-(으)ㄹ 거(예요/야)
Will, Probably
Used to talk about future actions or situations. It's the most common way to say 'will' or 'going to' in Korean. It can express a plan, an intention, or a guess about the future.
How It Works
This is the most common and versatile future tense form in Korean. It's formed by attaching -ㄹ/을 to a verb stem, followed by 거예요 (polite) or 거야 (informal).
Conjugation Rules:
- Verb stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ: Add -ㄹ 거예요/거야.
- 가다 (to go) → 갈 거예요
- 만들다 (to make) → 만들 거예요 (The ㄹ is not dropped) - Verb stem ends in a consonant (except ㄹ): Add -을 거예요/거야.
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹을 거예요
- 찾다 (to find) → 찾을 거예요
Usage:
1. Future Plans & Intentions: Expressing what you are going to do.
- 내일 한국어를 공부할 거예요. (I'm going to study Korean tomorrow.)
2. Predictions & Suppositions: Guessing what will happen. This can be about anything, not just the speaker's actions.
- 내일은 날씨가 좋을 거예요. (The weather will probably be good tomorrow.)
Politeness Levels:
- -ㄹ 거예요: Standard polite form (해요체). Used in most daily conversations.
- -ㄹ 거야: Informal/casual form (반말). Used with close friends, family, or people younger than you.
- -ㄹ 것입니다: Formal polite form (하십시오체). Used in presentations, news, and other formal settings.
This pattern can also be used to ask questions by raising the intonation at the end: 주말에 뭐 할 거예요? (What are you going to do this weekend?)
Examples (6)
- 내일 도서관에 갈 거예요.
I'm going to go to the library tomorrow.
Word by Word: Tomorrow to the library will go.
- 오후에는 비가 올 거예요.
It will probably rain in the afternoon.
Word by Word: In the afternoon rain will come.
- 저녁에 김치찌개를 먹을 거예요.
I'm going to eat kimchi stew for dinner.
Word by Word: In the evening kimchi stew will eat.
- 주말에 케이크를 만들 거예요.
I'm going to make a cake on the weekend.
Word by Word: On the weekend a cake will make.
- 이따가 친구한테 전화할 거야.
I'll call my friend later. (informal)
Word by Word: Later to a friend will call.
- 회의에 누가 올 거예요?
Who is going to come to the meeting?
Word by Word: To the meeting who will come?
Common Mistakes
Confusing -ㄹ 거예요 with -ㄹ게 for spontaneous promises.
Different MeaningA: 너무 배고파요. (I'm so hungry.) B: 제가 밥을 살 거예요.BetterA: 너무 배고파요. (I'm so hungry.) B: 그럼 제가 살게요.When making a spontaneous promise or decision in response to what someone just said, -ㄹ게 is more natural. '-ㄹ 거예요' sounds like you had a pre-existing plan to buy them a meal, which is less likely in this context.
Using the wrong spacing. It should be 'verb-ㄹ 거' + '예요'.
Not Quite저는 갈거예요.Better저는 갈 거예요.거 is a noun (a shortened form of 것), so there must be a space before the verb 예요 (a form of 이다). Always write it as '갈 거예요', not '갈거예요'.
Learn This First
To use this future expression, you need verb conjugation knowledge and understanding of Korean future tense.
Related Patterns
- -(으)ㄹ게Will Do
Both express the speaker's future intention. -ㄹ게 is used for promises or decisions made in response to the listener and is only used for the first person ('I' or 'we'). '-ㄹ 거예요' is for more general plans and can be used for any subject (I, you, he, she, it, they).
- -(으)ㄹ 예정이다Be Scheduled to, Plan to
This is a more formal way to say 'plan to' or 'be scheduled to'. It's similar to the 'plan' meaning of '-ㄹ 거예요' but is used more in writing or formal speech, like announcing an official schedule.
- -(으)ㄹ 것Future Tense Noun Modifier
This is the future tense noun-modifying form that is the core component of '-ㄹ 거예요'. Understanding how -ㄹ modifies nouns (e.g., 갈 사람 - person who will go) helps understand the structure of this pattern (갈 거 - the thing that will go).
- 이다To Be
The pattern ends with a conjugation of 이다 ('to be'). The politeness level of the sentence (-예요 for polite, -야 for informal, -입니다 for formal) comes from how '이다' is conjugated after '거'.