-(으)ㄹ까 하다 expresses consideration or tentative plans. It means "thinking of," "considering," "wondering whether to," or "maybe I'll..."
Structure
Verb stem + -(으)ㄹ까 하다
Breakdown:
- -(으)ㄹ까: Wondering/considering marker
- 하다: To do/think
Literal meaning: "I'm thinking/wondering whether to..."
Conjugation Rules
After Vowel or ㄹ: -ㄹ까 하다
No final consonant:
- 가다 → 갈까 해요 (thinking of going)
- 오다 → 올까 해요 (thinking of coming)
- 자다 → 잘까 해요 (thinking of sleeping)
After ㄹ (drop ㄹ):
- 만들다 → 만들까 해요 (thinking of making)
- 팔다 → 팔까 해요 (thinking of selling)
After Consonant: -을까 하다
Final consonant present:
- 먹다 → 먹을까 해요 (thinking of eating)
- 읽다 → 읽을까 해요 (thinking of reading)
- 듣다 → 듣을까 해요 (thinking of listening)
하다 Verbs: -ㄹ까 하다
All 하다 verbs:
- 하다 → 할까 해요 (thinking of doing)
- 공부하다 → 공부할까 해요 (thinking of studying)
- 요리하다 → 요리할까 해요 (thinking of cooking)
Politeness Levels
Formal (합니다체)
- 갈까 합니다 (thinking of going)
- 먹을까 합니다 (thinking of eating)
- 공부할까 합니다 (thinking of studying)
Polite (해요체)
- 갈까 해요 (thinking of going)
- 먹을까 해요 (thinking of eating)
- 공부할까 해요 (thinking of studying)
Casual (반말)
- 갈까 해 (thinking of going)
- 먹을까 해 (thinking of eating)
- 공부할까 해 (thinking of studying)
Core Meanings
1. Tentative Plan
Not yet decided:
- 내일 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going tomorrow)
- 영화 볼까 해요 (I'm thinking of watching a movie)
- 머리 자를까 해요 (I'm thinking of cutting my hair)
2. Considering Options
Weighing possibilities:
- 이거 살까 해요 (I'm thinking of buying this)
- 그만둘까 해요 (I'm thinking of quitting)
- 이사 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of moving)
3. Soft Suggestion
Indirect proposal:
- 우리 같이 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking we could go together)
- 내가 도와줄까 해요 (I'm thinking of helping)
- 파티 할까 해요 (I'm thinking of having a party)
Tense Conjugations
Present Tense: -(으)ㄹ까 해요
Current consideration:
- 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going)
- 먹을까 해요 (I'm thinking of eating)
- 할까 해요 (I'm thinking of doing)
Past Tense: -(으)ㄹ까 했어요
Was considering:
- 갈까 했어요 (I was thinking of going)
- 먹을까 했어요 (I was thinking of eating)
- 할까 했어요 (I was thinking of doing)
Often implies: Considered but didn't do
Future Tense: -(으)ㄹ까 할 거예요
Rare form, usually just present:
- 갈까 할 거예요 (I will consider going)
Note: Present tense is more natural
Difference in Certainty
Less Certain: -(으)ㄹ까 하다
Just considering, not decided:
- 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going - maybe, maybe not)
More Certain: -(으)려고 하다
Definite intention:
- 가려고 해요 (I'm planning to go - more decided)
Most Certain: -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Will definitely do:
- 갈 거예요 (I will go - decided)
Common Usage
Making Plans
Tentative plans:
- 주말에 여행 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of traveling this weekend)
- 내일 쉴까 해요 (I'm thinking of resting tomorrow)
- 저녁 먹으러 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going for dinner)
Shopping/Purchasing
Considering buying:
- 이 옷 살까 해요 (I'm thinking of buying these clothes)
- 새 폰 바꿀까 해요 (I'm thinking of changing to a new phone)
- 차 살까 해요 (I'm thinking of buying a car)
Life Changes
Major decisions:
- 회사 그만둘까 해요 (I'm thinking of quitting my job)
- 이사 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of moving)
- 결혼할까 해요 (I'm thinking of getting married)
- 유학 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of studying abroad)
Daily Decisions
Small choices:
- 커피 마실까 해요 (I'm thinking of drinking coffee)
- 일찍 잘까 해요 (I'm thinking of sleeping early)
- 택시 탈까 해요 (I'm thinking of taking a taxi)
With Past Tense: Unfulfilled Consideration
-(으)ㄹ까 했는데/했지만
Was thinking of... but:
- 갈까 했는데 안 갔어요 (I was thinking of going but didn't)
- 전화할까 했지만 늦어서 안 했어요 (I was thinking of calling but it was late so I didn't)
- 살까 했는데 너무 비쌌어요 (I was thinking of buying it but it was too expensive)
Negative Form
Thinking of Not Doing
Pattern: -지 않을까 하다 / 안 -(으)ㄹ까 하다
Examples:
- 가지 않을까 해요 (I'm thinking of not going)
- 안 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of not going)
- 먹지 않을까 해요 (I'm thinking of not eating)
- 안 먹을까 해요 (I'm thinking of not eating)
Usage: Considering the negative option
Contrast with Similar Forms
-(으)ㄹ까 하다 vs -(으)려고 하다
-(으)ㄹ까 하다: Tentative, considering
- 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going)
- → Not decided yet, weighing options
-(으)려고 하다: Decided intention
- 가려고 해요 (I'm planning/trying to go)
- → More committed, definite plan
-(으)ㄹ까 하다 vs -고 싶다
-(으)ㄹ까 하다: Considering action
- 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going)
- → Contemplating whether to do it
-고 싶다: Want/desire
- 가고 싶어요 (I want to go)
- → Expressing desire, not necessarily planning
-(으)ㄹ까 하다 vs -(으)ㄹ까요?
