with 주다, 드리다 or in other situations where the speaker is servicing or giving something to the listener.

On the other hand, the usage of ~ㄹ/을게(요) is more broad and the speaker does not need to be directly giving something to (or doing something for) the listener. Rather, any action can be used as long as the speaker is the acting agent of the sentence.

Below are many examples:

지금 밥을 먹을게요 = I will eat now (if that is okay with you)
에어컨을 틀게 = I will turn on the air conditioner (if that is okay with you)
먼저 갈게요 = I will go now (if that is okay with you)
밥을 줄게요 = I will give you rice/food (if that is okay with you)
지금 주문할게요 = I will order now (if that is okay with you)
교원 모두에게 메시지를 보낼게요 = I will send a message to all of the teachers (if that is okay with you)

~ㄹ/을게(요) is also often added to 그렇다. By attaching ~ㄹ/을게(요) to 그렇다 you can create “그럴게(요).” It is commonly used when somebody tells you what to do – at which point you can use “그렇게(요)” to say “okay, I will do it (that way) if that is what you want.” For example:

Person 1: 지금 빨리 퇴근하세요 = Leave work (go home) now
Person 2: 네, 그럴게요 = Okay, I will do that if that’s what you want

 

Asking about possibility

When speaking to a listener, you can also use ~ㄹ/을까(요) to ask about the possibility of something. Below are some simple examples:

내일 비가 올까? = It is possible that it will rain tomorrow?
시험이 어려울까? = It is possible that the exam will be difficult?
선생님도 갈까? = Is it possible that the teacher will go too?

Notice in the examples above that the acting agent in each sentence is not the speaker. The sentences above could be said either to oneself (as I mentioned earlier) or said to a listener. The context makes it clear if the speaker is speaking to himself or to a listener. If these types of sentences are said to a listener, I often prefer the following translations:

내일 비가 올까? = Do you think that it will rain tomorrow?
시험이 어려울까? = Do you think that the exam will be difficult?
선생님도 갈까? = Do you think that the teacher will go too?

Here are some more examples:

I wrote these sentences and their translations to be appropriate for the context of a dialogue between a speaker and a listener. The following questions could be asked to oneself if the context allowed for it. Note that this would result in a slightly different English translation.

그 여자가 예쁠까? = Do you think that girl will be pretty?
이 셔츠가 비쌀까? = Do you think this shirt will be expensive?
결재를 받을까요? = Do you think it will get approval?
그 사람이 연기를 잘 할까요? = Do you think that person will be able to act well?
그 사람이 정체를 드러낼까요? = Do you think that person will reveal his/her identity?
술을 마시면 기운이 날까? = If I drink alcohol, do you think I will get energy?
살인범이 그 장소에 돌아올까요? = Do you think that the murderer will return to that place?
그 꿈이 이루어질 수 있을까요? = Do you think that dream will come true?

——————————————————————–

I would like to take a moment to describe the difference in meaning between two similar sounding (English) sentences:

Look at the following two sentences:

그 여자가 예쁘다고 생각해요? = Do you think that girl is pretty?
그 여자가 예쁠까? = Do you think that girl will be pretty?

There is a subtle difference between the two sentences, even though they appear similar in Korean and English.

When you say the first sentence, the feeling is that the girl is there, and you can see what she looks like. However, in the second sentence, the speaker and listener have probably never met the girl – and the speaker is wondering if the listener thinks it is possible that the girl is pretty. Therefore, when you say the second sentence, you are not asking about whether or not the girl is pretty. Rather, you are asking if it is possible that she will be pretty whenever you meet her, or see her for the first time, or whatever.

——————————————————————–

 

Questions words are often used in this form as well. When using a question word, the meaning is quite similar to the example sentences above, but notice how the translation changes slightly:

Again, I wrote these sentences and their translations to be appropriate for the context of a dialogue between a speaker and a listener. The following questions could be asked to oneself if the context allowed for it. Note that this would result in a slightly different English translation.

그 사람이 누구일까? = Who do you think that person could be? (Who could he be?)
이게 무엇일까? = What do you think this could be? (What could it be?)
아빠가 언제 올까?  = When do you think dad will come? (When could dad be coming?)
아빠가 어디 가고 있을까? = Where do you think dad is going? (Where could dad be going?)

You can ask about possibility in past situations by conjugating the verb/adjective into the past before attaching ~을까요. For example:

그 친구가 늦게 왔을까요? = Do you think our friend came late?
아빠가 돈을 냈을까요? = Do you think dad paid?
그 학생이 숙제를 벌써 다 했을까요? = Do you think the student finished all his homework already?
그 학생은 시험을 잘 볼 수 있을까요? = Do you think that student will do well on the exam?

The speaker could also be asking about possibility about himself or the listener (instead of a third person), but these types of sentences usually reference one’s ability (or some other variable) to do something. For example:

내가 할 수 있을까?
If asked to oneself: Would I be able to do it?
If asked to a listener: Do you think I could do it?

내가 해도 될까?
If asked to oneself: Would I be allowed to do it?
If asked to a listener: Do you think I would be allowed to do it?

네가 할 수 있을까? = Do you think you will be able to do it?
네가 해도 될까? = Do you think you will be allowed to do it?

 

 

Adding ~ㄹ/을까 to 어떻다

In Lesson 22, you learned that 어떻다 can change to 어때(요) and is used to ask about somebody’s opinion about something. For example:

남자친구 어때? = How is your boyfriend?
이 사진(이) 어때? = How about this picture? (is this picture okay)?

어때(요) can also be used to ask about somebody’s opinion about an event that hasn’t happened yet. In order to do this, you can describe some event in the future and then turn the clause into a noun. The word “어때(요)” can then be placed after the clause. For example:

지금 가는 것이 어때요? = How about going now?
영화를 보는 것이 어때요? = How about watching a movie?

Those are perfect. However, “것이” can (and often is) shortened to “게.” Those two sentences above would be more likely heard/seen as:

지금 가는 게 어때요? = How about going now?
영화를 보는 게 어때요? = How about watching a movie?

In these situations, it is acceptable to replace 어때(요) with 어떻다 + ㄹ/을까(요). For example:

지금 가는 게 어떨까요? = How about going now?
영화를 보는 게 어떨까요? = How about watching a movie?

More examples:

다시 만나는 게 어떨까요? = How about meeting again?
다음 번에 삼겹살을 먹는 게 어떨까요? = Next time, how about eating 삼겹살?
내일 가는 게 어떨까요? = How about going tomorrow?

As you can see, the meaning that is created is very similar (if not identical) to simply using ~ㄹ/을까(요) at the end of a sentence to mean “shall.” For example:

다시 만나는 게 어떨까요? = How about meeting again?
다시 만날까요? = Shall we meet again?

That’s it for this lesson!

Although you have learned a lot about how ~ㄹ/을까(요) can be used, there are still more usages that you need to study. We will continue this discussion in the next two lessons.

There are 1200 example sentences in Unit 3.
All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in one package here.

Okay, got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,

Click here for Korean Short Stories specifically tailored to learners at this level.
Click here for a Workbook to go along with this lesson.