🇺🇸 Translation
I’m happy that I can sing
📙 Lesson point
How to say “Happy that I can sing” in Korean
Hello, everyone! We’re going to learn two things today. We’ll mainly learn about the expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서.’ To understand this expression thoroughly, we’ll first take a look at the original form of this expression, which is ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다.’ Then, we’ll learn about the meaning of the adverb clause ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서.’
After reading today’s post, not only will you be able to learn how to say “Happy that I can sing” in Korean, but you’ll also understand how this Korean expression is grammatically formed. Moreover, we’ll look into the actual expression that Dokyeom of SEVENTEEN used for his Instagram post. Let’s begin!
The Korean expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다’
To know the exact meaning of ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서,’ we’ll look at the original form first. The original form of this adverb clause is ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다.’ This expression can be translated as “can do (Verb)” or “to have a way of doing the (Verb).” Let’s look closer into this expression.
‘수’ is a noun that has the meaning of “way of doing,” but it usually isn’t used independently and we can see it most often in expressions such as ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다’ or ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 없다.’
‘있다’ is an adjective that means “to be, to have, to exist,” and the antonym of this word is ‘없다’ which means “to not be, to not have, to not exist.” Hence, the literal translation of the expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다’ is “the way of doing (Verb) exist,” so if you change it naturally, you can write it as “Can do (Verb).”
Similarly, to say the opposite meaning of ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다,’ you just need to change ‘있다’ to ‘없다.’ So, the expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 없다’ means “The way of doing (Verb) doesn’t exist,” and to write it simply and naturally, you can use it as “Can’t do (Verb).”
Examples for ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있다’
노래하다: to sing
노래할 수 있다
= way of singing exists
= Can sing
노래할 수 없다
= way of singing doesn’t exist
= Can’t sing
가다: to go
갈 수 있다
= way of going exists
= Can go
갈 수 없다
= way of going doesn’t exist
= Can’t go
아침에 갈 수 있어요.
= I can go in the morning.
너무 바빠요. 오늘은 갈 수 없어요.
= I’m too busy. I can’t go today.
말하다: to say, to speak, to tell
괜찮아? 말할 수 있어?
= Are you okay? Can you speak?
그건 비밀이야. 말할 수 없어.
= That’s a secret. I can’t tell you.
자다: to sleep
난 시끄러워도 잘 수 있어.
= I can sleep even if it’s noisy.
숙제가 너무 많아. 지금 잘 수 없어.
= I have too much homework. Can’t sleep right now.
The Korean expression ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서’
Now, going back to the adverb clause, ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서,’ to use the opposite meaning for this, you can write it as ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 없어서.’
‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서’ = as there’s a way of doing the (Verb) = as doing (Verb) is possible = as I can do the (Verb)
In this expression, one thing you need to be careful is the syntax. As adverbs always come before the verbs/adjectives in Korean language, adverb clauses also has to be put in front of the following verb/adjective.
Advanced examples for ‘(Verb)-ㄹ 수 있어서’
나는 행복하다 = I am happy 나는 노래할 수 있어서 행복하다 = I am happy, as I can sing 도겸은 잘 수 있어서 행복했다 = Dogyeom was happy, as he could sleep 소미는 울 수 없어서 눈을 감았다 = Somi closed her eyes, as she couldn't cry 승관이는 참을 수 없어서 소리를 질렀다 = As Seungkwan couldn’t hold it back, he screamed
Dokyeom says, “노래할 수 있어서 행복하다”
To conclude, Dokyeom of SEVENTEEN is saying that he is happy to be able to sing. As he posted pictures of himself singing during Seventeen’s concert, he seems to be telling his fans that he is happy to sing in front of them!