(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (eul su itda) means "can, be able to".
Expresses ability or possibility.
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- For "can't", swap 있다 itda for 없다 eopda.
- Adjectives take it too, for what may be true: 좁을 수 있어요 jobeul su isseoyo, "it may be small".
Build it
The forms you need
Can
갈 수 있어요gal su isseoyocan goCan't
갈 수 없어요gal su eopseoyocan't goCould
갈 수 있었어요gal su isseosseoyowas able to goMaybe
갈 수도 있어요gal sudo isseoyomight goWhen to use it
Ability
Something you're able to do.
Possibility
Whether it's possible or allowed.
Might happen
Add 도 do: 수도 있다 sudo itda.
Watch out
The negative is 없다 eopda, not 안 있다 an itda.
Stems ending in ㄹ add nothing: 만들 mandeul.
수 su is its own word, so it gets spaces.
In context
8 examples- 1
운전할 수 있어요?
Unjeonhal su isseoyo?
Can you drive?
- 2
갈 수 없어요.
Gal su eopseoyo.
I cannot go.
- 3
내일 일찍 올 수 있어요?
Naeil iljjik ol su isseoyo?
Can you come in early tomorrow?
- 4
너무 시끄러워서 잠을 잘 수 없었어요.
Neomu sikkeureowoseo jameul jal su eopseosseoyo.
It was so noisy I couldn't sleep.
- 5
이 문제는 혼자 풀 수 있어.
I munjeneun honja pul su isseo.
I can solve this one on my own.
- 6
카드로 계산할 수 있나요?
Kadeuro gyesanhal su innayo?
Can I pay by card?
- 7
길이 막히면 늦을 수도 있어요.
Giri makimyeon neujeul sudo isseoyo.
If there's traffic, I might be late.
- 8
저는 매운 음식도 먹을 수 있어요.
Jeoneun maeun eumsikdo meogeul su isseoyo.
I can eat spicy food, too.
Practice
8 questions듣다 + (으)ㄹ 수 있다
수 있다 vs 줄 알다: able vs know how
Both get translated as "can", but 줄 알다 jul alda is about a skill you've learned. 수 있다 su itda is about whether you're able to right now.
- 수영할 줄 알아요. suyeonghal jul arayo "I know how to swim."
- 오늘은 수영할 수 없어요. oneureun suyeonghal su eopseoyo "I can't swim today." You know how, but something's in the way, like a cold or a closed pool.
For skills, both work: 운전할 수 있어요 unjeonhal su isseoyo and 운전할 줄 알아요 unjeonhal jul arayo both mean "I can drive". For a one-off situation, only 수 있다 does.
수 없다 vs 못
For "can't", everyday speech usually picks the shorter 못 mot: 못 가요 mot gayo. 갈 수 없어요 gal su eopseoyo sounds firmer, more like it's simply impossible. More in the 못 lesson.
Asking politely
수 있어요? su isseoyo after a request verb makes a soft "could you …?". It's a step more polite than a plain 주세요 juseyo.
- 좀 도와주실 수 있어요? jom dowajusil su isseoyo "Could you help me out?"
- 사진 좀 찍어 주실 수 있을까요? sajin jom jjigeo jusil su isseulkkayo "Would you mind taking a photo for us?"
Hanja in this lesson
Words from the examples that are written with Chinese characters. Tap a character to see its page.
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 으ㄹ 수 있다 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
