TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-(으)ㄹ걸요
-(으)ㄹ걸요 gives a soft guess, often gently disagreeing: 'probably …, I think …'.
문장 끝·말투Endings & speech styleHan: -(으)ㄹ걸요 is a soft, uncertain guess; for confidence use -(으)ㄹ 거예요.
Examples
그 시간에는 길이 많이 막힐걸요.The roads will probably be very jammed at that time.
민수 씨도 아마 그 사실을 모를걸요.Minsu probably doesn't know that either.
지금 가면 벌써 문을 닫았을걸요.If you go now, it's probably already closed.
Don’t mix up
-(으)ㄹ걸요vs-(으)ㄹ 거예요Both guess; -(으)ㄹ걸요 sounds softer and often hints the listener may be wrong: 닫았을 거예요 vs 닫았을걸요.How to build it
V/A+(으)ㄹ걸요
past+았/었을걸요
오다 → 올걸요, 바쁘다 → 바쁠걸요, 갔다 → 갔을걸요
- Said with rising intonation; used in speech, not writing.
- Different from regret -(으)ㄹ걸 (그랬다) 'I should have …' with falling intonation.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 내일은 비가 올걸요?! 확실해요.
Right: 내일은 비가 올 거예요. 확실해요.
-(으)ㄹ걸요 is a soft, uncertain guess; for confidence use -(으)ㄹ 거예요.
Practise -(으)ㄹ걸요 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(느)ㄴ다/-다 (해라체)-(느)ㄴ다/-다 is the plain written style used in diaries, essays, newspapers and the TOPIK writing section.
- -지 그래요?-지 그래요? is a friendly suggestion: 'why don't you …?'
- -니?/-냐?-니?/-냐? are plain (casual) question endings, used to friends, younger people, and in quoted questions.
- -아/어라-아/어라 is the plain (casual) command ending, used to children, close friends, and in written instructions.
- -아/어야지요-아/어야지요 (-아/어야죠) means 'of course one should / I really must …' — a firm intention or obvious duty.
- -구나/-는구나A plain (반말) ending for a fresh realization or mild surprise: 'Oh, so…!'. Used to friends, younger people and children, or when talking to oneself.
- -던데(요)-던데(요) shares something you observed in the past, often as background or a soft contrast: 'I noticed …, (but/so) …'.
- -기는요-기는요 politely denies or plays down a compliment or statement: 'Not at all / Me? No way'.
- -잖아요-잖아요 reminds the listener of something they already know or should know, often to justify what you are saying or as a mild complaint.