-(으)ㄹ까요?

shall I? - offering to do it yourself

Examples

불을 켤까요?

Shall I turn the light on?

커피를 드릴까요, 주스를 드릴까요?

Would you like me to get you coffee, or juice?

When you'd hear it

The polite form -(으)ㄹ까요 is common in everyday conversation, including with coworkers, service staff, and people who are not close. The plain form -(으)ㄹ까 is used with close friends or in inner thoughts, while -(으)ㄹ까요 often appears when making a suggestion or asking for an opinion.

What learners get wrong

Same ending, but the subject is 제가: 창문을 열까요? You are asking whether the other person would like you to do something, so the reply is -(으)세요 or -지 마세요, not 갑시다. Compare the suggestion sense, where you would both be doing it.

shall we? - proposing something together

Examples

주말에 같이 등산할까요?

Shall we go hiking together at the weekend?

어디에서 만날까요?

Where shall we meet?

When you'd hear it

This is common in spoken Korean for making a suggestion or deciding something together. It appears with 요 in polite conversation, including everyday workplace talk, and without 요 among close friends or family.

What learners get wrong

The subject is 우리, usually left unsaid: 같이 농구할까요? The answer comes back as -(으)ㅂ시다 or plain -아/어요. -ㄹ까요? after a vowel or ㄹ, -을까요? after a consonant. The same shape does two other jobs - offering to do something yourself, and wondering aloud - and only the subject tells them apart.

I wonder if - guessing aloud

Examples

내일 날씨가 좋을까요?

I wonder if the weather will be nice tomorrow.

이 옷이 저한테 어울릴까요?

Do you think this suits me?

When you'd hear it

This is common in casual spoken Korean, especially when thinking aloud or making an informal suggestion with friends and family. It also appears in expressions such as 뭐랄까 in conversational speech, including dramas and interviews.

What learners get wrong

The third job of -(으)ㄹ까요?, and the only one that takes adjectives. Here you are wondering rather than suggesting or offering, and the answer comes back as -(으)ㄹ 거예요 or -(으)ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 것 같다: 내일 비가 올까요? - 올 것 같아요.

shall I? - offering to do it yourself

Examples

When you'd hear it

What learners get wrong

shall we? - proposing something together

Examples

When you'd hear it

What learners get wrong

I wonder if - guessing aloud

Examples

When you'd hear it

What learners get wrong

Ask Ipsae about -(으)ㄹ까요?