-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 - Seems like | Korean Grammar Documentation

-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 expresses supposition, conjecture, or uncertainty. It means "seems like," "appears to be," "I think," or "it looks like."

Structure

Verb/Adjective + -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다

Breakdown:

-(으)ㄴ/는: Adnominal ending
것: Thing/fact
같다: To be like/similar

Literal meaning: "It's like the thing that..."

Conjugation with Verbs

Present Tense: -는 것 같다

All verbs in present:

가다 → 가는 것 같아요 (seems to be going)
먹다 → 먹는 것 같아요 (seems to be eating)
하다 → 하는 것 같아요 (seems to be doing)
오다 → 오는 것 같아요 (seems to be coming)

Rule: Add -는 것 같다 to all verb stems

Past Tense: -(으)ㄴ 것 같다

After vowel or ㄹ: -ㄴ 것 같다

가다 → 간 것 같아요 (seems to have gone)
오다 → 온 것 같아요 (seems to have come)
만들다 → 만든 것 같아요 (seems to have made)

After consonant: -은 것 같다

먹다 → 먹은 것 같아요 (seems to have eaten)
읽다 → 읽은 것 같아요 (seems to have read)

Future Tense: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다

After vowel or ㄹ: -ㄹ 것 같다

가다 → 갈 것 같아요 (seems will go)
오다 → 올 것 같아요 (seems will come)

After consonant: -을 것 같다

먹다 → 먹을 것 같아요 (seems will eat)
읽다 → 읽을 것 같아요 (seems will read)

Conjugation with Adjectives

Present Tense: -(으)ㄴ 것 같다

After vowel or ㄹ: -ㄴ 것 같다

크다 → 큰 것 같아요 (seems big)
작다 → 작은 것 같아요 (seems small)
멀다 → 먼 것 같아요 (seems far)

After consonant: -은 것 같다

좋다 → 좋은 것 같아요 (seems good)
많다 → 많은 것 같아요 (seems a lot)
적다 → 적은 것 같아요 (seems little)

Note: Adjectives use past tense form for present meaning

Past Tense: -았/었던 것 같다

Past state:

좋다 → 좋았던 것 같아요 (seems it was good)
크다 → 컸던 것 같아요 (seems it was big)
작다 → 작았던 것 같아요 (seems it was small)

With Copula (이다)

Present: -인 것 같다

After noun:

학생인 것 같아요 (seems to be a student)
선생님인 것 같아요 (seems to be a teacher)
의사인 것 같아요 (seems to be a doctor)

Past: -이었던/였던 것 같다

Was:

학생이었던 것 같아요 (seems was a student)
선생님이었던 것 같아요 (seems was a teacher)

Politeness Levels

Formal (합니다체)

가는 것 같습니다 (seems to be going)
좋은 것 같습니다 (seems good)

Polite (해요체)

가는 것 같아요 (seems to be going)
좋은 것 같아요 (seems good)

Casual (반말)

가는 것 같아 (seems to be going)
좋은 것 같아 (seems good)

Common Usage

Making Soft Statements

Expressing opinion politely:

좋은 것 같아요 (I think it's good)
맛있는 것 같아요 (It seems delicious)
비싼 것 같아요 (It seems expensive)
어려운 것 같아요 (It seems difficult)

Conjecture Based on Evidence

Drawing conclusions:

비가 올 것 같아요 (It looks like it will rain)
늦을 것 같아요 (I think I'll be late)
성공할 것 같아요 (I think it will succeed)
문제가 있는 것 같아요 (There seems to be a problem)

Uncertain Observations

Not completely sure:

아픈 것 같아요 (I think I'm sick)
잃어버린 것 같아요 (I think I lost it)
고장난 것 같아요 (It seems broken)
잘못 온 것 같아요 (I think I came to the wrong place)

Shortened Form: -ㄴ/는/(으)ㄹ 것 같다

Contracted Speech

Often shortened in casual speech:

가는 것 같아요 → 가는 거 같아요
좋은 것 같아요 → 좋은 거 같아요
갈 것 같아요 → 갈 거 같아요

Note: 것 → 거 in casual speech

Negative Forms

Verb Negative: 안 -는/(으)ㄴ 것 같다

Present:

안 가는 것 같아요 (seems not going)
안 먹는 것 같아요 (seems not eating)

Past:

안 간 것 같아요 (seems didn't go)
안 먹은 것 같아요 (seems didn't eat)

