Basic Possession and Ability | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 저는 이거 있어요.

   I have this one.

   저는

   as for me

   이거

   this one

   있어요

   have

   More detail

   저는 combines 저 (“I,” the humble first-person pronoun) with the topic marker 는. It sets the speaker as the topic: “As for me …”. 저 is used when referring to oneself politely; the less humble form 나 is common in casual speech. The marker 는 can also mark contrast, but this sentence does not by itself specify a contrast. 이거 means “this one” or “this thing.” It is a conversational form related to 이것, with 이 indicating something near the speaker and 거 meaning “thing.” Korean also has 그거 for “that one,” as in the following contextual sentence. 이거 does not itself identify what the object is; the object is understood from the situation. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. With a person as the topic and a thing as the understood subject or object of possession, 있다 expresses possession: “have.” In other contexts, 있어요 can mean that something exists or is located somewhere. Its polite ending -어요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation. Together, 저는 이거 있어요 literally follows the pattern “as for me, this one exists/is available,” which Korean uses to express possession. Thus the whole utterance means “I have this one.” The sentence is a polite statement, not a question.

2. 저는 그거 없어요.

   I do not have it.

   저는

   as for me

   그거

   that thing; it

   없어요

   be absent; not exist

   More detail

   저는 presents the speaker as the topic: “as for me.” 저 is the humble/polite first-person pronoun “I,” and 는 marks the topic. This form is useful when stating something about oneself. Example: 저는 학생이에요. — “I am a student.” 그거 means “that thing” and, in this utterance, is understood as “it.” It is a conversational form of 그것; 그 points to something associated with the listener or already identifiable in the context, while 거 is the colloquial form used in this expression for “thing.” The exact thing is not identified by the supplied sentence. 없어요 comes from 없다, “to be absent” or “not exist.” With a person as the topic, Korean commonly uses 없다 for not having something: the item is absent from that person’s possession or available things. 없어요 is the polite present form. Its positive counterpart is 있어요, from 있다, “to exist / be present,” which appears in the preceding sentence. Example: 시간이 없어요. — “I don’t have time.” Together, 저는 그거 없어요 means “I do not have it.” The topic 저는 sets the speaker as the person being described, 그거 identifies the relevant thing as “it,” and 없어요 says that it is not present or available to the speaker. In ordinary conversation, the object can be understood from the surrounding context even when it is not named more specifically.

3. 저는 그거 할 수 있어요.

   I can do it.

   저는

   I; as for me

   그거

   that; it

   할

   do

   수 있어요

   can; be able to

   More detail

   저는 consists of 저, “I,” plus the topic marker 는. It presents the speaker as the topic: “as for me…” The marker does not itself mean “I”; 저 is the first-person form used in this polite style, while 나는 is a less formal alternative with 나. 그거 means “that” or, as here, “it.” It is a conversational form related to 그것. The sentence and fixed translation support the meaning “it,” but they do not identify what the thing is. 할 is the form of 하다, “to do,” used before the following noun 수 in the ability construction. 하다 is the base form; 할 is its attributive form here, not a separate verb meaning. For example, 할 일 means “work to do” or “a thing to do.” 수 있어요 expresses ability or possibility in this sentence. 수 literally functions as a noun meaning a way or possibility, and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist/be.” Together with a verb in the pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요, it means “can [verb].” For example, 읽을 수 있어요 means “I can read” or “it is possible to read,” depending on context. The contrasting context form 못 해요 expresses inability directly: “cannot do it.” Putting the parts together, 저는 그거 할 수 있어요 means “As for me, it is possible to do that,” naturally translated as “I can do it.” The polite ending makes the utterance suitable for a polite conversation.

4. 저는 그거 못 해요.

   I cannot do it.

   저는

   I; as for me

   그거

   it; that thing

   못 해요

   cannot do

   More detail

   저는 consists of 저, the first-person pronoun used here for “I,” plus 는, a topic marker. The combination sets “I” as the topic: “as for me.” 저 is a humble/polite form commonly used when referring to oneself; it is different from the more casual 나. The form 는 follows a vowel-ending syllable; after a consonant, the corresponding topic form is 은. 그거 means “it” or “that thing” here. It is a pronoun referring to the task already understood in the conversation, rather than naming that task. 그거 is a commonly used spoken form related to the fuller form 그것; it is not necessary to translate it as a physical object in every context. 못 해요 expresses inability: 못 is placed before the verb to mean that the subject cannot perform the action, and 해요 is the polite present form of 하다, “to do.” Thus, the useful pattern is 못 + verb: for example, 못 가요 means “I can’t go.” This differs from 안 해요, which means “do not do” or “am not doing” and does not by itself express inability. In the preceding context, 할 수 있어요 means “can do,” while 못 해요 gives the contrasting inability reading. Together, 저는 그거 못 해요 means “I cannot do it.” The topic is “I,” 그거 identifies the understood task as “it,” and 못 해요 says that doing it is not possible for the speaker. The polite ending -요 makes the utterance suitable for a polite conversation.

5. 저를 도와줄 수 있어요?

   Can you help me?

   저를

   me

   도와줄

   to help

   수 있어요?

   can ...?

   More detail

   저를 means “me” as the object of the action. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I/me,” and -를 marks an object after a vowel-final form. Thus, this form identifies the person being helped, not the person doing the helping. 도와줄 comes from 도와주다, “to help.” In this sentence, 도와주다 is changed to 도와줄 before 수 in the ability pattern. The ending -(으)ㄹ connects the action to 수 있다; it does not by itself mean that the helping has already happened. A reusable pattern is V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, meaning “can do V.” 수 있어요? is the polite question form of the ability construction 수 있다. 수 refers to a way or possibility of doing something, while 있어요 expresses that such a possibility exists. With an action before it, V-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요? asks whether someone can do that action. The polite ending -어요? makes the question suitable for ordinary courteous conversation. Together, 저를 도와줄 수 있어요? asks whether the listener is able to help the speaker: “Can you help me?” The object marker shows that the speaker is the person receiving help, and 도와줄 수 있어요? supplies the ability question. The same structure can be reused with another action, for example 이거 할 수 있어요? — “Can you do this?”

6. 이거 할 수 있어요?

   Can you do this?

   이거

   this

   할 수 있어요?

   can do?

   More detail

   이거 means “this” or “this thing.” It is a commonly used spoken form referring to something understood from the situation; the sentence does not specify its exact identity beyond the translation’s “this.” A related form is 이것, which is more full or formal in many contexts. Example: 이거 뭐예요? — “What is this?” 할 is the form of 하다 (“to do”) used before 수 in the ability/possibility pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다. Here it contributes “do,” while the full construction expresses ability. The form 할 is not the ordinary polite present form; 하다 becomes 해요 when used as a polite present statement, as in 해요 — “do/is doing.” 수 is a noun meaning a way, possibility, or means in this construction. In 할 수 있어요, it combines with 있어요 to express that doing something is possible. The negative counterpart is 할 수 없어요 — “cannot do it.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 (“exist; be available”). In -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요, it completes the expression of ability or possibility rather than simply describing physical location. The polite question ending is indicated here by the question intonation and question mark. Korean leaves the subject unstated, so this sentence does not grammatically state a subject; with the fixed translation, it asks whether the addressee can do it. Together, 이거 (“this”) and 할 수 있어요? (“can [someone] do it?”) produce “Can you do this?” The reusable pattern is [thing]을/를 할 수 있어요? or, when the object is already clear, 할 수 있어요? Here 이거 identifies what is to be done, and the polite question asks about the addressee’s ability to do it.