TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다
-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다 means 'I can't decide whether to do it or not'.
목적·의도Purpose, plans & wishesHan: The fixed pattern uses 말다: -(으)ㄹ까 말까, not 안 갈까.
Examples
파티에 갈까 말까 해요.I can't decide whether to go to the party.
회사를 그만둘까 말까 오래 고민했어요.I thought for a long time about whether to quit my job.
케이크를 하나 더 먹을까 말까 고민이에요.I'm torn about whether to eat one more piece of cake.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다vs-(으)ㄹ까 하다-(으)ㄹ까 하다 leans toward doing it; -(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다 is truly undecided: 갈까 해요 vs 갈까 말까 해요.How to build it
V+(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다
가다 → 갈까 말까 해요, 먹다 → 먹을까 말까 고민이에요
- Often followed by 고민이다/고민하다 'to agonize over'.
- Only action verbs; the subject is usually 'I'.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 갈까 안 갈까 해요.
Right: 갈까 말까 해요.
The fixed pattern uses 말다: -(으)ㄹ까 말까, not 안 갈까.
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 겸-(으)ㄹ 겸 gives one of two or more purposes for a single action: 'partly to …, and also to …'.
- -(으)ㄹ 생각이다-(으)ㄹ 생각이다 states a plan or intention you've thought about: 'I plan to / I'm going to'.
- -(으)ㄹ 예정이다-(으)ㄹ 예정이다 says something is scheduled or planned to happen: 'be scheduled to'.
- -(으)ㄹ까 하다-(으)ㄹ까 하다 means 'I'm thinking of doing …' — a loose, not yet fixed plan.
- -(으)려다가-(으)려다가 means 'was about to / intended to do A, but (changed and) did B instead'.
- -도록-도록 links an action to the result or limit it aims at: "so that (something happens)" or "until / to the point that".
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.