-(으)ㄹ is an adnominal ending that modifies nouns with future, prospective, or intended actions. It works with both action verbs and adjectives, expressing what will happen, what someone plans to do, or potential states.
Formation Rules
Stems Ending in Vowel: -ㄹ
Add -ㄹ directly:
- 가다 → 갈 (will go, going to go)
- 오다 → 올 (will come, going to come)
- 하다 → 할 (will do, going to do)
- 보다 → 볼 (will see, going to see)
- 사다 → 살 (will buy, going to buy)
- 주다 → 줄 (will give, going to give)
Stems Ending in Consonant: -을
Add -을 after consonant:
- 먹다 → 먹을 (will eat, going to eat)
- 읽다 → 읽을 (will read, going to read)
- 듣다 → 들을 (will listen, going to listen)
- 만들다 → 만들 (will make, going to make)
- 입다 → 입을 (will wear, going to wear)
- 받다 → 받을 (will receive, going to receive)
ㄹ Irregular: Drop ㄹ + -ㄹ
Stems ending in ㄹ drop the final ㄹ:
- 살다 → 살 (will live)
- 만들다 → 만들 (will make)
- 알다 → 알 (will know)
- 팔다 → 팔 (will sell)
Result looks the same as vowel ending
Adjectives Also Use -(으)ㄹ
Unlike -는, adjectives CAN use -(으)ㄹ:
- 좋다 → 좋을 (that will be good)
- 크다 → 클 (that will be big)
- 작다 → 작을 (that will be small)
- 예쁘다 → 예쁠 (that will be pretty)
- 맛있다 → 맛있을 (that will be delicious)
Core Meanings
Future Actions
Actions that will happen:
- 내일 읽을 책 (the book I will read tomorrow)
- 다음 주에 갈 곳 (the place I will go next week)
- 나중에 먹을 음식 (food I will eat later)
- 오늘 할 일 (work I will do today)
Intentions and Plans
What someone intends to do:
- 사고 싶은 물건 (things I want to buy - lit. things I will want to buy)
- 배울 언어 (language I will learn)
- 만날 사람 (person I will meet)
- 볼 영화 (movie I will watch)
Possibilities and Potential
What could happen or be:
- 될 수 있는 일 (things that could happen)
- 좋을 것 같아요 (I think it will be good)
- 재미있을 거예요 (it will probably be interesting)
- 어려울 수도 있어요 (it might be difficult)
With Verbs vs Adjectives
Action Verbs: Future Actions
Things people will do:
- 읽을 책 (book I will read)
- 만날 친구 (friend I will meet)
- 갈 장소 (place I will go)
- 먹을 음식 (food I will eat)
Adjectives: Future States
How things will be:
- 좋을 날씨 (weather that will be good)
- 어려울 문제 (problems that will be difficult)
- 행복할 시간 (times that will be happy)
- 바쁠 주 (week that will be busy)
Note: This is different from -는, which adjectives cannot use
Common Patterns
-(으)ㄹ 것 (Thing/Fact that...)
Plans or predictions:
- 할 것 (thing I will do / what I will do)
- 먹을 것 (thing I will eat / what I will eat)
- 볼 것 (thing I will see / what I will see)
- 말할 것 (thing I will say / what I will say)
Often used with 같다 or 거예요:
- 좋을 것 같아요 (I think it will be good)
- 재미있을 거예요 (it will be interesting)
-(으)ㄹ 사람 (Person who will...)
Future participants:
- 갈 사람 (person who will go)
- 할 사람 (person who will do it)
- 도와줄 사람 (person who will help)
- 참석할 사람 (person who will attend)
-(으)ㄹ 곳 (Place where will...)
Future destinations:
- 갈 곳 (place I will go)
- 살 곳 (place I will live)
- 일할 곳 (place I will work)
- 머물 곳 (place I will stay)
-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 (Can/Cannot)
Ability or possibility:
- 할 수 있어요 (can do)
- 먹을 수 있어요 (can eat)
- 갈 수 없어요 (cannot go)
- 볼 수 없어요 (cannot see)
-(으)ㄹ 때 (When will...)
