Showing posts with label 능력. Show all posts

"Do you know about something" or "do you know how to do something" has already been covered with ㄴ/는지 알아? but this one is slightly different. What makes it different is instead of asking if someone knows about or what something is, this is more focused on how to do something. Think of abilities (능력) and ways of doing things (방법).

Examples:

젓가락을 사용할 줄 알지요?
You know how to use chopsticks, right?

영어 할 줄 아세요?
Do you know how to speak English?*

아이폰을 쓸 줄 몰라요
I don't know how to use an iPhone.

그는 불안해서 어쩔 줄 몰라 했어요.
He was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do.

너무 좋아서 어쩔 줄 모르겠어요
I'm so happy I don't what to do.

A: 일본어 할 줄 몰라? 거기서 오래 살았잖아.
You don't know how to speak Japanese? You lived over there for a long time, you know...
B: 그래. 일본어 못 해. 한국어는 할 줄 알아?
Yeah, I can't speak Japanese. So what? Can you speak Korean?


*compare this with 영어를 할 수 있으세요? Can you speak English? Both ask the listener if they feel comfortable speaking English as a foreign language but each has its own feeling. 할 수 있다 might be a little more formal sounding but both virtually mean the same thing despite the English translation's hair-splitting difference.

To ask if someone knows about something or how to do something in general, use ~(으)ㄴ/는지 알아요? or ~(으)ㄴ/는지 몰라요? I would advise you to use this with care because to directly state or ask if someone older than you knows (or doesn't know) about something might come off looking like an asshat so just be careful.

Examples:

언제부터 방학이는지 알죠?
I'm sure you know when is your your school vacation.

한국에서는 대통령이 누구인지 알아요?
Do you know who the President is in Korea?

김치 만드는지 몰라죠?
You don't know how to make kimchi, right?

미국에서는 가장 유명한 배우 누구인지 아세요?
Do you know who is the most famous actor in America?

A: 공립 도서관에서 고서를 어떻게 빌리는지 알아요?
Do you know how to borrow old books from the library?
B: 잘 몰라요. 아마 외국인등록증 주면 빌릴 수가 있을거예요
Not really. Maybe if I give them my Foreign Registration Card...

A: 소현이랑 사귀는 남자가 누구인지 알니?
Do you know who Sohyeon is dating now?
B: 사귄다고? 택규랑 사귀었어? 역시...
What? She's dating? With Tekkyu? I knew it...

A: 로버트 씨가 언제 한국에 왔는지 아세요?
Do you know how long Robert has been in Korea?
B: 네, 알아요. 80년때에 왔어요.
Yeah I know. He came here in the eighties.