Unit 25: To Know How To (-(으)ㄹ 줄 알다)

Wait! We just learned -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 means "I thought that...". In Easy Korean, this EXACT same structure also means "To know how to do something" or "To NOT know how to do something."

How do you tell the difference? Context! If the sentence is in the present tense (알아요/몰라요), it almost always means knowing/not knowing "how to".

Structure

Verb Stem + -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다

• 수영하다 (to swim) -> 수영할 줄 알아요. (I know how to swim.)
• 운전하다 (to drive) -> 운전할 줄 몰라요. (I don't know how to drive.)
• 피아노를 치다 (to play piano) -> 피아노를 칠 줄 알아요. (I know how to play piano.)

Examples

A: 자전거 탈 줄 알아요? (Do you know how to ride a bike?) B: 아니요, 탈 줄 몰라요. (No, I don't know how to ride it.)