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Grammar / Level 4 / Lesson 103

ㄹ/을 턱이 없다, ㄹ/을 법하다: can't possibly, might well

By Daniel Buckley · 14 minute read · TOPIK 5

Vocabulary

  1. 거짓말 - a lie
  2. 변명 - an excuse
  3. 소문 - a rumour
  4. 의심 - doubt, suspicion
  5. 오해 - a misunderstanding
  6. 선택 - a choice
  7. 포기하다 - to give up
  8. 실망하다 - to be disappointed
  9. 다치다 - to get hurt
  10. 믿다 - to believe, to trust

You've met ㄹ/을 리가 없다: 그럴 리가 없어요, that can't be. It's fine in nearly any conversation. But a friend waving away a rumour might say 그럴 턱이 있어?, and a newspaper column might print 그럴 리 만무하다.

This lesson is about judging how likely something is, in registers from blunt to bookish. Two forms shut the door on an idea, one says there's no room for it, two leave the door open, and the last one worries about what might come through.

ㄹ/을 턱이 없다: no way, said bluntly

This 턱 has nothing to do with your chin. It's a small noun meaning grounds or reason, so it works just like 리. The dictionary notes two homes for it: after ㄹ/을 with 없다, or with 있다 in a question that expects "no".

It's spoken, and fairly common among people who know each other. To my ear it's more dismissive than 리가 없다, so I wouldn't aim it at your boss. You'd read it in dialogue and informal narration, not in a report.

Making ㄹ/을 턱이 없다

  • Verbs and adjectives: ㄹ/을 턱이 없다.가다 → 갈 턱이 없어요알다 → 알 턱이 없어요
  • Past: 았/었을 턱이 없다.했을 턱이 없어요
  • As a question: ㄹ/을 턱이 있다?그럴 턱이 있어요?

Pick a verb

가다가갈 턱이 없어요

  1. 민수 씨가 그런 말을 했을 턱이 없어요.

    Minsu can't possibly have said that.

  2. 공부를 하나도 안 했는데 시험에 붙을 턱이 없잖아.

    He didn't study at all. There's no way he'd pass.

  3. 그 사람이 제 생일을 기억할 턱이 없어요.

    There's no way he'd remember my birthday.

  4. 어린아이가 그걸 알 턱이 있어요?

    How would a small child know that?

※ 턱도 없다 is a related set phrase, meaning nowhere near enough: 그 돈으로는 턱도 없어요, that money won't come close. You'll hear it often.

리 만무하다: the same thing, in print

만무하다 comes from 萬無, literally ten thousand times nothing, so 리 만무하다 says the grounds flatly don't exist. It's 리가 없다 raised to the level of an essay. You'll mostly read this, in columns and novels. People do say it too, and then it sounds emphatic.

Making ㄹ/을 리 만무하다

  • ㄹ/을 리 만무하다. The 가 after 리 is usually left out here.그럴 리 만무하다모를 리 만무하다
  • Past: 았/었을 리 만무하다.몰랐을 리 만무하다

  1. 그가 이 사실을 모를 리 만무하다.

    He cannot possibly be unaware of this.

  2. 정부가 그 문제를 몰랐을 리 만무하다.

    The government cannot have failed to know about the problem.

  3. 아무 준비 없이 성공할 리 만무하다.

    With no preparation, it cannot possibly succeed.

  4. 세상에 그렇게 쉬운 일이 있을 리 만무하다.

    There's no such thing as a job that easy.

ㄹ/을 여지가 없다: no room left

여지 is 餘地, ground left over. So this one doesn't say something's impossible. It says there's no space remaining for it, which makes it a natural fit for doubt and excuses.

It takes 의 after a noun or ㄹ/을 after a verb, and it also works with 있다. It belongs to writing and formal speech, but a few phrases are everyday: 선택의 여지가 없어요 is what anyone might say when there's no choice.

Using 여지

  • After a noun: noun + 의 여지가 없다.변명 → 변명의 여지가 없다선택 → 선택의 여지가 없다
  • After a verb: ㄹ/을 여지가 없다.의심하다 → 의심할 여지가 없다
  • There is room: 여지가 있다.오해의 여지가 있다

  1. 그 사람이 거짓말을 한 것은 의심할 여지가 없다.

    There's no doubt that he lied.

  2. 이번 일은 제 잘못입니다. 변명의 여지가 없습니다.

    This was my fault. I have no excuse.

  3. 회사에서 결정했으니까 저희는 선택의 여지가 없어요.

    The company has decided, so we have no choice.

  4. 이 문장은 오해의 여지가 있어요.

    This sentence could be misunderstood.

  5. 아직 개선의 여지가 있습니다.

    There's still room for improvement.

ㄹ/을 법하다: you'd expect it

Now the door opens. 법하다 says that, given how things are, this could reasonably be so. Don't confuse it with 는 법이다, which states how the world works. 법하다 only says it wouldn't surprise you.

You'll meet it in careful speech and plenty of writing, and two shapes do most of the work. ㄹ/을 법한 sits before a noun. ㄹ/을 법도 하다 adds 도 and means "that's understandable", and with 한데 it becomes "you'd think so, and yet".

