Grammar
-(으)ㄹ까?
to wonder about a possibility
Form
Verb or adjective stem + -(으)ㄹ까? — “could it be…?”, “I wonder if…”.
Function
Expresses deliberation or a tentative guess. With -ㄴ/은/는 것, the speaker can wonder about a suspected fact or cause.
Why this form?
-(으)ㄹ까요? — “might…? / shall we…?”: polite question often seeking another person’s opinion.
-나? — “is it…?”: direct or internal question, less overtly conjectural.
How to build it
-(으)ㄹ까: vowel or ㄹ-final stem + -ㄹ까; consonant-final stem + -을까. 것일까 contracts to 걸까 in speech.
Forms not to confuse
- -(으)ㄹ까요?
내일 비가 올까요? — Will it rain tomorrow?
- -나?
벌써 끝났나? — Is it over already?
Examples
이 사람도 여기서 깨어난 걸까? — Could this person have woken up here too?
내일 눈이 올까? — I wonder if it will snow tomorrow.