-(으)ㄹ까 하다: Statement (I'm thinking of)
- 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going)
- → Telling others about consideration
-(으)ㄹ까요?: Question (Shall we?)
- 갈까요? (Shall we go?)
- → Asking for opinion/suggestion
Common Expressions
Food/Dining
- 뭐 먹을까 해요 (I'm thinking about what to eat)
- 배달 시킬까 해요 (I'm thinking of ordering delivery)
- 요리할까 해요 (I'm thinking of cooking)
- 외식할까 해요 (I'm thinking of eating out)
Work/Study
- 오늘 조퇴할까 해요 (I'm thinking of leaving early today)
- 휴가 낼까 해요 (I'm thinking of taking a vacation)
- 이직할까 해요 (I'm thinking of changing jobs)
- 대학원 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going to grad school)
Appearance Changes
- 머리 자를까 해요 (I'm thinking of cutting my hair)
- 염색할까 해요 (I'm thinking of dyeing my hair)
- 안경 바꿀까 해요 (I'm thinking of changing glasses)
- 다이어트 시작할까 해요 (I'm thinking of starting a diet)
Social Plans
- 친구 만날까 해요 (I'm thinking of meeting a friend)
- 파티 열까 해요 (I'm thinking of throwing a party)
- 초대할까 해요 (I'm thinking of inviting them)
- 같이 갈까 해요 (I'm thinking of going together)
Question Form (Rare)
Asking About Someone's Consideration
Pattern: -(으)ㄹ까 해요?
Usage: Not common, usually use other forms
Better alternatives:
- 뭐 할 거예요? (What will you do?)
- 뭐 하려고 해요? (What are you planning to do?)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Weekend Plans
A: 주말에 뭐 할 거예요?
(What will you do this weekend?)
B: 영화 볼까 해요. 아직 잘 모르겠어요.
(I'm thinking of watching a movie. I'm not sure yet.)
Dialogue 2: Hair Salon
A: 오늘 어떻게 해드릴까요?
(How shall I do it today?)
B: 머리 좀 자를까 하는데요. 어떻게 하면 좋을까요?
(I'm thinking of cutting my hair. What would be good?)
Dialogue 3: Job Change
A: 요즘 회사 어때요?
(How's work these days?)
B: 그만둘까 해요. 너무 힘들어요.
(I'm thinking of quitting. It's too hard.)
Dialogue 4: Shopping
A: 이 옷 어때요?
(How are these clothes?)
B: 좋은데 너무 비싸요. 살까 말까 고민 중이에요.
(They're nice but too expensive. I'm debating whether to buy them.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 갈까요 해요
Wrong combination
✅ Correct: 갈까 해요
No 요 after ㄹ까
❌ Incorrect: 먹까 해요
Missing -을- after consonant
✅ Correct: 먹을까 해요
Need -을까 after consonants
Summary Table
| Verb | -(으)ㄹ까 하다 (Polite) | Casual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 갈까 해요 | 갈까 해 | Thinking of going |
| 먹다 | 먹을까 해요 | 먹을까 해 | Thinking of eating |
| 하다 | 할까 해요 | 할까 해 | Thinking of doing |
| 사다 | 살까 해요 | 살까 해 | Thinking of buying |
Certainty Spectrum
| Expression | Certainty Level | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -(으)ㄹ까 하다 | Low | Thinking of (tentative) |
| -(으)려고 하다 | Medium | Planning to (decided) |
| -(으)ㄹ 거예요 | High | Will do (definite) |
Key Takeaways
✅ Expresses consideration: "Thinking of" / "Considering"
✅ Tentative, not decided: Less commitment than -(으)려고 하다
✅ After vowel/ㄹ: -ㄹ까 하다
✅ After consonant: -을까 하다
✅ Soft and indirect: Natural for Korean communication style
✅ Common in planning: Used when weighing options
-(으)ㄹ까 하다 is perfect for expressing tentative plans and considerations in Korean. It shows you're thinking about something but haven't fully decided yet, making it a polite and natural way to discuss potential actions.