Want and Can · -고 싶어요, -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요
3. Examples
Example 1 — Things I want to do
한국에 가고 싶어요.
han-gu-ge ga-go si-peo-yo.
→ I want to go to Korea.
비빔밥을 먹고 싶어요.
bi-bim-ba-beul meok-go si-peo-yo.
→ I want to eat bibimbap.
영화를 보고 싶었어요.
yeong-hwa-reul bo-go si-peo-sseo-yo.
→ I wanted to see a movie.
물을 마시고 싶어요.
mu-reul ma-si-go si-peo-yo.
→ I want to drink water.
뭐 먹고 싶어요?
mwo meok-go si-peo-yo?
→ What do you want to eat?Each sentence puts 고 싶어요 right after the verb stem. The object keeps its particle, as in 비빔밥을 and 영화를.
The third sentence is in the past, so it uses 싶었어요. The last sentence is a question, so 싶어요 is about the listener.
Example 2 — Things I can do
매운 음식을 먹을 수 있어요.
mae-un eum-si-geul meo-geul su i-sseo-yo.
→ I can eat spicy food.
내일 갈 수 있어요.
nae-il gal su i-sseo-yo.
→ I can go tomorrow.
김치를 만들 수 있어요.
gim-chi-reul man-deul su i-sseo-yo.
→ I can make kimchi.
한국어를 읽을 수 있어요.
han-gu-geo-reul il-geul su i-sseo-yo.
→ I can read Korean.
운전할 수 있어요?
un-jeon-hal su i-sseo-yo?
→ Can you drive?먹다 and 읽다 have consonant stems, so they take 을 수. 가다 and 하다 have vowel stems, so they take ㄹ 수. The ㄹ-stem 만들다 adds nothing extra.
Notice the linking in romanization. 먹을 is read meo-geul and 읽을 is read il-geul, because the final consonant moves to the next syllable.
Example 3 — Things I cannot do
오늘은 갈 수 없어요.
o-neu-reun gal su eop-seo-yo.
→ I cannot go today.
수영할 수 없어요.
su-yeong-hal su eop-seo-yo.
→ I cannot swim.
지금 전화할 수 없어요.
ji-geum jeon-hwa-hal su eop-seo-yo.
→ I cannot make a phone call now.
한국어로 말할 수 있어요?
han-gu-geo-ro mal-hal su i-sseo-yo?
→ Can you speak in Korean?
네, 조금 말할 수 있어요.
ne, jo-geum mal-hal su i-sseo-yo.
→ Yes, I can speak a little.The negative only changes 있어요 to 없어요. Everything before it is the same as in the positive form.
A question with 수 있어요? is a polite way to ask about ability or possibility. You can answer with 네 and the same pattern, or with 아니요 and 수 없어요.
Example 4 — Other people, and mixing the two
친구는 한국에 가고 싶어해요.
chin-gu-neun han-gu-ge ga-go si-peo-hae-yo.
→ My friend wants to go to Korea.
동생은 피자를 먹고 싶어해요.
dong-saeng-eun pi-ja-reul meok-go si-peo-hae-yo.
→ My younger sibling wants to eat pizza.
저는 쉬고 싶어요.
jeo-neun swi-go si-peo-yo.
→ I want to rest.
친구는 같이 갈 수 있어요.
chin-gu-neun ga-chi gal su i-sseo-yo.
→ My friend can go together.The first two sentences talk about another person, so they use 싶어해요. The third sentence is about the speaker, so it uses 싶어요.
The ability pattern does not change for a third person. 갈 수 있어요 works for I, you and he or she. Only the wish pattern needs the switch from 싶어요 to 싶어해요.