How to Say "The wolf can open the door" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The wolf can open the door" in Korean is "늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요." (neukdaeneun muneul yeol su iteoyo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

In Korean, "The wolf can open the door" is expressed as "늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요.". This sentence demonstrates Polite Ending (-아/어요), one of the most useful grammar patterns for Korean learners. Let's explore the grammar and vocabulary.

Category: 동물

What does "The wolf can open the door" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요." translates to "The wolf can open the door." in English. The sentence "늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요." is at the sweet spot for language learners: simple enough to parse, rich enough to be useful. It means "the wolf can open the door" and uses vocabulary you will encounter again and again.

Pronunciation guide: neukdaeneun muneul 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 "늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 늑대는 (neukdaeneun) • 문을 (muneul) • 열 (yeol) • 수 (su) • 있어요 (iteoyo)

The best way to internalize Korean word order is to build sentences piece by piece: start with the verb, then add the object, then the subject.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

The expression sounds genuinely Korean because it uses topic and subject markers correctly. These small particles (은/는, 이/가) are invisible in English but essential for natural Korean.

Cultural Insight

한국 설화에서 까치는 길조의 새로, 좋은 소식을 전해준다고 믿었어요. '까치가 울면 반가운 손님이 온다'는 속담이 있습니다.

Examples

늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요. — neukdaeneun muneul yeol su iteoyo. — The wolf can open the door.

늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요? — neukdaeneun muneul yeol su iteoyo? — Does the wolf can open the door?

주말에 늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요. — jumale neukdaeneun muneul yeol su iteoyo. — On weekends, the wolf can open the door.

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 늑대는 문을 열 수 → Correct: 늑대는 문을 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 "The wolf can open the door" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "늑대는 문을 열 수 있어요.". neukdaeneun muneul yeol su iteoyo.

Fill in the blank: 늑대는 문을 열 수 ___

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