Word
친구는 수영할 줄 몰라요.chinguneun suyeonghal jul mollayo.
Meaning
My friend doesn’t know how to swim.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of chinguneun suyeonghal jul mollayo.
친구chingu
friend
~는~neun
topic particle
수영할 줄 모르다suyeonghal jul moreuda
to not know how to swim
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Korean grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about chinguneun suyeonghal jul mollayo.
Why is it 친구는 and not 친구가?
- 는/은 marks the topic and often adds a contrastive or “as for …” nuance: 친구는 = “as for my friend…”
- 이/가 marks the grammatical subject and is neutral, often introducing new info: 친구가 수영할 줄 몰라요 is a plain statement “(My) friend doesn’t know how to swim.”
- Using 친구는 can imply contrast (e.g., “My friend doesn’t, but I do”) or that “friend” is already known in the discourse.
What does 수영할 줄 몰라요 literally mean?
- The pattern -ㄹ/을 줄 알다/모르다 means “to know/don’t know how to (do something).”
- Breakdown: 수영하다 (to swim) → 수영할 (attributive/“able-to-do” form) + 줄 (way/knack/skill) + 모르다 (to not know) → “doesn’t know the way/knack of swimming,” i.e., “doesn’t know how to swim.”
How is -ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다 different from -ㄹ 수 있다/없다?
- -ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다 focuses on learned skill/know-how. Example: 수영할 줄 알아요 = “(They) know how to swim.”
- -ㄹ 수 있다/없다 is broader “can/cannot” (ability, possibility, permission, circumstances). 수영할 수 없어요 could mean “can’t swim (now)” due to an injury, no pool, etc., not necessarily lacking the skill.
- In conversation, both can imply ability, but 줄 알다/모르다 is the clearest for “know how.”