해도 될까요?
haedo doelkkayo?
In Korean, "may I" is expressed as 해도 될까요? (haedo doelkkayo?) using the default form.
This phrase is a polite way to ask for permission to do something. To ask permission for a specific action, you attach the grammar pattern to the stem of a verb, such as 가도 될까요? (May I go?).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 해도 될까요? is composed of 하다 (to do), the -어도 되다 grammar pattern (to be okay to do) and the polite question ending -ㄹ까요? (shall/would it be).
Which one should you use?
While 해도 될까요? is a polite way to ask, you can use 해도 돼요? for slightly less formal but still polite everyday conversation. For highly formal professional settings, news broadcasts or when speaking to someone of much higher status, use 해도 됩니까? to ask if something is permissible.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this phrase, you attach the pattern to a verb stem. In informal settings, the casual version is 해도 돼?
How do you pronounce it?
haedo doelkkayo?
When do people say it?
When someone asks for permission, a standard polite way to grant it is to say 네, 해도 돼요 (Yes, it is okay to do). To politely deny permission, you can say 안 돼요 (It is not okay/No).
Did you know?
- The word 해도 in the phrase is a homonym for the Sino-Korean word 海圖, which means 'sea chart'.
- The ending -ㄹ까요? used in 해도 될까요? is also used when a speaker is suggesting a collective action, such as 'Shall we go?'
- The word 돼요 in the response 네, 해도 돼요 is a contraction of 되어요, a common phonetic shortening in spoken Korean.
Examples in context
- 저는 이 자리에 앉을 수 있을까요?May I sit here?
- 제가 지금 나가도 될까요?May I leave now?
- 이것 좀 가져갈 수 있을까요?May I take this with me?
- 내가 지금 가도 돼?Can I go now?
- 이거 좀 가져도 돼?Can I take this?
- 질문 하나 해도 될까요?jilmun hana haedo doelkkayo?May I ask a question?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 해도, CC BY-SA 4.0.
