How to Say "Mom can open the box" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "Mom can open the box" in Korean is "엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요." (eommaneun sangjareul yeol su iteoyo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

Want to express "Mom can open the box" in Korean? Say "엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요.". The grammar point -아/어요 (A1) is essential for everyday Korean conversation. Read on for a full breakdown.

Category: 가족

What does "Mom can open the box" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요." translates to "Mom can open the box." in English. Imagine a scene: mom can open the box. In Korean, this moment is captured as "엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요.". The sentence flows naturally from subject to action.

Pronunciation guide: eommaneun sangjareul yeol su iteoyo.

Grammar Point: Polite Ending (-아/어요)

The -아/어요 ending is the standard polite speech level in Korean. Use -아요 after bright vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ), -어요 after dark vowels, and 해요 for 하다 verbs.

가다 → 가요, 먹다 → 먹어요, 하다 → 해요. This is the most common speech level in daily Korean.

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 엄마는 (eommaneun) • 상자를 (sangjareul) • 열 (yeol) • 수 (su) • 있어요 (iteoyo)

Korean uses postpositions (after the noun) instead of prepositions (before the noun). 'In the house' becomes '집에서' — house + at/in.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

Korean sentences have a musical quality when the particles and endings match correctly. In this case, every piece fits together harmoniously, making it sound effortless to a native ear.

Cultural Insight

한국에서 '우리 엄마', '우리 아빠'라고 할 때의 '우리(our)'는 소속감과 자부심을 나타내는 특별한 표현이에요.

Examples

엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요. — eommaneun sangjareul yeol su iteoyo. — Mom can open the box.

엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요? — eommaneun sangjareul yeol su iteoyo? — Mom can open the box?

방금 엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요. — banggeum eommaneun sangjareul yeol su iteoyo. — Just now, mom can open the box.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Incorrect: 있어요 엄마는 상자를 열 수 → Correct: 엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요. Korean uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The verb must come at the end of the sentence, unlike English where it comes after the subject.

Quiz

How do you say "Mom can open the box" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "엄마는 상자를 열 수 있어요.". eommaneun sangjareul yeol su iteoyo.

Fill in the blank: 엄마는 상자를 열 수 ___

The correct ending is "있어요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.