Korean Grammar Bank

USING 할 수도 있다 FOR POTENTIAL

Expressing potential (may, could) in Korean has a similar structure to that of expressing capacity in Korean (can, be able to).

We teach you how to properly use the sentence structure with real life examples.

INTRODUCTION

Expressing potential (might, may, possibly, could) in Korean has a similar structure to that of expressing capacity in Korean (can, be able to).

For example, expressing capacity in Korean generally takes the following form:

~할 수 있다 → It is possible to do ~
(Expressing capacity)

To express potential, an article “도” is simply added after “ 수” to arrive at the following expression:

~ 할 수도 있다 → it may be possible to do ~
(Expressing potential)

USING 수도 있다

In general, expressing potential in Korean can take the following structure to mean It may be possible to Verb:

PATTERN

Verb + ᄅ/을 수도 있다

Let’s have a look at some examples:

내일 비가 올 수도 있다.It may rain tomorrow.
그녀가이번여름방문할수도 있다.She may visit us this summer.
기차가 오늘 연착할 수도 있다.The train may be arriving late today.
View More Examples:
교통 체증이 있을 수도 있다.There may be traffic.
그는오늘미팅에참석할수도 있다.He may make it to the meeting today.
자동차가 잘 작동할 수도 있다.The car may work well.
레스토랑은 아직 열려있을 수도 있다.The restaurant may be still open.
바다는 수영하기에 너무 추울 수도 있다.The sea may be too cold to swim.
가방은 그녀에게는 너무 무거울 수도 있다.The bag may be too heavy for her.
그는 이번 가을부터 일을 시작할 수도 있다.He may be able to start working this fall.

NOTE || When the infinitive of the verb ends with a consonant ‘ᄇ’, this structure is performed by removing ‘ᄇ’ and adding ‘우’, before ‘ᄅ 수도 있다’

NEGATIVE FORM

To negate the expression of potential in Korean, we use the following structure:

PATTERN

Verb + 지 않을 수도 있다

내일비가오지않을수도 있다.It may not rain tomorrow.
그녀가 이번 여름 방문하지 않을 수도 있다.She may not visit us this summer.
기차가 오늘 연착하지 않을 수도 있다.The train may not be arriving late today.
View More Examples:
교통 체증이 없을 수도 있다.There may not be traffic.
그는 오늘 미팅에 참석하지 않을 수도 있다.He may not make it to the meeting today.
자동차가 잘 작동하지 않을 수도 있다.The car may not work well.
레스토랑은 아직 열려있지 않을 수도 있다.The restaurant may not be still open.
바다는 수영하기에 너무 춥지 않을 수도 있다.The sea may not be too cold to swim.
가방은 그녀에게는 너무 무겁지 않을 수도 있다.The bag may not be too heavy for her.
그는 이번 가을부터 일을 시작하지 않을 수도 있다.He may not be able to start working this fall.

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FAQs

How to express potential in Korean?

Potential in Korean is expressed by using the following structure:

Verb + ᄅ/을 수도 있다

내일 비가 올 수도 있다.
It may rain tomorrow.

How to express capacity in Korean?

Capacity in Korean is expressed by using the following structure:

Verb + ᄅ/을 수 있다

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Learn more about can and cannot in Korean here.

How to express hope in Korean?

Some sentence structures to express hope in Korean:

Verb + 기를 바라다 and Verb + 는 것을 바라다

Another sentence structure would be

Subject + Object+ Verb + ᄊ으면 좋겠다

ᄊ으면 implies a conditional wish or hope (“if”).

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Learn more about expressing hope in Korean here.

How to express certainty in Korean?

In Korean, following expression can be used to express certainty on an event or an action.

Verb + 다고/ᄅ 것이라고

A verb conjugated with 다고/ ᄅ것 이라고 is often followed by a verb “생각한다” or “확신한다” which means “think” and “be sure”, respectively.

Example:

I think (I am certain) that she will come to the party tomorrow.

그녀가 내일 파티에 온다고 생각한다.

그녀가 내일 파티에 올 것이라고 생각한다.

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Learn more about certainty and uncertainty in Korean in this free lesson.

Where to find more lessons like this?

You can visit our Korean Grammar Bank for more lessons on levels A1, A2, B1 and B2.

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