Grammar
-(으)ㄹ 수 있다
Meaning
Beginner-(eu)l su itda
Attaches to a verb stem to express ability or possibility — 'can do' or 'it is possible to do'. The negative counterpart, -(으)ㄹ 수 없다, means 'cannot / it is not possible to'.
Form
Vowel-ending stem + -ㄹ 수 있다; consonant-ending stem + -을 수 있다 (e.g. 가다 → 갈 수 있다, 먹다 → 먹을 수 있다). ㄹ-ending stems keep a single ㄹ (살다 → 살 수 있다). For the negative, replace 있다 with 없다: -(으)ㄹ 수 없다. Past ability uses -(으)ㄹ 수 있었다 ('was able to').
Examples
미세먼지 상태를 확인할 수 있습니다.
You can check the fine dust levels.
인구총조사로 우리나라 인구수를 알 수 있습니다.
Through the population census, we can find out the country's population.
편의점에서 라면을 살 수 있습니다.
You can buy ramen at a convenience store.
배달 앱으로 생필품도 배달시킬 수 있습니다.
You can also have daily necessities delivered through the delivery app.
From: Baedal Minjok and Korea's Booming Food Delivery Culture
Common mistakes & nuance
English 'can' covers both ability/possibility and permission, but Korean uses different grammar for each — -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 is for ability/possibility, while permission ('may I / you may') is expressed with -아/어도 되다. Don't mix the two up when translating 'can' from English.
Similar grammar
- -(으)ㄹ 것이다
Both use the -(으)ㄹ modifier shape, but -(으)ㄹ 것이다 expresses a future plan or prediction ('will do'), while -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility ('can do') — they are not interchangeable despite the similar look.
- -게 되다
-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 alone just states current ability or possibility. It's often combined directly with -게 되다 (-(으)ㄹ 수 있게 되다) to say that a possibility is new — that a change in circumstance made something possible that wasn't before.