Lesson 4
In this lesson, let’s take a look at how to ask someone if they would mind if you did something, or if it is okay to do something.
In order to say this in Korean, you can use structures -아/어/여도 되다 and -아/여/여도 괜찮다 (you can go back to Level 4 Lesson 8 to review how to use -아/어/여도 되다). Therefore, you literally say, “Is it okay if I...?” or “Is it okay for me to...?”.
Let’s look at the various ways of saying this in Korean.
1. Verb stem + -아/어/여도 돼요?
This is the simplest structure. The verb 되다 here means “to be okay”, “to be doable”, or “to be possible” and -아/어/여도 means “even if...” or “even when”. So all together, -아/어/여도 되다 means “to be okay (even) if...”.
Sample Sentences
여기 앉아도 돼요?
= Do you mind if I sit here?
옆에 앉아도 돼요?
= Do you mind if I sit next to you?
창문 닫아도 돼요?
= Do you mind if I close the window?
창문 열어도 돼요?
= Do you mind if I open the window?
나중에 전화해도 돼요?
= Do you mind if I call you later?
2. Verb stem + -아/어/여도 괜찮아요?
This is almost the same structure as -아/어/여도 되다, except the verb here is 괜찮다. These two structures are interchangeable, but -아/어/여도 괜찮아요 has a slightly softer nuance, whereas -아/어/여도 돼요 tends to be a little more direct. By using -아/어/여도 괜찮아요, you give the other person the impression that you are being more careful. You can use this with people who are older than you or with someone you do not know.
Sample Sentences
저 먼저 가도 괜찮아요?
= Do you mind if I leave first (before other people)?
여기 앉아도 괜찮아요?
= May I sit here?
이거 열어 봐도 괜찮아요?
= Do you mind if I open this? / Do you mind if I try opening this?
내일 말해 줘도 괜찮아요?
= Do you mind if I tell you tomorrow?
* “내일 말해 줘도 돼요?” is more direct. “내일 말해 줄게요.” is even more direct.
3. Verb stem + -아/어/여도 될까요?
This structure uses the verb 되다 again, but here it is used in the -(으)ㄹ까요 form, which we introduced in Level 3 Lesson 4. By using -(으)ㄹ까요, you can express your curiosity or uncertainty about something, therefore naturally asking for the other person’s response or feedback. Asking 될까요? makes your sentence softer and more polite than simply saying 돼요?
Sample Sentences
여기 앉아도 될까요?
= Do you mind if I sit here?
= Would you mind if I sit here?
= I wonder if I can sit here? (You are not directly asking the other person, but more asking yourself.)
창문 닫아도 될까요?
= Do you mind if I close the window?
= Could I close the window?
나중에 전화해도 될까요?
= Do you mind if I call you later?
= Can I call you later?
4. Verb stem + -아/어/여 주실래요?
With all three structures above, you can express, “Do you mind if I...?” by asking the other person if it would be okay if YOU did something. However, if you want to ask THE OTHER PERSON whether he or she would mind doing something, you can use the structure -아/어/여 주실래요?.
주다 means “to give”, but when you combine it with other verbs, -아/어/여 주다 means “to do something for someone”, and the honorific suffix -시- makes your sentence more polite.
Sample Sentences
조금 기다려 주실래요?
= Do you mind waiting for a bit?
* In casual language, you can say 조금 기다려 줄래?
한 번 더 설명해 주실래요?
= Do you mind explaining one more time?
* In casual language, you can say 한 번 더 설명해 줄래?
Keeping the same kind of nuance, you can change the sentence ending to the following:
(1) -아/어/여 주실래요? → -아/어/여 줄래요?
(줄래요? is a little less formal than 주실래요? without the suffix -시-.)
(2) -아/어/여 주실래요? → -아/어/여 주시겠어요?
(주시겠어요? is interchangeable with 주실래요? but a little more polite and formal.