해도 돼요 vs 하면 돼요: Permission vs Sufficiency

A permission-vs-sufficiency decision tree for 해도 돼요 vs 하면 돼요, plus 12 rewrites that fix meaning flips and accidental bossy tone.

Quick answer

Use 해도 돼요haedo dwaeyo to ask/give permission; use 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo to say “that’s enough / just do X” (often an instruction).

Comparison table

Decision tree

If you mean permission → use 해도 돼요haedo dwaeyo (or the more cautious 해도 될까요?haedo doelkkayo?). If you mean sufficiency/instructions → use 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo (often better as 하시면 돼요hasimyeon dwaeyo).

Answer these 5 questions (in order):

1. Are you asking “Is it allowed?” → 해도 돼요?haedo dwaeyo?
2. Are you saying “It’s enough if you do X (and nothing more)”? → 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo
3. Are you responding to “What should I do next?” with a step? → 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo (often better as 하시면 돼요hasimyeon dwaeyo)
4. Are you asking “Is doing only X acceptable?” (the “only” is the point) → often 해도 돼요?haedo dwaeyo? with 만man: 이것만 해도 돼요?igeotman haedo dwaeyo?
5. Is the listener senior/customer or is the situation sensitive? → avoid blunt 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo; prefer 하시면 돼요hasimyeon dwaeyo, 하시면 될 것 같아요hasimyeon doel geot gatayo, or switch to permission framing with 해도 될까요?haedo doelkkayo? depending on meaning

Mini tone-meter for 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo (same meaning, different feel):

• Most likely to sound bossy: 그렇게 하면 돼요.geureotge hamyeon dwaeyo.
• Safer polite instruction: 그렇게 하시면 돼요.geureotge hasimyeon dwaeyo.
• Softer/tentative guidance: 그렇게 하시면 될 것 같아요.geureotge hasimyeon doel geot gatayo.
• If you actually mean permission: 그렇게 해도 될까요?geureotge haedo doelkkayo?

Mini quiz

1. You want to ask permission to sit: 여기 앉아도 돼요?yeogi anjado dwaeyo? / 여기 앉으면 돼요?yeogi anjeumyeon dwaeyo?
2. You’re stating a requirement (minimum needed): 비밀번호만 입력하면 돼요.bimilbeonhoman ipryeokhamyeon dwaeyo. / 비밀번호만 입력해도 돼요.bimilbeonhoman ipryeokhaedo dwaeyo.
3. You’re checking whether “only this” is acceptable: 이것만 해도 돼요?igeotman haedo dwaeyo? / 이것만 해도 될까요?igeotman haedo doelkkayo? / 이것만 하면 돼요?igeotman hamyeon dwaeyo?
4. You’re guiding a customer politely: 여기 성함 쓰시면 돼요.yeogi seongham sseusimyeon dwaeyo. / 여기 성함 쓰면 돼요.yeogi seongham sseumyeon dwaeyo.
5. You want a more cautious permission question: 지금 나가도 될까요?jigeum nagado doelkkayo? / 지금 나가면 돼요?jigeum nagamyeon dwaeyo?

Answers:

1. 여기 앉아도 돼요?yeogi anjado dwaeyo?
2. 비밀번호만 입력하면 돼요.bimilbeonhoman ipryeokhamyeon dwaeyo.
3. 이것만 해도 돼요?igeotman haedo dwaeyo? / 이것만 해도 될까요?igeotman haedo doelkkayo?
4. 여기 성함 쓰시면 돼요.yeogi seongham sseusimyeon dwaeyo.
5. 지금 나가도 될까요?jigeum nagado doelkkayo?

