Basic Permission Questions | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이거 써도 돼요?

   Can I use this?

   이거

   this

   써도 돼요?

   May I use it?

   More detail

   이거 means “this” and is a common conversational demonstrative pronoun. It refers to a nearby or contextually indicated thing; the sentence does not specify the thing more precisely. A related form is 이것, which is more formal or written, while 이거 is the usual spoken form. 써도 돼요? uses the pattern [verb stem] + 아/어도 돼요?, meaning “Is it all right if I …?” or “May I …?” Here, 쓰다 means “to use” in the intended context. Its stem 쓰- combines with -어도 as 써도; the form 돼요 comes from 되다 and expresses that something is allowed or acceptable. Thus, 써도 돼요? asks for permission rather than simply asking whether use is possible. The same pattern appears in the supplied context sentence 여기 앉아도 돼요?, “May I sit here?” Together, 이거 identifies the thing and 써도 돼요? asks whether the speaker may use it: “Can I use this?”

2. 여기 앉아도 돼요?

   Can I sit here?

   여기

   here

   앉아도 돼요

   may sit / is it okay to sit

   More detail

   여기 means “here.” It is a location word and does not itself identify a particular person or object. A useful contrast is 거기, “there,” for a place away from the speaker. 앉아도 돼요 combines 앉다, “to sit,” with the permission pattern -아/어도 되다. 앉아 is the 앉다 stem 앉- with the -아 form; 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다, “to be allowed/okay.” The ending -아/어도 돼요? asks whether it is okay for the speaker or another understood person to do the action: “May I …?” or “Is it okay to …?” The 도 belongs to this grammatical pattern here; it does not mean that 앉아도 is a separate verb. For example, 써도 돼요? means “May I use it?” Together, 여기 앉아도 돼요? means “Can I sit here?” Here identifies the proposed location, while 앉아도 돼요? asks for permission to sit. The polite ending makes the question suitable for a respectful everyday request.

3. 들어가도 돼요?

   Can I come in?

   들어가도

   may enter

   돼요

   is okay / is allowed

   More detail

   들어가도 contains 들어가다, “to go in / enter,” followed by -아/어도. The verb’s base form is 들어가다; in this sentence, 들어가도 is the form used before 되다 in the permission pattern -아/어도 되다. The 도 here is part of that pattern, giving the sense “even if one does … / is it okay to do …?” Example: 여기 들어가도 돼요? — “Is it okay to go in here?” This reuses the same permission pattern with an added place expression. 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다, “to become” or, in this construction, “to be okay.” It is not itself the word for “permission”; together with -아/어도, it expresses that an action is permitted or acceptable. The polite ending -요 makes the question suitable for ordinary courteous conversation. The complete pattern is 동사-아/어도 돼요?, meaning “May I [verb]?” or “Is it okay if I [verb]?” Here, 들어가도 supplies the action “enter,” and 돼요? asks whether that action is okay. Thus 들어가도 돼요? means “Can I come in?” or more literally, “Is it okay if I enter?”

4. 그거 봐도 돼요?

   Can I see it?

   그거

   that / it

   봐도 돼요?

   May I look?

   More detail

   그거 means “that thing” or, in this sentence, “it.” It is the spoken form of 그것; the demonstrative 그 identifies something as “that,” while 거 is a conversational form related to 것 (“thing”). The sentence does not specify the object more precisely. 봐도 돼요? asks for permission to look at or see something. The verb is 보다 (“to see; to look at”). Its stem 보- combines with -아도 되다, producing 봐도 되다: literally, “it is all right even if [someone] sees/looks.” In the polite present form, 되다 becomes 돼요, so the reusable question pattern is V-아/어도 돼요? (“May I V?” / “Is it okay if I V?”). For example, 들어가도 돼요? means “May I come in?” Together, 그거 (“it”) and 봐도 돼요? (“may [I] look/see?”) make the complete utterance “Can I see it?” The subject “I” is understood from the permission question and is not separately expressed in the Korean sentence.

5. 이거 해 봐도 돼요?

   Can I try it?

   이거

   this; this thing

   해

   do

   봐도 돼요?

   is it okay to try?

   More detail

   이거 means “this” or “this thing.” It is the spoken form related to 이것 and can stand alone as a demonstrative pronoun. Here it is the object of 하다, corresponding to “it” in the fixed translation; the utterance does not identify what the thing is. Korean demonstratives do not mark gender or number. 해 is the form of 하다 (“to do”). In the pattern V-아/어 보다, a verb such as 하다 is followed by 보다 to express trying an action. The form 하다 becomes 해 before the following element. For example, 읽어 봐요. means “Try reading.” 봐도 돼요? contains 봐, the contracted form of 보아, from 보다 (“to see”); after another verb, V-아/어 보다 contributes the meaning “try doing V.” The ending -아/어도 되다, represented here by -아/어도 돼요?, asks whether an action is allowed. Thus, in this sentence, 봐 contributes “try,” rather than its ordinary standalone meaning “see.” 돼요 is the polite form used in this permission construction. Together, 이거 (“this thing”) and 해 봐도 돼요? (“is it okay to try doing it?”) produce the fixed meaning “Can I try it?” A reusable pattern is V-아/어 봐도 돼요?, meaning “May I try doing V?”

6. 이거 가져도 돼요?

   Can I have this?

   이거

   this

   가져도

   have/take

   돼요?

   is it okay?

   More detail

   이거 means “this” and is the conversational form of 이것 (“this thing”). It is a demonstrative pronoun, so it can stand on its own rather than modifying a following noun. Its specific referent is understood from the situation; the sentence itself identifies it only as something near the speaker or otherwise presented as “this.” 가져도 comes from the verb 가지다, “to have” or “to take,” followed by -아/어도. In this sentence, 가져도 is the form used in the permission pattern V-아/어도 되다: “it is okay to V” or, as a question, “may I V?” The form 가져 is the contracted form used before -도; 가지다 does not mean that the noun itself is being changed. Depending on context, 가지다 can describe possessing something, while a verb such as 가져가다 more specifically describes taking something away. 돼요? is the polite present question form of 되다, “to be okay/allowed” here. Together with a preceding -아/어도, it asks for permission. The polite ending -요 makes the question suitable for ordinary courteous conversation. The chunks combine as 이거 + 가져도 + 돼요?: “Is it okay if I have/take this?” With the fixed translation, the intended natural meaning is “Can I have this?” The Korean sentence leaves the subject unstated, while the English translation supplies “I” as the person asking for permission.