-(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다

Use it to say whether someone knows how to do something, meaning a skill or method they have learned.

능력·허락·의무Can, may & must

Han: Having no time is a circumstance, not a missing skill; 갈 줄 몰라요 would mean you don’t know how to get there, so use -(으)ㄹ 수 없다.

Examples

저는 수영할 줄 몰라서 바다에 잘 안 가요.I can’t swim, so I rarely go to the sea.

저는 운전할 줄 알아요.I know how to drive.

우리 할머니는 스마트폰을 쓸 줄 모르세요.My grandmother doesn’t know how to use a smartphone.

김치찌개를 끓일 줄 알아요?Do you know how to make kimchi stew?

Don’t mix up

-(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다vs-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다수 있다/없다 covers both skill and circumstances; 줄 알다/모르다 is for know-how only. Busy → 내일은 바빠서 만날 수 없어요 (not 만날 줄 몰라요).

-(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다vs-(으)ㄹ 줄 알았다/몰랐다 (expectation)Same shape, but about an event rather than a skill, it means “thought / didn’t expect”: 그 사람이 올 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t expect him to come.

How to build it

V+(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 / 모르다

운전하다 → 운전할 줄 알아요; 읽다 → 읽을 줄 몰라요; 만들다 → 만들 줄 알아요

Attach -ㄹ 줄 to stems ending in a vowel and -을 줄 to stems ending in a consonant. Stems ending in ㄹ simply keep their ㄹ: 만들다 → 만들 줄 (not 만들을 줄).
It expresses learned know-how, not circumstances. If you can’t do something because of time, health or permission, use -(으)ㄹ 수 없다 instead.
The negative uses 모르다, not 안 알다: 할 줄 몰라요 (not 할 줄 안 알아요).
With a past event and 알았다/몰랐다, the same form usually means “I thought / I didn’t expect”, not a skill: 비가 올 줄 몰랐어요 = I didn’t expect rain.

Classic mistake

Wrong: ~~오늘은 시간이 없어서 파티에 갈 줄 몰라요.~~

Right: 오늘은 시간이 없어서 파티에 갈 수 없어요.

Having no time is a circumstance, not a missing skill; 갈 줄 몰라요 would mean you don’t know how to get there, so use -(으)ㄹ 수 없다.

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