TOPIK I · LEVEL 1
-(으)ㄹ 거예요
Use -(으)ㄹ 거예요 to say what you plan to do in the future, or to make a guess about something you are not sure of.
시제·상Tense & aspectHan: When the stem ends in ㄹ (만들다, 살다, 놀다), you do not add 을; just attach 거예요 directly to the stem.
Examples
민수 씨는 지금 집에 있을 거예요.Minsu is probably at home now.
방학에 뭐 할 거예요?What are you going to do during the vacation?
내일은 비가 올 거예요. 우산을 가져가세요.It will probably rain tomorrow. Take an umbrella.
주말에 친구하고 영화를 볼 거예요.I'm going to watch a movie with a friend this weekend.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄹ 거예요vs-(으)ㄹ게요-(으)ㄹ게요 is a promise or decision made in response to the listener and is first person only; -(으)ㄹ 거예요 simply states a plan: 제가 할게요 (I'll do it, for you) vs 저는 내일 할 거예요 (I plan to do it tomorrow).-(으)ㄹ 거예요vs-겠어요-겠어요 often gives a guess based on what you see or hear right now, or a decision made on the spot; -(으)ㄹ 거예요 is a more general guess or a plan: 하늘을 보니 곧 비가 오겠어요 vs 내일 비가 올 거예요.
-(으)ㄹ 거예요vs-(으)려고 해요-(으)려고 해요 only shows intention, never a guess, and the plan is often less fixed: 한국어를 배우려고 해요 (I'm thinking of learning Korean) vs 한국어를 배울 거예요 (I will learn Korean).
How to build it
V/A stem ending in a vowel+ㄹ 거예요
stem ending in ㄹ+거예요 (no extra ㄹ or 을)
stem ending in another consonant+을 거예요
가다 → 갈 거예요, 먹다 → 먹을 거예요, 만들다 → 만들 거예요, 춥다 → 추울 거예요
- With 'I/we' as the subject it shows a plan or intention; with a third person or with weather and events it shows a guess. In questions to 'you' it asks about the listener's plans.
- With adjectives it can only express a guess, not an intention: 내일 추울 거예요 'It will probably be cold tomorrow.'
- Stems ending in ㄹ just add 거예요 without 을 (살다 → 살 거예요); irregular stems change: 듣다 → 들을 거예요, 덥다 → 더울 거예요.
- To guess about the past, use -았/었을 거예요 (e.g. 벌써 도착했을 거예요 'He has probably already arrived'). It is not used for commands or suggestions.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 주말에 케이크를 만들을 거예요.
Right: 주말에 케이크를 만들 거예요.
When the stem ends in ㄹ (만들다, 살다, 놀다), you do not add 을; just attach 거예요 directly to the stem.
Practise -(으)ㄹ 거예요 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -았/었-Add -았/었- to a verb or adjective stem to say that something happened or was true in the past.
- -(으)로-(으)로 marks the direction you head toward, the means or tool you use, or what something is made of.
- -(이)나(이)나 links two nouns as alternatives ("A or B"), and after a number it shows an approximate amount in questions or a surprisingly large amount in statements.
- -(으)시--(으)시- goes inside a verb or adjective to show respect to the person doing the action (the subject).
- -(으)려고Links an intention to the action taken to achieve it: 'in order to, so as to'. Neutral, everyday register.
- -(으)세요-(으)세요 is the polite honorific ending: it shows respect to the subject in statements and questions (선생님은 책을 읽으세요), and with action verbs it politely tells or asks the listener to do something (앉으세요).
- -(으)ㅂ시다-(으)ㅂ시다 suggests doing something together: 'let's …' in a formal, polite style.
- -(으)ㄹ까요?Use -(으)ㄹ까요? to suggest something ("Shall we…?"), offer help ("Shall I…?"), or ask someone's guess ("Do you think…?").
- -도-도 attaches to a noun to say that this thing is 'also' included, adding it to something already mentioned.