Notes:

• Q1: 여기 앉아도 돼요?yeogi anjado dwaeyo? asks permission; 여기 앉으면 돼요?yeogi anjeumyeon dwaeyo? usually reads like a sufficiency/requirement check and mismatches the intent.
• Q2: 입력하면 돼요ipryeokhamyeon dwaeyo states what’s sufficient (a requirement); 입력해도 돼요ipryeokhaedo dwaeyo shifts toward “it’s allowed to do only that,” which is a different nuance.
• Q3: With 만man, 해도 돼요?haedo dwaeyo? / 해도 될까요?haedo doelkkayo? checks whether the limitation is allowed; 하면 돼요?hamyeon dwaeyo? asks whether that action is sufficient, which can flip the meaning.
• Q4: To a customer, adding -시--si- in 쓰시면 돼요sseusimyeon dwaeyo is the safer polite instruction; 쓰면 돼요sseumyeon dwaeyo can feel brusque.
• Q5: 해도 될까요?haedo doelkkayo? is a cautious permission request; 나가면 돼요?nagamyeon dwaeyo? is about sufficiency (“Is leaving enough?”) and often isn’t what you mean.

12 wrong → right rewrites (meaning + tone fixes):

1. Wrong: 여기 앉으면 돼요?yeogi anjeumyeon dwaeyo? → Right: 여기 앉아도 돼요?yeogi anjado dwaeyo? — Asking permission, not requirements.
2. Wrong: 사진 찍으면 돼요?sajin jjigeumyeon dwaeyo? → Right: 사진 찍어도 돼요?sajin jjigeodo dwaeyo? — Museums/cafés often require permission.
3. Wrong: 지금 나가면 돼요?jigeum nagamyeon dwaeyo? → Right: 지금 나가도 돼요?jigeum nagado dwaeyo? — “May I leave?” vs “Should I leave?”
4. Wrong: 이거 써도 돼요.igeo sseodo dwaeyo. (to explain a process) → Right: 이거 쓰면 돼요.igeo sseumyeon dwaeyo. — This is “what to do,” not “allowed.”
5. Wrong: 메일로 보내도 돼요.meilro bonaedo dwaeyo. (as a requirement) → Right: 메일로 보내면 돼요.meilro bonaemyeon dwaeyo. — You mean “just send it by email.”
6. Wrong: 내일 오전으로 바꾸면 돼요?naeil ojeoneuro bakkumyeon dwaeyo? (asking approval) → Right: 내일 오전으로 바꿔도 돼요?naeil ojeoneuro bakkwodo dwaeyo? — Approval needed.
7. Wrong: 그냥 기다려도 돼요.geunyang gidaryeodo dwaeyo. (answering “What should I do?”) → Right: 그냥 기다리면 돼요.geunyang gidarimyeon dwaeyo. — Step/instruction, not permission.
8. Wrong: 이 서류는 지금 제출해도 돼요.i seoryuneun jigeum jechulhaedo dwaeyo. (telling a coworker what to do) → Right: 이 서류는 지금 제출하시면 돼요.i seoryuneun jigeum jechulhasimyeon dwaeyo. — Same guidance, less bossy.
9. Wrong: 회의실 예약은 캘린더에 올려도 돼요.hoeuisil yeyageun kaelrindeoe olryeodo dwaeyo. (process explanation) → Right: 회의실 예약은 캘린더에 올리면 돼요.hoeuisil yeyageun kaelrindeoe olrimyeon dwaeyo. — “That’s the method.”
10. Wrong: 지금 이대로 하면 돼요?jigeum idaero hamyeon dwaeyo? (permission check) → Right: 지금 이대로 해도 돼요?jigeum idaero haedo dwaeyo? — “Is it okay to do it like this?”
11. Wrong: 여기 성함 쓰면 돼요?yeogi seongham sseumyeon dwaeyo? (to a customer, blunt) → Right: 여기 성함 쓰시면 돼요.yeogi seongham sseusimyeon dwaeyo. — Polite instruction.
12. Wrong: 그거 하면 돼요.geugeo hamyeon dwaeyo. (to a manager, too direct) → Right: 그거 하시면 될 것 같아요.geugeo hasimyeon doel geot gatayo. — Adds humility while keeping “sufficiency.”

Next steps

1. Write 3 questions you’d ask in a café using 해도 돼요?haedo dwaeyo? (seat, Wi‑Fi, charging) and translate them.
2. Take 2 workplace tasks and rewrite them twice: once as 하면 돼요hamyeon dwaeyo and once as a softer version (하시면 돼요hasimyeon dwaeyo or 하시면 될 것 같아요hasimyeon doel geot gatayo).