TOPIK 4The official curriculum lists -는 줄 at level 4, with (으)ㄹ 줄 among its forms.
(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 (eul jul alda) means "know how to".
Says whether you know how to do something: 수영할 줄 알아요 (suyeonghal jul arayo), "I can swim".
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- After a vowel: ㄹ 줄. After ㄹ: just 줄. After another consonant: 을 줄.
- For "don't know how", use 모르다 moreuda, never 안 알다 an alda.
- In the past tense it can also mean "I thought…" or "I didn't think…".
Build it
Two meanings to know
Can do
할 줄 알아요hal jul arayoI know how to do itCan't do
할 줄 몰라요hal jul mollayoI don't know howThought so
온 줄 알았어요on jul arasseoyoI thought you'd already comeDidn't expect
올 줄 몰랐어요ol jul mollasseoyoI didn't think you'd comeWhen to use it
Skills
Something you learned how to do.
What you thought
Usually something that turned out wrong.
What you didn't expect
Surprise at how things turned out.
Watch out
알다 alda has its own negative, 모르다 moreuda.
In context
6 examples- 1
할머니는 스마트폰을 쓸 줄 모르세요.
Halmeonineun seumateuponeul sseul jul moreuseyo.
My grandma doesn't know how to use a smartphone.
- 2
젓가락 쓸 줄 알아요?
Jeotgarak sseul jul arayo?
Do you know how to use chopsticks?
- 3
이렇게 어려울 줄 몰랐어요.
Ireoke eoryeoul jul mollasseoyo.
I didn't know it would be this hard.
- 4
저는 기타를 칠 줄 알아요.
Jeoneun gitareul chil jul arayo.
I know how to play the guitar.
- 5
비가 올 줄 알고 우산을 가져왔어요.
Biga ol jul algo usaneul gajyeowasseoyo.
I thought it would rain, so I brought an umbrella.
- 6
너무 조용해서 집에 아무도 없는 줄 알았어요.
Neomu joyonghaeseo jibe amudo eomneun jul arasseoyo.
It was so quiet that I thought nobody was home.
Practice
6 questions읽다 + (으)ㄹ 줄 알다
Two meanings
In the present tense, it's usually about a skill: 수영할 줄 알아요 suyeonghal jul arayo, "I can swim". In the past tense, it usually means what you believed: 바쁜 줄 알았어요 bappeun jul arasseoyo, "I thought you were busy".
For the belief meaning, the form before 줄 depends on when the thing you believed happens. On a verb, use (으)ㄴ for something already done, 는 for now and (으)ㄹ for later. On an adjective, use (으)ㄴ for how things are and (으)ㄹ for what you expected. After a noun, use 인, or 일 for what you expected (both come from 이다 ida, "to be"):
- 벌써 간 줄 알았어요. beolsseo gan jul arasseoyo "I thought you'd already gone."
- 자는 줄 알았어요. janeun jul arasseoyo "I thought you were asleep."
- 안 올 줄 알았어요. an ol jul arasseoyo "I thought you weren't coming."
- 학생인 줄 알았어요. haksaengin jul arasseoyo "I thought you were a student."
"I knew it!"
Most of the time 줄 알았어요 means you were wrong. One common exception is 그럴 줄 알았어! geureol jul arasseo, "I knew it!", said when things go just as you expected.
(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 or (으)ㄹ 수 있다?
(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (eu)l su itda is about being able to do something, for any reason. (으)ㄹ 줄 알다 is about knowing how, a skill you learned. If you can swim but the pool is closed, you'd say 수영할 줄 알지만 오늘은 수영할 수 없어요 suyeonghal jul aljiman oneureun suyeonghal su eopseoyo, "I know how to swim, but I can't swim today".
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 으ㄹ 줄 알다 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