Pick a verb

그렇다그렇그럴 법해요

  1. 있을 법한 이야기예요.

    It's a believable story.

  2. 누구나 한 번쯤 들어 봤을 법한 노래예요.

    It's a song you've probably heard at some point.

  3. 그 정도면 화가 날 법도 해요.

    With that, it's understandable to get angry.

  4. 그럴 법도 하네요.

    I can see that happening.

  5. 이제 포기할 법도 한데 계속 도전하고 있어요.

    You'd think he'd give up by now, but he keeps trying.

ㄹ/을 성싶다: it would seem

성싶다 is an older way of saying 것 같다 and 듯하다. You'll mostly read this in novels, and I wouldn't say it. It's written as one word, and the negative is 성싶지 않다.

Like 것 같다, it can follow any modifier, so the tense sits in front of it. ㄹ/을 is the form you'll see most.

  1. 오늘은 비가 올 성싶다.

    It looks like rain today.

  2. 그는 벌써 떠난 성싶었다.

    He seemed to have left already.

  3. 이번 일은 쉽게 끝날 성싶지 않다.

    This doesn't look as if it will end easily.

  4. 밖에서 누가 부르는 성싶어 문을 열었다.

    It sounded as if someone was calling outside, so I opened the door.

지나 않을까: afraid it might

지 않을까 asks "won't it?", and you've used it to suggest things gently. Put 나 inside and it turns into a worry about one bad outcome.

This is the particle from (이)나, which can follow 지 and marks an option you're not happy with.

It usually leads into a word for worry or fear, like 걱정이다, 걱정되다 or 겁이 나다, or into 싶다 or 하고. It's closer to careful speech and writing than ㄹ/을까 봐, which is what most people would say.

Making 지나 않을까

  • Stem + 지나 않을까.다치다 → 다치지나 않을까늦다 → 늦지나 않을까
  • Past: stem + 지나 않았을까.잃다 → 잃지나 않았을까

Pick a verb

다치다다치다치지나 않을까

  1. 아이가 다치지나 않을까 걱정이에요.

    I'm worried the child might get hurt.

  2. 비행기를 놓치지나 않을까 걱정돼요.

    I'm afraid we'll miss the plane.

  3. 부모님이 실망하시지나 않을까 걱정돼서 말을 못 했어요.

    I was afraid my parents would be disappointed, so I didn't tell them.

  4. 길을 잃지나 않았을까 걱정했어요.

    I was worried they might have got lost.

  1. 그럴 턱이 없어요.

  2. 그럴 법도 하네요.

  3. 늦지나 않을까 걱정이에요.

  4. 그가 모를 리 만무하다.

  5. 눈이 올 성싶다.

  6. 의심할 여지가 없다.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

민수 씨가 회사를 그만둔다는 소문 들었어요?

Minsu company quits rumour heard?

B

에이, 그럴 턱이 있어요? 얼마 전에 승진했잖아요.

Come on, that grounds exist? Not long ago got promoted, you know.

A

그래도 요즘 일이 많아서 그럴 법도 해요.

Still these days work is much, so that way would be understandable.

B

하긴 그렇네요. 건강이 나빠지지나 않았을까 걱정이네요.

True, that's so. Health got worse or something, might it not have, worried.

Common mistakes

  1. 그가 모르는 리 만무하다.

    그가 모를 리 만무하다.

    리 and 턱 both need the ㄹ/을 modifier, even when you mean right now.

  2. 의심이 여지가 없다.

    의심의 여지가 없다.

    After a noun, 여지 takes 의.

  3. 아이가 다치지나 않을까요 걱정이에요.

    아이가 다치지나 않을까 걱정이에요.

    Inside a longer sentence there's no 요. It only goes at the very end.

One sentence in each group is wrong. Tap it.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

민수 씨가 그런 말을 ___. (하다, past, use ㄹ/을 턱이 없다 in the 해요 form) Minsu can't possibly have said that.

The 았/었 stem, then 을.

Summary

ㄹ/을 턱이 없다 forms
DictionaryStemㄹ/을 턱이 없다
가다가갈 턱이 없다
먹다먹먹을 턱이 없다
알다알알 턱이 없다
듣다듣들을 턱이 없다
ㄹ/을 법하다 forms
DictionaryStemㄹ/을 법하다
오다오올 법하다
있다있있을 법하다
알다알알 법하다
듣다듣들을 법하다

Where each one lives

  • ㄹ/을 턱이 없다: no way. Blunt, spoken.
  • ㄹ/을 리 만무하다: cannot possibly. Mostly written.
  • ㄹ/을 여지가 없다: no room for it. Written, plus a few everyday phrases.
  • ㄹ/을 법하다: you'd expect it. Careful speech and writing.
  • ㄹ/을 성싶다: it would seem. Mostly novels.
  • 지나 않을까: afraid it might. Careful speech and writing.

Now you can say

  1. 어린아이가 그걸 알 턱이 있어요?

    How would a small child know that?

  2. 그 정도면 화가 날 법도 해요.

    With that, it's understandable to get angry.

  3. 회사에서 결정했으니까 저희는 선택의 여지가 없어요.

    The company has decided, so we have no choice.

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