Korean Grammar Point
~(으)ㄹ지 (Maybe, perhaps)

Used to express uncertainty, doubt, or speculation; 'might', 'maybe', 'I'm not sure if...'.

Formation

Verb/Adjective stem + (으)ㄹ지 (모르다)

Examples

오늘은 비가 올지 모르겠어요, 아침에는 맑았거든요.

Oneureun biga olji moreugesseoyo, achim-eneun malgatgeodeunyo.

I’m not sure if it will rain today; it was clear in the morning.

그 학생이 시험을 통과할지 잘 모르겠어요. 공부를 열심히 안 해서요.

Geu haksaengi siheomeul tonggwahalji jal moreugesseoyo. Gongbureul yeolsimhi an haeseo-yo.

I'm not sure if that student will pass the exam, because he didn't study hard.

그녀가 이렇게 많이 먹을 수 있을지 몰랐어요. 항상 조금만 먹었거든요.

Geunyeoga ireohge manhi meogeul su isseulji mollasseoyo. Hangsang jogeumman meogeotgeodeunyo.

I didn’t know she could eat this much; she usually only ate small amounts.

저를 사랑하실지 아직 잘 모르겠어요. 그분의 마음을 아직 잘 몰라요.

Jeoreul saranghasilji ajik jal moreugesseoyo. Geubunui maeumeul ajik jal mollayo.

I’m still not sure if she loves me; I don’t know her feelings well yet.

Long Explanation

The grammar pattern '~(으)ㄹ지' is used with verbs or adjectives to convey uncertainty or speculation. It often appears with expressions like '모르겠다 (I don't know)', forming '~(으)ㄹ지 모르겠다' to mean 'I’m not sure if...' or 'maybe...'. It's similar to 'perhaps' or 'might' in English.

Detailed Grammar Notes

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Public Alpha version Open Source (GitHub). This site is currently undergoing active development. You may (will) encounter bugs, inconsistencies, or limited functionality. Lots of sentences might not sound natural. We are progressively addressing these issues with native speakers.


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