Future tense adjectives in Korean express predictions, expectations, or states that will exist in the future. Unlike action verbs, adjectives describe future states rather than future actions.
Future Tense Forms
Korean has two main ways to express future with adjectives:
-겠- (gett)
Expresses speaker's conjecture, intention, or formal future.
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 (eul geoyeyo)
Expresses prediction or plan based on evidence or expectation.
Future with -겠어요/-겠습니다
Formation: -겠어요
[Stem] + 겠어요
The stem doesn't change before -겠:
- 좋다 → 좋겠어요 (will be good / seems like it'll be good)
- 크다 → 크겠어요 (will be big)
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘겠어요 (will be pretty)
- 맛있다 → 맛있겠어요 (will be delicious)
Formation: -겠습니다
[Stem] + 겠습니다
Formal version:
- 좋다 → 좋겠습니다 (will be good)
- 크다 → 크겠습니다 (will be big)
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘겠습니다 (will be pretty)
- 맛있다 → 맛있겠습니다 (will be delicious)
Usage of -겠
1. Speaker's conjecture/assumption:
- 날씨가 좋겠어요. (The weather will probably be good.)
- 음식이 맛있겠어요. (The food will probably be delicious.)
2. Polite expression of desire:
- 커피 한 잔 하시겠어요? (Would you like a cup of coffee?)
- 앉으시겠어요? (Would you like to sit?)
3. Formal announcements:
- 내일 춥겠습니다. (It will be cold tomorrow.) - weather forecast
- 시험이 어렵겠습니다. (The exam will be difficult.) - formal warning
Future with -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Formation: After Vowels or ㄹ
[Stem ending in vowel/ㄹ] + ㄹ 거예요
- 크다 → 클 거예요 (will be big)
- 예쁘다 → 예쁠 거예요 (will be pretty)
- 멀다 → 멀 거예요 (will be far)
Formation: After Consonants
[Stem ending in consonant] + 을 거예요
- 좋다 → 좋을 거예요 (will be good)
- 작다 → 작을 거예요 (will be small)
- 맛있다 → 맛있을 거예요 (will be delicious)
- 높다 → 높을 거예요 (will be high)
Formal: -(으)ㄹ 겁니다 / 것입니다
- 좋을 겁니다 / 좋을 것입니다 (will be good)
- 클 겁니다 / 클 것입니다 (will be big)
Usage of -(으)ㄹ 거예요
1. Prediction based on evidence:
- 날씨가 좋을 거예요. (The weather will be good.) - based on forecast
- 시험이 어려울 거예요. (The exam will be difficult.) - based on experience
2. Expectation:
- 그 식당은 맛있을 거예요. (That restaurant will be delicious.) - expectation
- 새 집이 클 거예요. (The new house will be big.) - expectation
3. More certain than -겠:
- 내일 추울 거예요. (It will be cold tomorrow.) - fairly certain
Difference: -겠어요 vs -(으)ㄹ 거예요
-겠어요
- Speaker's assumption or conjecture
- Less certain, more speculative
- Often used in polite offers
- More formal feel
Examples:
- 춥겠어요. (It will probably be cold / I assume it's cold.)
- 맛있겠어요. (It will probably be delicious / looks delicious.)
-(으)ㄹ 거예요
- Prediction based on information
- More certain expectation
- Based on evidence or planning
- More conversational
Examples:
- 추울 거예요. (It will be cold.) - based on weather report
- 맛있을 거예요. (It will be delicious.) - based on reviews
Common Adjectives - Future Forms
좋다 (to be good)
- -겠어요: 좋겠어요 (will probably be good)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 좋을 거예요 (will be good)
- -겠습니다: 좋겠습니다 (will be good - formal)
크다 (to be big)
- -겠어요: 크겠어요 (will probably be big)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 클 거예요 (will be big)
- -겠습니다: 크겠습니다 (will be big - formal)
예쁘다 (to be pretty)
- -겠어요: 예쁘겠어요 (will probably be pretty)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 예쁠 거예요 (will be pretty)
춥다 (to be cold)
- -겠어요: 춥겠어요 (will probably be cold)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 추울 거예요 (will be cold)
덥다 (to be hot)
- -겠어요: 덥겠어요 (will probably be hot)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 더울 거예요 (will be hot)
맛있다 (to be delicious)
- -겠어요: 맛있겠어요 (will probably be delicious)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 맛있을 거예요 (will be delicious)
행복하다 (to be happy)
- -겠어요: 행복하겠어요 (will probably be happy)
- -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 행복할 거예요 (will be happy)
Questions in Future Tense
With -겠어요?
Pattern: [Stem]겠어요?
- 좋겠어요? (Will it be good? / Do you think it'll be good?)
- 춥겠어요? (Will it be cold? / Do you think it'll be cold?)
- 재미있겠어요? (Will it be fun?)
With -(으)ㄹ 거예요?
Pattern: Stemㄹ 거예요?
- 좋을 거예요? (Will it be good?)
- 추울 거예요? (Will it be cold?)
- 재미있을 거예요? (Will it be fun?)
Question-Answer Examples
Q: 내일 날씨가 좋을 거예요? (Will the weather be good tomorrow?)
A: 네, 좋을 거예요. (Yes, it will be good.)
Q: 시험이 어렵겠어요? (Do you think the exam will be difficult?)
A: 네, 어려울 것 같아요. (Yes, I think it will be difficult.)
