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Everyday Korean · one useful step · LESSON 2 / 4

Understand permission replies

Recognize a clear yes or no in a permission exchange.

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In a fictional classroom, a visitor asks whether they may sit. The person answering knows which seats are available.

네, 앉아도 돼요.

Yes, you may sit.

아니요, 안 돼요.

No, you may not, in this permission exchange.

네, 괜찮아요.

Yes, that is fine, in this context.

A quick reminder before you practise
-아/어도 돼요?: ask whether you may →

Ask permission for an action you want to do.

Notice the pattern

A reply can repeat the permission pattern without a question mark. 안 돼요 is a negative response here. Write 안 and 돼요 separately. 괜찮아요 can mean that something is fine; its meaning depends on the exchange and is not a universal permission word. Actual rules vary: ask someone who can answer for the situation.

Try it yourself

Which reply clearly permits sitting?

The reply is 아니요, 안 돼요. What should you understand here?

Choose the spelling used in this course.

Build a clear positive reply: “Yes, you may sit.”

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RETRIEVE BEFORE YOU REVEAL

Say it in your own time.

Give a positive reply, then a negative reply to a permission question.

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