Future time clauses:
- 갈 때 (when I go)
- 만날 때 (when I meet)
- 끝날 때 (when it ends)
- 시작할 때 (when it starts)
Intention and Desire
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 (Will/Going to)
Stating future plans:
- 내일 갈 거예요 (I will go tomorrow)
- 책을 읽을 거예요 (I will read a book)
- 한국어를 공부할 거예요 (I will study Korean)
-고 싶다 (Want to)
Often combines with -(으)ㄹ:
- 가고 싶은 곳 (place I want to go)
- 먹고 싶은 음식 (food I want to eat)
- 만나고 싶은 사람 (person I want to meet)
Comparing Past, Present, Future
-(으)ㄴ (Past/Completed)
Already done:
- 읽은 책 (book I read - finished)
- 만난 사람 (person I met)
- 간 곳 (place I went to)
-는 (Present/Ongoing)
Currently doing (verbs only):
- 읽는 책 (book I am reading)
- 만나는 사람 (person I am meeting)
- 가는 곳 (place I am going to)
-(으)ㄹ (Future/Prospective)
Will do:
- 읽을 책 (book I will read)
- 만날 사람 (person I will meet)
- 갈 곳 (place I will go)
Special Uses
Questions About Future
Asking about plans:
- 뭐 할 거예요? (What will you do?)
- 어디 갈 거예요? (Where will you go?)
- 누구를 만날 거예요? (Who will you meet?)
Suggestions with -(으)ㄹ까요?
Making suggestions:
- 갈까요? (Shall we go?)
- 먹을까요? (Shall we eat?)
- 시작할까요? (Shall we start?)
Uncertainty with -(으)ㄹ지 모르다
Expressing uncertainty:
- 올지 모르겠어요 (I don't know if they'll come)
- 좋을지 모르겠어요 (I don't know if it'll be good)
With Different Subjects
내가 -(으)ㄹ (That I will...)
First person intentions:
- 내가 읽을 책 (book I will read)
- 내가 갈 곳 (place I will go)
- 내가 할 일 (work I will do)
그/그녀가 -(으)ㄹ (That he/she will...)
Third person future:
- 그가 할 일 (work he will do)
- 그녀가 갈 곳 (place she will go)
- 그들이 만날 사람 (people they will meet)
Subject Often Omitted
When context is clear:
- 갈 곳 (place [I/we] will go)
- 먹을 음식 (food [we] will eat)
- 할 일 (work [I/we] will do)
Common Expressions
할 일 (Work to do)
Tasks and responsibilities:
- 오늘 할 일이 많아요 (I have a lot to do today)
- 해야 할 일 (work that must be done)
갈 곳 (Place to go)
Destinations:
- 갈 곳이 없어요 (I have nowhere to go)
- 갈 곳이 많아요 (there are many places to go)
먹을 것 (Food to eat)
Available food:
- 먹을 것이 있어요? (Is there anything to eat?)
- 먹을 것을 사야 해요 (I need to buy food to eat)
말할 것 (Something to say)
Things to communicate:
- 말할 것이 있어요 (I have something to say)
- 말할 것이 많아요 (there's a lot to say)
Complex Modifications
Multiple Modifiers
Combining descriptions:
- 내일 읽을 재미있는 책 (interesting book I'll read tomorrow)
- 다음 주에 갈 새로운 식당 (new restaurant I'll go to next week)
- 친구가 추천할 좋은 영화 (good movie my friend will recommend)
With Time Expressions
Adding temporal context:
- 내일 할 일 (work I'll do tomorrow)
- 다음 주에 만날 사람 (person I'll meet next week)
- 나중에 먹을 음식 (food I'll eat later)
- 곧 올 사람 (person who will come soon)
Example Sentences
Future Plans
- 내일 읽을 책이 두 권 있어요 (I have two books to read tomorrow)
- 다음 달에 갈 곳을 정했어요 (I decided on the place to go next month)
- 오늘 만날 친구가 늦을 거예요 (The friend I'll meet today will be late)
Intentions
- 배울 언어는 한국어예요 (The language I will learn is Korean)
- 살 집을 찾고 있어요 (I'm looking for a house to buy)
- 할 일이 너무 많아요 (I have too much work to do)
Possibilities
- 좋을 것 같아요 (I think it will be good)
- 재미있을 거예요 (It will be interesting)
- 어려울 수도 있어요 (It might be difficult)
With Adjectives
- 행복할 날들이 올 거예요 (Happy days will come)
- 바쁠 주가 될 거예요 (It will be a busy week)
- 좋을 결과를 기대해요 (I expect good results)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Weekend Plans
A: 주말에 뭐 할 거예요?