Negative Future Forms
With 안 (not)
안 + [Future form]
- 안 좋겠어요. (will probably not be good)
- 안 좋을 거예요. (will not be good)
- 안 크겠어요. (will probably not be big)
- 안 클 거예요. (will not be big)
With -지 않다
[Stem]지 않겠어요 / 않을 거예요
- 좋지 않겠어요. (will probably not be good)
- 좋지 않을 거예요. (will not be good)
- 크지 않을 거예요. (will not be big)
Irregular Adjectives in Future
ㅂ Irregular
With -겠어요:
- 춥다 → 춥겠어요 (will probably be cold)
- 덥다 → 덥겠어요 (will probably be hot)
With -(으)ㄹ 거예요:
- 춥다 → 추울 거예요 (will be cold)
- 덥다 → 더울 거예요 (will be hot)
- 아름답다 → 아름다울 거예요 (will be beautiful)
ㅎ Irregular
With -겠어요:
- 빨갛다 → 빨갛겠어요 (will probably be red)
- 그렇다 → 그렇겠어요 (will probably be so)
With -(으)ㄹ 거예요:
- 빨갛다 → 빨갈 거예요 (will be red)
- 그렇다 → 그럴 거예요 (will be so)
- 어떻다 → 어떨 거예요 (will be how)
으 Irregular
With -겠어요:
- 크다 → 크겠어요 (will probably be big)
- 예쁘다 → 예쁘겠어요 (will probably be pretty)
With -(으)ㄹ 거예요:
- 크다 → 클 거예요 (will be big)
- 예쁘다 → 예쁠 거예요 (will be pretty)
- 바쁘다 → 바쁠 거예요 (will be busy)
ㄹ Irregular
With -겠어요:
- 멀다 → 멀겠어요 (will probably be far)
- 길다 → 길겠어요 (will probably be long)
With -(으)ㄹ 거예요:
- 멀다 → 멀 거예요 (will be far)
- 길다 → 길 거예요 (will be long)
Weather Predictions
Using -겠습니다 (Formal forecasts)
- 내일은 춥겠습니다. (Tomorrow will be cold.)
- 오후에 덥겠습니다. (It will be hot in the afternoon.)
- 주말에 맑겠습니다. (It will be clear on the weekend.)
Using -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (Casual predictions)
- 내일 추울 거예요. (It will be cold tomorrow.)
- 오후에 더울 거예요. (It will be hot in the afternoon.)
- 주말에 좋을 거예요. (It will be nice on the weekend.)
Expressing Assumptions
Pattern: -겠어요 for conjectures
Looking at current evidence to make assumptions:
-
비가 올 것 같아요. 추울 거예요. / 춥겠어요. (It looks like it will rain. It will be cold.)
-
이 음식은 맛있겠어요. (This food looks delicious / will probably be delicious.)
-
새 집이 크겠어요. (The new house will probably be big.)
Polite Offers with -시겠어요
Pattern: [Verb stem]시겠어요?
Polite way to offer or ask preferences:
- 커피 드시겠어요? (Would you like coffee?)
- 앉으시겠어요? (Would you like to sit?)
- 물 드시겠어요? (Would you like water?)
This is more about offering than describing future states of adjectives.
Time Expressions with Future
Tomorrow/Later
- 내일 날씨가 좋을 거예요. (The weather will be good tomorrow.)
- 나중에 행복할 거예요. (I will be happy later.)
Next Week/Month/Year
- 다음 주에 바쁠 거예요. (I will be busy next week.)
- 다음 달에 춥겠습니다. (It will be cold next month.)
- 내년에 좋을 거예요. (It will be good next year.)
Soon/After a while
- 곧 따뜻할 거예요. (It will be warm soon.)
- 조금 있으면 시원할 거예요. (It will be cool after a while.)
Common Sentence Patterns
Simple Prediction
[Subject] + [Future Adjective]
- 날씨가 좋을 거예요. (The weather will be good.)
- 시험이 어려울 거예요. (The exam will be difficult.)
- 여행이 즐거울 거예요. (The trip will be enjoyable.)
Assumption Based on Evidence
[Evidence], [Future state]
-
준비를 많이 했어요. 결과가 좋을 거예요. (I prepared a lot. The result will be good.)
-
날씨가 흐려요. 추울 거예요. (The weather is cloudy. It will be cold.)
Contrast with Present
지금은 [Present], 나중에는 [Future]
-
지금은 작아요. 나중에는 클 거예요. (It's small now. It will be big later.)
-
지금은 어려워요. 나중에는 쉬울 거예요. (It's difficult now. It will be easy later.)
Emphasizing Future Predictions
아마 (probably/perhaps)
- 아마 좋을 거예요. (It will probably be good.)
- 아마 어려울 거예요. (It will probably be difficult.)
분명히 (surely/certainly)
- 분명히 재미있을 거예요. (It will surely be fun.)
- 분명히 행복할 거예요. (You will surely be happy.)
틀림없이 (undoubtedly)
- 틀림없이 맛있을 거예요. (It will undoubtedly be delicious.)
Key Points
✅ Two main forms: -겠어요 and -(으)ㄹ 거예요 ✅ -겠어요 for conjecture and assumptions ✅ -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for predictions based on evidence ✅ -겠습니다 for formal announcements ✅ Irregular adjectives follow same patterns ✅ Questions use rising intonation ✅ Use time expressions to clarify future context ✅ -겠어요 feels less certain than -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Understanding future tense with adjectives allows you to make predictions, express expectations, and discuss future states and conditions in Korean.