-ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸
I Guess/think/bet
-ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 is a conversational sentence ending with two main uses: 1) expressing a guess or supposition, often contrary to what someone else might think, and 2) expressing mild regret about a past action, similar to 'I should have...'
How It Works
This pattern is highly conversational and adds a specific emotional nuance that other guessing or regret patterns might not have.
Usage 1: Guessing/Supposition
When used for guessing, -ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 is different from more neutral patterns like -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다 ('it seems like') or -나 보다 ('I guess, based on evidence'). -ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 implies a stronger, more subjective belief. It's often used when you think something is likely true, perhaps contrary to what the other person expects.
Example Scenario:
A: 우리 지금 영화 보러 갈까? (Shall we go see a movie now?)
B: 지금 가면 표가 없을걸. (If we go now, there probably won't be any tickets.)
Here, Speaker B is making a supposition that gently counters Speaker A's suggestion.
Usage 2: Mild Regret
When expressing regret, -(으)ㄹ걸 is softer and more like a passing thought than stronger expressions like -았/었어야 했는데 ('I should have... and it was a mistake not to'). It's often muttered to oneself.
Example:
비가 오네... 우산을 가져올걸. (It's raining... I should have brought an umbrella.)
Adding 그랬다 (from 그렇다) as in -ㄹ걸 그랬다 makes the regret slightly more explicit but it remains a relatively mild expression.
그 말을 하지 말걸 그랬어. (I shouldn't have said that.)
Conjugation Rules:
- -는걸: For action verbs in the present tense. (먹다 → 먹는걸)
- -ㄴ걸: For descriptive verbs ending in a vowel or ㄹ. (예쁘다 → 예쁜걸, 멀다 → 먼걸)
- -은걸: For descriptive verbs ending in a consonant. (좋다 → 좋은걸)
- -ㄹ걸: For verbs/adjectives ending in a vowel or ㄹ. (가다 → 갈걸, 만들다 → 만들걸)
- -을걸: For verbs/adjectives ending in a consonant. (먹다 → 먹을걸, 작다 → 작을걸)
- -았/었을걸: For past tense. (했다 → 했을걸, 먹었다 → 먹었을걸)
This pattern is almost exclusively used in informal and casual speech (반말 or intimate 해요체 without the -요).
Examples (5)
- 지금 출발하면 너무 늦을걸.
If we leave now, it'll probably be too late.
Word by Word: Now if we depart too it will be late (I guess).
This is a supposition about a future event. The speaker is guessing that leaving now is a bad idea.
- 민수 씨는 벌써 집에 갔을걸.
Minsu has probably already gone home.
Word by Word: Minsu already to home went (I bet).
Using the past tense form -았/었을걸 to make a guess about something that has already happened.
- 그 영화는 생각보다 재미없을걸.
That movie is probably less fun than you think.
Word by Word: That movie than thought is not fun (I guess).
Here, the speaker is expressing a personal opinion as a guess, possibly countering the listener's expectation.
- 아, 아침을 먹고 올걸.
Ah, I should have eaten breakfast before coming.
Word by Word: Ah, breakfast eating and come (I should have).
This expresses mild regret about not eating breakfast. It's a thought one might have when feeling hungry.
- 그렇게 말하지 말걸 그랬어.
I shouldn't have said it like that.
Word by Word: Like that speak not (I should have) did.
This uses the full form -ㄹ걸 그랬다 to express regret over a past action (speaking).
Common Mistakes
Using -ㄹ걸 to state a future intention instead of -ㄹ게.
Not Quite걱정 마세요. 제가 내일 다시 전화할걸.Better걱정 마세요. 제가 내일 다시 전화할게(요).-ㄹ걸 expresses a guess or regret. To express a promise or intention to do something for the listener, you should use -ㄹ게.
Using this informal ending in a formal setting.
Different Meaning(회의에서) 이 프로젝트는 다음 달까지 완료하기 어려울걸.Better(회의에서) 이 프로젝트는 다음 달까지 완료하기 어려울 것 같습니다.-ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 is a very conversational and informal ending. In formal situations like meetings or presentations, use formal expressions like -ㄹ 것 같습니다 or -로 예상됩니다.
Learn This First
To express casual suppositions 'I guess/think/bet', you need modifier forms.
Related Patterns
- -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다Seems Like, Looks Like
Both are used for guessing. -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다 is a more neutral and general way to say 'it seems like,' while -ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 is more subjective and often implies the speaker's personal conviction, sometimes contradicting another's view.
- -(으)ㄹ걸 그랬다I Should Have Done
This is the full, more explicit form of the 'regret' usage of -ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸. While you can express regret with just -(으)ㄹ걸, adding 그랬다 emphasizes the feeling of 'I should have done that.'
- -나 보다It Seems/looks Like
Another pattern for guessing. -나 보다 is typically used when the speaker makes a guess based on some external evidence or observation. In contrast, -ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 is based more on the speaker's internal thoughts or assumptions, without necessarily having direct evidence.
- -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 텐데I Expect, It's Likely to
Both can express an assumption about a situation. However, -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 텐데 is often used mid-sentence to provide background for a following suggestion or statement (e.g., 'It's probably cold, so...'). -ㄴ/는/ㄹ걸 is a sentence-final ending that states the assumption as a complete thought.