haru Korean › Grammar › Level 3A › V-(으)ㄹ까 말까 (하다)
V-(으)ㄹ까 말까 (하다) — should I or shouldn't I? — saying you can't decide
Should I or shouldn't I? — saying you can't decide. Korean grammar for intermediate learners — Level 3A, lesson 5: 입어 보고 살걸 그랬어요 (I should have tried it on — regrets and hesitation).
What it means
-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다 says you are stuck between doing something and not doing it: 살까 말까 해요 'I can't decide whether to buy it'. It is two little questions side by side — 살까? 'shall I buy it?' and 말까? 'shall I not?' — followed by 하다. After a 받침 use 을까 말까 (입을까 말까, 먹을까 말까); after a vowel, ㄹ까 말까 (살까 말까, 갈까 말까); a stem ending in ㄹ keeps one ㄹ (만들까 말까), and 듣다 becomes 들을까 말까. Instead of 하다 you often hear 고민 중이에요, 생각 중이에요 or 고민하고 있어요: 교환할까 말까 고민 중이에요. To say what you finally did, add -다가 (Lesson 2A-7) and 결국: 살까 말까 하다가 결국 샀어요. Compare -(으)ㄹ까 하다 (Lesson 2B-6), a loose plan — 주말에 원피스를 살까 해요 'I'm thinking of buying a dress' — with -(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다, which is still undecided. The tense goes on 하다: 어제 갈까 말까 했어요.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -을까 말까 | 받침 O | 입다 + 을까 말까 → 입을까 말까 |
| -ㄹ까 말까 | 받침 X · ㄹ (ㄹ은 하나) | 사다 + ㄹ까 말까 → 살까 말까 |
Key points
- V-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다 = can't decide whether to …: 받침 → 을까 말까 (입을까 말까) · no 받침 or ㄹ → ㄹ까 말까 (살까 말까 · 만들까 말까)
- Usually followed by 해요 · 고민 중이에요 · 생각 중이에요. -(으)ㄹ까 해요 (Lesson 2B-6) is a plan; add 말까 and you can't decide yet.
Examples
- 두 가지 생각 사이에서 아직 못 정했을 때 써요: 살까? 사지 말까? → 살까 말까 해요.
- 받침 O → -을까 말까: 입을까 말까 · 먹을까 말까 · 들을까 말까(ㄷ).
- 받침 X · ㄹ → -ㄹ까 말까: 살까 말까 · 갈까 말까 · 만들까 말까.
- 뒤에 자주 와요: 해요 · 고민 중이에요 · 생각 중이에요 · 하다가 결국 ….
- 2B 6과 살까 해요 = 사려고 생각해요. 살까 말까 해요 = 아직 몰라요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 3A, lesson 5.
Also in this lesson
- V-(으)ㄹ걸 (그랬다) — I should have … · I shouldn't have … — small regrets
- V-지 그래(요)? — why don't you …? — friendly advice
- N(이)라도 — … will do · at least … — the second-best choice