- A. 맥주를 한잔 할까요?
How about a beer? [=Shall we do a beer?! ]
B. 네, 그럽시다.
Sure, let’s do it. - A. 걸어 갈까요?
How about walking (there)?
B. 아니오, 택시로 갑시다.
No, let’s take a taxi. - A. 테니스를 칠까요?
How about playing tennis?
B. 네, 언제 칠래요?
Sure. When would you like to play? - A. 설탕을 넣을까요? 말까요?
Shall I put sugar in or not?
The ending -(으)ㄹ까요 is a two-shape verb ending, the third you have seen (the other two were Honorific Polite -(으)세요 and purposive -(으)러 ). The -(으)ㄹ preceding the 까 in the sentences above is the Prospective Modifier, about which you will learn more in Lesson 23. The little word 까 is a post-modifier ? a noun that always has a modifier in front of it ? with the meaning [it’s a] question [of. . .] (it is related to the 까 of Formal style questions in 합니까).
Let us review how verb bases attach to two-shape endings. Vowel-final bases attach to the vowel-less ending of two-shape endings:
- 가- 갈까요? Shall we go?
- 보- 볼까요? Shall we look at it?
With L-extending verbs, the ending attaches to the unextended base, but note that this is somewhat camouflaged:
- 사-ㄹ- 살까요? Shall we live?
That is, this form is 사- + -ㄹ까요, and not 사-ㄹ- + 까요. Contrast this with ㄷ- ㄹverbs:
- A. 음악이나 들을까요?
Shall we listen to some music or something?
B. 네, 어떤 음악을 좋아해요?
Sure. What kind of music do you like?
Consonant-final bases attach to the shape with initial -으-:
- 찾- 찾을까요? Shall I look for it?
- 받- 받을까요? Shall I receive it?
- 입- 입을까요? Shall I put it on?
- 들- 들을까요? Shall I listen to it?
- 구w- 구울까요? Shall I broil it?
The only tricky point to remember here concerns w – ㅂ verbs, for which you learned the following rule: -w + -으 > 우 Another example: 더w- + -을까요? > 더울까요? Do you suppose it will be hot? The 할까요? pattern makes future or tentative questions, and has two distinct usages. a. In the examples above, the questions are usually directed to the first person I/we: Shall we do so-and-so? Shall I do so-and-so? or How about doing so-and-so? ? which means about the same thing as suggesting let’s do so-and-so. Sometimes they are rhetorical (not expecting an answer). You can only use Processive Bases with this meaning. b. The second usage refers to third-persons (he, she, it, they), and translates as Do you suppose. . .? or I wonder: does / is. . .? For this, you can use either a Processive or a Descriptive Base.
- 상자가 너무 무거울까요?
Do you suppose the box is too heavy? - 박선생님이 지금 교실에 계실까요?
Do you suppose Dr. Pak is in the classroom now?
In this second usage, the pattern can also be used on the past base, as follows:
- A. 벌써 왔을까요?
Do you suppose he’s already come?
B. 네. 방금 복도에서 봤어요.
Yes. I saw him just a moment ago in the corridor.
Here are some more examples of how ㅂ-w verbs attach to this two-shape ending:
- 그게 너무 어려울까요? (어려w-)
Do you suppose that is too difficult? - 내일 더울까요? (더w-)
Do you suppose tomorrow will be hot? - 어머니: 불고기를 좀 더 구울까요?
Shall I broil some more pulgogi?
아버지: 됐어요. 배 불러요.
It’s OK. I’m full.