Adjective Negative: -지 않은 것 같다

Present:

좋지 않은 것 같아요 (doesn't seem good)
크지 않은 것 같아요 (doesn't seem big)

Can also use: 것 같지 않다

Alternative negative:

좋은 것 같지 않아요 (doesn't seem good)
갈 것 같지 않아요 (doesn't seem will go)

Common Expressions

Daily Observations

비 올 것 같아요 (Looks like it will rain)
늦을 것 같아요 (I think I'll be late)
힘든 것 같아요 (It seems difficult)
재미있는 것 같아요 (It seems fun)

Personal Feelings

아픈 것 같아요 (I think I'm sick)
피곤한 것 같아요 (I think I'm tired)
배고픈 것 같아요 (I think I'm hungry)
졸린 것 같아요 (I think I'm sleepy)

Opinions

좋은 것 같아요 (I think it's good)
나쁜 것 같아요 (I think it's bad)
괜찮은 것 같아요 (I think it's okay)
이상한 것 같아요 (It seems strange)

Situations

문제가 있는 것 같아요 (There seems to be a problem)
실수한 것 같아요 (I think I made a mistake)
잃어버린 것 같아요 (I think I lost it)
고장난 것 같아요 (It seems broken)

Politeness Function

Softening Statements

Making opinions less direct:

Direct: 비싸요 (It's expensive) Soft: 비싼 것 같아요 (It seems expensive)

Direct: 틀렸어요 (You're wrong) Soft: 틀린 것 같아요 (I think it's wrong)

Usage: Very common in Korean for politeness

Contrast with Similar Forms

-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 vs -나 보다

-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다: Personal judgment

비가 올 것 같아요 (I think it will rain)
→ Based on my opinion/feeling

-나 보다: Inference from evidence

비가 오나 봐요 (It appears it's raining)
→ Based on observation/evidence

-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 vs -(으)ㄹ 것이다

-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다: Seems/appears (uncertain)

올 것 같아요 (I think he'll come)
→ Uncertain, subjective

-(으)ㄹ 것이다: Will (more certain)

올 거예요 (He will come)
→ More definite prediction

With Question Words

Asking for Opinion

Pattern: Question word + -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다

Examples:

뭐가 좋은 것 같아요? (What do you think is good?)
누가 한 것 같아요? (Who do you think did it?)
언제 올 것 같아요? (When do you think they'll come?)
어디에 있는 것 같아요? (Where do you think it is?)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Weather

A: 우산 가져갈까요?
(Should I bring an umbrella?)

B: 네, 비가 올 것 같아요.
(Yes, I think it will rain.)

Dialogue 2: Opinion

A: 이 식당 어때요?
(How is this restaurant?)

B: 맛있는 것 같아요. 자주 오고 싶어요.
(I think it's delicious. I want to come often.)

Dialogue 3: Concern

A: 괜찮아요?
(Are you okay?)

B: 아니요, 감기 걸린 것 같아요.
(No, I think I caught a cold.)

Dialogue 4: Problem

A: 컴퓨터가 이상해요.
(The computer is strange.)

B: 바이러스가 있는 것 같아요.
(I think there's a virus.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 가는 같아요

Missing 것

✅ Correct: 가는 것 같아요

Need 것

❌ Incorrect: 좋다는 것 같아요

Wrong adnominal form

✅ Correct: 좋은 것 같아요

Adjectives use -(으)ㄴ for present

Summary Table

Type	Tense	Example	Meaning
Verb	Present	가는 것 같아요	Seems to be going
Verb	Past	간 것 같아요	Seems went
Verb	Future	갈 것 같아요	Seems will go
Adjective	Present	좋은 것 같아요	Seems good
Adjective	Past	좋았던 것 같아요	Seems was good
Copula	Present	학생인 것 같아요	Seems to be student

Key Takeaways

✅ Expresses supposition: "Seems like" / "I think"
✅ Softens statements: Makes opinions less direct (polite)
✅ Verbs use: -는 (present), -(으)ㄴ (past), -(으)ㄹ (future)
✅ Adjectives use: -(으)ㄴ (present)
✅ Very common: Essential for polite Korean
✅ Can shorten: 것 → 거 in casual speech

-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 is one of the most frequently used expressions in Korean, essential for expressing opinions politely and making tentative statements. It's a key pattern for sounding natural and appropriately indirect in Korean conversation.