Breakdown of naeil ppallaereul halkka haeyo.
~를~reul
object particle
내일naeil
tomorrow
빨래ppallae
laundry
~까 하다~kka hada
to think of doing
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Questions & Answers about naeil ppallaereul halkka haeyo.
What does -ㄹ까 해요 mean in 내일 빨래를 할까 해요?
-ㄹ까 하다/해요 is an idiomatic ending that means “I’m thinking about doing (something).” It’s not a question even though -까 can mark a question elsewhere. So 할까 해요 here literally means “I’m thinking of doing (it).”
Is 내일 빨래를 할까 해요 a question or a statement?
It’s a statement. Although it contains -까, it’s part of the fixed phrase -ㄹ까 하다 (thinking about). A real question “Shall I do the laundry tomorrow?” would be 내일 빨래를 할까요?
How do you conjugate verbs with -ㄹ까 하다?
- If the verb stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ, just add -ㄹ까 하다.
- 가다 → 갈까 하다
- 보다 → 볼까 하다
- If the stem ends in any other consonant, add -을까 하다.
- 먹다 → 먹을까 하다
- 쓰다 → 쓸까 하다
Then adjust politeness (e.g. 하겠다 → 할까 하다 → 할까 해요).
Why is 빨래 followed by 를?
Because 빨래하다 (“to do laundry”) treats 빨래 as the object. In Korean, objects take the object particle 를/을, so you get 빨래를 하다.
What’s the difference between -ㄹ까 하다 and -려고 하다?
- -려고 하다 = “intend to” or “plan to” (stronger, more decided).
- -ㄹ까 하다 = “thinking about,” “considering” (softer, less committed).
Example:
• 내일 빨래를 하려고 해요. → I intend to do laundry tomorrow.
• 내일 빨래를 할까 해요. → I’m thinking about doing laundry tomorrow.
Can I use 내일 in a different position, or does it have to come first?
Korean word order is flexible, but time expressions usually come early for clarity.
- Natural: 내일 빨래를 할까 해요.
- Possible but less common: 빨래를 내일 할까 해요.
Shifting 내일 later isn’t wrong, but starting with it sets the time frame up front.
Could I use a different level of politeness or formality here?
Yes. You can adjust both -하다 and the ending:
- Casual: 내일 빨래를 할까 해.
- Formal: 내일 빨래를 할까 합니다.
- Intimate: 내일 빨래할까? (more like “You wanna do laundry tomorrow?”)
Each choice changes the tone and relationship with the listener.