이거 가질 수 있나요?
igeo gajil su 있nayo?
이거 가질 수 있나요? (igeo gajil su 있nayo?) is the Korean way to say 'can I have this?'
This phrase is used as a request to ask for permission to take or keep an object.
Which one should you use?
While 이거 가질 수 있나요? asks for permission to possess something, 이거 주세요 is a direct request to be given an item, such as when ordering food.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a very common and natural way to ask for permission in casual polite settings, you can use 이거 가져도 돼요? If you are in a professional or very strict social setting, use the highly formal version 이것을 가져도 되겠습니까? For informal situations, use 이거 가져도 돼?
How does it change in a sentence?
You can maintain the same meaning by replacing the ending 있나요? with 있어요? in the phrase 이거 가질 수 있어요? to use a slightly more common, standard polite ending.
How do you pronounce it?
igeo gajil su 있nayo?
Did you know?
- The grammatical component 수 in this phrase is a Sino-Korean word that can be written with the character for 'hand', representing a 'way' or 'method' to do something.
- While 이거 가질 수 있나요? is grammatically correct, using it at a restaurant might sound strange because it focuses on the legalistic permission to possess the item rather than the simple act of receiving it.
- When using the casual form 이거 가져도 돼?, the speaker is omitting the subject and object particles to speed up the flow of natural speech.
Examples in context
- 이거 가져도 돼?Can I have this?
- 이거 가질 수 있나요? 너무 예뻐요.igeo gajil su innayo? neomu yeppeoyo.Can I have this? It is so pretty.
- 이거 가질 수 있나요? 선물로 받고 싶어요.igeo gajil su innayo? seonmullo batgo sipeoyo.Can I have this? I want it as a gift.
Example conversation
Seoyeon finds a cute sticker on Dohyun's desk.
- 서연 Seo-yeon와, 너무 귀여워요. 이거 가질 수 있나요?wa, neomu gwiyeowoyo. igeo gajil su innayo?Wow, it's so cute. Can I have this?
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 서연 씨 가져가세요.ne, Seoyeon ssi gajyeogaseyo.Yes, Seoyeon, please take it.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말요? 감사합니다!jeongmalyo? gamsahamnida!Really? Thank you!
- 도현 Do-hyeon아니에요. 잘 쓰세요.anieyo. jal sseuseyo.No problem. Enjoy using it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 수, 이거, CC BY-SA 4.0.
