Permission and prohibition

아/어도 돼요? is used to ask for permission. It means “May I...?”, “Can I...?”, or “Is it okay if I...?” This is one of the most useful patterns in real Korean life.

The form comes from 아/어도, meaning “even if”, and 돼요, meaning “it is okay / it works”. So the literal feeling is “Even if I do this, is it okay?”

For example, 들어가도 돼요? means “May I go in?” 사진 찍어도 돼요? means “May I take a photo?” 여기 앉아도 돼요? means “May I sit here?”

This pattern is polite enough for most daily situations, including shops, hospitals, schools, offices, and public places.

돼요 means “it is okay”, “it works”, or “it is allowed”. 안 돼요 means “it is not okay”, “it does not work”, or “it is not allowed”. These two expressions are extremely common in Korean.

If someone asks 사진 찍어도 돼요?, you can answer 네, 돼요, meaning “Yes, you may.” You can also answer more naturally with 네, 괜찮아요, meaning “Yes, it is okay.”

To refuse permission, say 안 돼요. For example, 여기에서 먹으면 안 돼요 means “You must not eat here.” But even by itself, 안 돼요 can mean “No, you can’t” or “That is not allowed.”

Be careful: 안 돼요 can sound firm. In polite situations, people may soften it with a reason, such as 죄송하지만 안 돼요, meaning “I’m sorry, but it’s not allowed.”

-(으)면 안 돼요 is the main beginner pattern for saying “must not” or “you are not allowed to”. It literally means “if you do it, it is not okay.”

Use 으면 안 돼요 after a verb stem ending in a final consonant, and 면 안 돼요 after a verb stem ending in a vowel. For example, 먹다 becomes 먹으면 안 돼요, and 가다 becomes 가면 안 돼요.

This pattern is common in rules, warnings, hospitals, schools, public places, and parenting. 여기에서 담배를 피우면 안 돼요 means “You must not smoke here.” 사진을 찍으면 안 돼요 means “You must not take photos.”

Compared with 지 마세요, which is a direct request “please do not”, -(으)면 안 돼요 sounds more like a rule or condition: “If you do this, it is not okay.”

Permission and prohibition patterns are especially useful in public places. You will need them in hospitals, libraries, cafés, classrooms, offices, museums, and government buildings.

Useful questions include 여기 앉아도 돼요? meaning “May I sit here?”, 화장실 써도 돼요? meaning “May I use the restroom?”, and 잠깐 나가도 돼요? meaning “May I step out for a moment?”

When asking permission, Korean often adds softening words like 잠깐, meaning “for a moment”, or 혹시, meaning “by any chance”. 혹시 여기 앉아도 돼요? sounds softer than just 여기 앉아도 돼요?.

In real life, these small words matter. They make the question less direct and more polite, especially when speaking to staff, teachers, doctors, or strangers.

When refusing permission, Korean often sounds softer if you add a reason. Instead of saying only 안 돼요, people commonly say 죄송하지만 안 돼요, or explain the rule with 여기에서는 ...면 안 돼요.

A useful pattern is 죄송하지만 + Sentence, meaning “I’m sorry, but...”. For example, 죄송하지만 여기에서는 사진을 찍으면 안 돼요 means “I’m sorry, but you must not take photos here.”

Another soft pattern is 조금 어려워요, literally “it is a little difficult.” In Korean, this can politely imply that something is not possible. For example, 지금은 조금 어려워요 can mean “It is a little difficult right now / I’m afraid it is not possible now.”

This is important because Korean often prefers indirect refusal in polite situations. A blunt “no” can sound too strong, so people frequently soften the refusal with apology, reason, or indirect wording.