“You can do it” in Korean: 할 수 있어요! (hal su isseoyo!)

할 수 있어요!

hal su isseoyo!

Situation: Feelings & cheeringLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

You can do it! (also “I can do it”)

-ㄹ 수 있어요 means “can ~.” Said to someone it is encouragement; said about yourself it becomes “I can do it,” a statement of resolve.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 5 · Words: 3

In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
할	ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄹ	hal
수	ㅅ+ㅜ	su
있어요
있	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㅆ	[이] i
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[써] sseo
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 있어 → [이써]

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Exclamation

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
있다	verb	to exist, to have	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “할 수 있어요!” mean?

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Answer: You can do it! (also “I can do it”)

Question 2 How do you say “You can do it! (also “I can do it”)” in Korean?

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Answer: 할 수 있어요! hal su isseoyo!

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