Open Lingo
LearnGet started

Korean grammar

Let's and shall we in Korean: (으)ㅂ시다 and (으)ㄹ까요?

Korean has a soft suggestion and a firm one. (으)ㄹ까요? floats an idea or asks what we should do: 같이 갈까요?, shall we go together? (으)ㅂ시다 is a clear let's: 같이 갑시다. Both pick their shape by the last letter of the stem, and the firm one is best kept for friends and people at your own level.

Examples are written in Hangul. New to it? Start with the hangul chart.

In short

  • (으)ㄹ까요? proposes gently or asks what to do: 같이 갈까요? (shall we go together?), 뭐 먹을까요? (what shall we eat?)
  • (으)ㅂ시다 is a clear let's: 같이 갑시다 (let's go together), 밥 먹읍시다 (let's eat).
  • After a vowel stem: ㄹ까요 and ㅂ시다 (갈까요, 갑시다). After a consonant stem: 을까요 and 읍시다 (먹을까요, 먹읍시다).
  • To someone older or senior, (으)ㅂ시다 can sound pushy. Use 갈까요? or the plain polite 같이 가요 instead.
  • The polite present doubles as a suggestion: 세 시에 만나요 (let's meet at three).

(으)ㄹ까요? — 'shall we …?'

(으)ㄹ까요? proposes something gently: 같이 갈까요? = 'shall we go together?', 뭐 먹을까요? = 'what shall we eat?'. After a VOWEL stem → ㄹ까요 (갈까요); after a CONSONANT stem → 을까요 (먹을까요). It's the softest, friendliest way to suggest — great with friends.

  • ㄹ까요?

    -lkkayo

    shall we …? (after ㄹ)

  • 뭐 먹을까요?

    What shall we eat?

  • 같이 갈까요?

    Shall we go together?

(으)ㅂ시다 — 'let's …'

(으)ㅂ시다 = 'let's …' — a clear, polite suggestion: 같이 갑시다 = 'let's go together', 밥 먹읍시다 = 'let's eat'. After a VOWEL stem → ㅂ시다 (갑시다); after a CONSONANT stem → 읍시다 (먹읍시다). HEADS-UP: to someone older or senior, ㅂ시다 can sound a bit pushy — with them, prefer the softer 갈까요? or plain 같이 가요.

  • 밥 먹읍시다

    Let's eat.

  • 같이 갑시다

    Let's go together

Check yourself

Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.

  1. 1.'Shall we go together?' Pick the Korean.

  2. 2.'Shall we drink coffee?' Pick the Korean.

  3. 3.'Let's go together.' Pick the Korean.

  4. 4.'Let's swim together.' Pick the Korean.

Practice this in Open Lingo

This page comes from the Open Lingo course. In the app it is a short interactive lesson with listening, speaking and spaced-repetition review. Free, and no account needed to try it.

Practice this in Open Lingo

Keep going