-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 |

-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 |

-(으)ㄹ 수 있다

This ending was introduced previously. This is the basic way to say "can" or "to be able to". When the particle -도 is used after the noun 수, it becomes -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다 and it means that something "could" happen or something "might be" in a certain state.

Ex)

이거 할 수 있어요?

Can you do this?

언제 올 수 있어요?

When can you come?

여기에서 뭐 살 수 있어요?

What can I buy here?

To say "can NOT" you need to change 있다 to 없다.

-(으)ㄹ 줄 알다

This structure was introduced in the previous lesson as a sentence ending that means "to think/to know that something will happen/be in a certain state." But when you are talking about "know-ing how to do something" or "being able to do something", 줄 here means "method" or "how".

Ex)

운전 할 줄 알아요?

Do you know how to drive?

김치 만들 줄 알아요?

Do you know how to make kimchi?

영어 할 줄 알아요?

Do you know how to speak english?

Difference between -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 and -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다

-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 is the basic way to say "can" or "to be able to" so it usually refers to one's actual "capability" of doing something. And on the other hand, -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 means that you know how to something and you can do it, but in most cases, you have LEARNED how to do it. Therefore there can be some things that you CAN potentially do (-을 수 있다) but CAN'T do because you still don't know how to do it.

Ex)

아직 할 줄 몰라요. 그런데 할 수 있어요.

I don't know how to do it yet. But I can do it.

저는 영어 할 줄 몰라요.

I don't speak english.

I don't know how to speak English.

I can't speak english.

그거 한국어로 말할 수 있어요?

Can you say that in Korean?

그거 한국어로 말할 줄 알아요?

Do you know how to say that in korean?

자전가 탈 줄 알아요?

Do you know how to ride a bike?

자전가 탈 수 있어요?

Can you ride a bike?

How to know which meaning -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 takes

It can mean either "to know how to" or "to know/think that something will happen". There is no certain rule for this, but you can usually figure out by context.

Examples

제가 올 줄 알았어요?

In the example above, if you interpret it as "Did you know how to come here?", it is a bit weird. So you know it SHOULD mean "Did you know I would come here?"

이거 만들 줄 알아요? 

In the example above, if you interpret as "Do you know/think..." you don't have enough information to figure out who's going to make "this" and this meaning is usually not commonly used in the present tense, so you know it's easier to understand it as a question, asking "Do you know how to make this?"