(What will you do on the weekend?)
B: 친구를 만날 거예요. 같이 영화를 볼 거예요.
(I will meet a friend. We will watch a movie together.)
A: 볼 영화가 정해졌어요?
(Have you decided on the movie you'll watch?)
B: 네, 새로 나온 액션 영화를 볼 거예요.
(Yes, we'll watch the newly released action movie.)
Dialogue 2: Shopping
A: 뭐 사러 가요?
(What are you going to buy?)
B: 입을 옷을 사야 해요.
(I need to buy clothes to wear.)
A: 어떤 옷을 살 거예요?
(What kind of clothes will you buy?)
B: 겨울에 입을 따뜻한 코트를 살 거예요.
(I'll buy a warm coat to wear in winter.)
Dialogue 3: Study Plans
A: 무슨 공부를 할 거예요?
(What will you study?)
B: 한국어를 공부할 거예요.
(I will study Korean.)
A: 어떻게 공부할 거예요?
(How will you study?)
B: 매일 읽을 책과 볼 드라마가 있어요.
(I have books to read and dramas to watch every day.)
Dialogue 4: Asking for Help
A: 도와줄 사람이 필요해요.
(I need someone to help.)
B: 제가 도와줄게요. 할 일이 뭐예요?
(I will help you. What needs to be done?)
A: 이 짐을 옮길 거예요.
(I will move this luggage.)
B: 같이 옮길까요?
(Shall we move it together?)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 좋는 책 (using -는 with adjective)
Adjectives cannot use -는 for present
✅ Correct: 좋은 책 (present), 좋을 책 (future)
Adjectives use -(으)ㄴ for present, -(으)ㄹ for future
❌ Incorrect: 읽을은 책
Double modifier
✅ Correct: 읽을 책
One modifier only
❌ Incorrect: 어제 읽을 책 (using future with past time)
Temporal mismatch
✅ Correct: 어제 읽은 책
Past time requires past modifier -(으)ㄴ
❌ Incorrect: 만들을 (incorrect ㄹ irregular)
ㄹ irregular should drop ㄹ
✅ Correct: 만들
Stems ending in ㄹ drop the ㄹ before adding -ㄹ
Summary Table
| Type | Condition | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel ending | Add -ㄹ | 가다 → 갈 | will go |
| Consonant ending | Add -을 | 먹다 → 먹을 | will eat |
| ㄹ irregular | Drop ㄹ + ㄹ | 만들다 → 만들 | will make |
| Adjectives | Same rules | 좋다 → 좋을 | will be good |
Tense Comparison Table
| Tense | Verb Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | -(으)ㄴ | 읽은 책 | book I read |
| Present | -는 | 읽는 책 | book I'm reading |
| Future | -(으)ㄹ | 읽을 책 | book I will read |
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Future/prospective: Actions that will happen or are intended
- ✅ Both verbs and adjectives: Unlike -는, -(으)ㄹ works with adjectives too
- ✅ Two forms: -ㄹ after vowels, -을 after consonants
- ✅ ㄹ irregular: Drop final ㄹ before adding -ㄹ
- ✅ Common patterns: -(으)ㄹ 것, -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다, -(으)ㄹ 거예요
- ✅ Intentions and plans: Frequently used to express what someone will do
- ✅ Questions and suggestions: Used in -(으)ㄹ까요? for suggestions
-(으)ㄹ is essential for expressing future plans, intentions, and possibilities in Korean. It's one of the three core adnominal forms (along with -(으)ㄴ and -는) and is crucial for talking about what you will do, what might happen, and what could be. Master this form to naturally discuss your plans and expectations!