Korean Self-Study Lesson 6

Welcome to Lesson 9! Today, we will study how to express personal abilities or constraints using the “Can/Cannot” pattern (-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다), how to target specific recipients (에게), and how to describe transportation methods or transit duration boundaries (에서 ~ 까지 / -(으)로).

1. Learning Objectives

Ability Statements: Describe what actions or skills a person can or cannot perform smoothly.
Intervals & Directional Methods: Detail commute times, distances, and modes of travel between destinations.

2. Core Lesson Narrative & Dialogue

Practice reading the story of Michael’s favorite Korean food and daily distance metrics below:

Korean Text	English Translation
한국 사람들은 김치를 좋아합니다. (Hanguk saramdeureun kimchireul joahapnida.)	Korean people like Kimchi.
마이클도 김치를 좋아합니다. 김치는 맵지만 맛있습니다. (Maikeuldo kimchireul joahapnida. Kimchineun maepjiman masisupnida.)	Michael likes Kimchi too. Kimchi is spicy but delicious.
마이클은 김치를 먹을 수 있습니다. (Maikeureun kimchireul meogeul su isupnida.)	Michael can eat Kimchi.
가끔 강수미 씨는 마이클에게 김치를 줍니다. (Gakkeum Gang Su-mi ssineun Maikeurege kimchireul jupnida.)	Sometimes, Kang Su-mi gives Kimchi to Michael.
마이클은 불고기도 좋아합니다. 자주 식당에서 불고기를 먹습니다. (Maikeureun bulgogido joahapnida. Jaju sikdangeseo bulgogireul meoksupnida.)	Michael likes Bulgogi too. He frequently eats Bulgogi at the restaurant.
마이클의 집에서 식당까지 10분 걸립니다. (Maikeurui jibeseo sikdangkaji sipbun geollipnida.)	It takes 10 minutes from Michael’s house to the restaurant.

3. Vocabulary Building

Adverbs & Core Verbs

좋아하다 (joahada): To like
맵다 (maepda): To be spicy
가끔 (gakkeum): Sometimes
자주 (jaju): Frequently / Often
걸리다 (geollida): To take time (e.g., 10분 걸립니다 → It takes 10 minutes)

Vehicles & Transportation

버스 (beoseu) / 지하철 (jihacheol): Bus / Subway
비행기 / 기차 / 배: Airplane / Train / Boat
자전거 (jajeongeo): Bicycle

4. Grammar Points & Explanations

1) Noun + 에게 (To someone)

Attached to an animate noun to show the direct recipient of an item, call, or letter.

강수미 씨는 마이클에게 김치를 줍니다. → Kang Su-mi gives Kimchi to Michael.

2) Noun + (으)로 (By / Via / Using transportation)

Indicates the instrument, tool, or vehicle used to complete an action.

-로: Appended if the noun ends in a vowel or ‘ㄹ’ (e.g., 버스로, 자전거로).
-으로: Appended if the noun ends in any consonant besides ‘ㄹ’ (e.g., 지하철으로).

3) Action Verb + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 (Can / Cannot do)

-ㄹ 수 있다/없다: Used if the verb root ends in a vowel (e.g., 하다 → 할 수 있습니다).
-을 수 있다/없다: Used if the verb root ends in a consonant (e.g., 먹다 → 먹을 수 있습니다).

4) Noun에서 ~ Noun까지 (From place A to place B)

Exposes the spatial scope and physical journey duration from start to finish.

집에서 학교까지 버스로 20분 걸립니다. → It takes 20 minutes from home to school by bus.

📥 [Free Subscriber Download] Korean Study Guide Lesson 9 Worksheet

Korean_Study_Guide_Lesson_9_Worksheet

Print out this beautiful academic blue worksheet to complete your exercises offline! Below is a preview of your task sheet:

Exercise 1: Recipient Particle Construction (에게)

Form complete sentences based on the given clues:

나 ⇒ 친구, 편지, 보내다 → __________________________________________________
수미 ⇒ 마이클, 전화, 하다 → __________________________________________________
어머니 ⇒ 나, 돈, 주다 → __________________________________________________

Exercise 2: Travel and Distance Integration (에서, 까지, (으)로)

Example: 집, 학교, 버스, 20분, 걸리다 → 집에서 학교까지 버스로 20분 걸립니다.

서울, 부산, 기차, 2시간 40분, 걸리다 → __________________________________________________
한국, 일본, 비행기, 1시간 30분, 걸리다 → __________________________________________________
집, 가게, 자전거, 10분, 걸리다 → __________________________________________________

Exercise 3: Ability Expressions (-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다)

마이클은 김치를 ___________________________. (Michael can eat Kimchi.)
마이클은 태권도를 ___________________________. (Michael cannot do Taekwondo.)
민수는 중국어를 조금 ___________________________. (Minsu can speak a bit of Chinese.)

Comprehensive Korean Self-Study Guide for Beginners: Lesson 9