haru Korean › Grammar › Level 1B › ㄹ 탈락
ㄹ 탈락 — ㄹ words — 살다 drops its ㄹ before ㄴ · ㅂ · ㅅ
ㄹ words — 살다 drops its ㄹ before ㄴ · ㅂ · ㅅ. Korean grammar for beginner learners — Level 1B, lesson 6: 피아노를 칠 수 있어요? (Can you play the piano? — abilities).
What it means
Many verbs and adjectives end in ㄹ: 살다, 알다, 놀다, 만들다, 멀다, 길다. The ㄹ stays before 아/어, 고, 지만 and -았/었-: 살아요, 살고, 살았어요. Before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ it drops: 사세요, 삽니다, 머네요. Endings with (으) take no 으, and a ㄹ at the start of the ending joins the ㄹ already there: 살면, 놀러 가요, 살까요?, 살 거예요. Context tells 사세요 'you live' (살다) from 사세요 'please buy' (사다).
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -아요/어요 | ㄹ stays | 살다 + 아요 → 살아요 |
| -(으)세요 | ㄹ drops before ㅅ | 살다 + 세요 → 사세요 |
| -ㅂ니다 · -네요 | ㄹ drops before ㅂ · ㄴ | 살다 + ㅂ니다 → 삽니다 |
| -(으)ㄹ까요? · -(으)면 | no 으 · one ㄹ | 살다 + ㄹ까요 → 살까요? |
Key points
- ㄹ 탈락 — a stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ before ㄴ · ㅂ · ㅅ: 살다 → 사세요 · 삽니다 · 사네요
- Before 아/어, 고, 지만 and -았/었- the ㄹ stays, and (으) endings add no 으: 살아요 · 살고 · 살았어요 · 살까요? · 살면
Examples
- 살다 → 살아요 · 살았어요 · 살고 · 살지만
- 살다 → 사세요 · 삽니다 · 사네요
- 살다 → 살까요? · 살면 · 살 거예요
- 만들다 → 만들어요 · 만드세요 · 만듭니다
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 1B, lesson 14; Yonsei University Korean 1-1, lesson 7; Ewha Womans University Korean 1-1, lesson 7; Hongik University Korean 2A, lesson 1.
Also in this lesson
- V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 — can · can't — what you are able to do
- V-지 못하다 — can't — a second way: -지 못해요
- A/V-지 않다 — not — the long form: -지 않아요