-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is the most common future tense in Korean, used for plans, predictions, and general future actions. It's more casual and versatile than -겠어요.
Basic Pattern
Formula: Stem + (으)ㄹ 거예요
Conditional (으):
After vowel or ㄹ: -ㄹ 거예요 After consonant: -을 거예요
Politeness Levels
Informal polite: -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (most common) Formal polite: -(으)ㄹ 것입니다 Casual: -(으)ㄹ 거야
Choosing (으)ㄹ vs ㄹ
After Vowel Stems: -ㄹ 거예요
Vowel-ending stems:
- 가다 → 갈 거예요 (will go)
- 오다 → 올 거예요 (will come)
- 보다 → 볼 거예요 (will see)
- 서다 → 설 거예요 (will stand)
- 주다 → 줄 거예요 (will give)
하다 verbs:
- 공부하다 → 공부할 거예요 (will study)
- 일하다 → 일할 거예요 (will work)
After ㄹ Stems: -ㄹ 거예요
ㄹ stays:
- 만들다 → 만들 거예요 (will make)
- 살다 → 살 거예요 (will live)
- 알다 → 알 거예요 (will know)
- 팔다 → 팔 거예요 (will sell)
After Consonant Stems: -을 거예요
Consonant-ending stems:
- 먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (will eat)
- 읽다 → 읽을 거예요 (will read)
- 듣다 → 들을 거예요 (will listen)
- 받다 → 받을 거예요 (will receive)
- 좋다 → 좋을 거예요 (will be good)
Informal Polite: -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Regular Examples
Vowel stems:
- 가다 → 갈 거예요
- 자다 → 잘 거예요
- 마시다 → 마실 거예요
Consonant stems:
- 먹다 → 먹을 거예요
- 입다 → 입을 거예요
- 찾다 → 찾을 거예요
ㄹ stems:
- 만들다 → 만들 거예요
- 놀다 → 놀 거예요
하다 verbs:
- 공부하다 → 공부할 거예요
- 요리하다 → 요리할 거예요
Formal Polite: -(으)ㄹ 것입니다
Business/Formal Settings
More formal than 거예요:
- 갈 것입니다 (will go)
- 먹을 것입니다 (will eat)
- 공부할 것입니다 (will study)
Used in:
- Written reports
- Formal presentations
- Official announcements
Less common than -(으)ㄹ 거예요 in speech
Casual: -(으)ㄹ 거야
With Close Friends
Drop 요:
- 가다 → 갈 거야 (will go)
- 먹다 → 먹을 거야 (will eat)
- 하다 → 할 거야 (will do)
Very common in casual speech, more than -겠어
Primary Uses
1. Future Plans
Things you plan to do:
- 내일 친구를 만날 거예요 (I'm going to meet a friend tomorrow)
- 다음 주에 한국에 갈 거예요 (I'm going to Korea next week)
- 저녁에 영화를 볼 거예요 (I'm going to watch a movie tonight)
Most common use
2. Predictions
Things you expect to happen:
- 내일 비가 올 거예요 (It's going to rain tomorrow)
- 그 시험은 어려울 거예요 (That test will be difficult)
- 늦을 거예요 (I/they will be late)
3. General Future
Simple future actions:
- 시간이 지나면 나아질 거예요 (It will get better with time)
- 언젠가 만날 거예요 (We'll meet someday)
- 알게 될 거예요 (You'll find out)
4. Intentions (Less Strong)
Less determined than -겠어요:
- 열심히 공부할 거예요 (I'm going to study hard)
- 내일 일찍 일어날 거예요 (I'm going to wake up early)
Compared to -겠어요: More about plan, less about determination
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 vs -겠어요
Key Differences
-(으)ㄹ 거예요:
- Future plans
- Predictions based on evidence
- More casual
- All persons (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
-겠어요:
- Speaker's intention/will
- Suppositions
- More formal
- Mainly 1st person or supposition
Comparison Examples
Plan vs Intention:
- 내일 갈 거예요 (I'm going tomorrow - plan)
- 내일 가겠어요 (I will go tomorrow - strong intention)
Prediction vs Supposition:
- 비가 올 거예요 (It's going to rain - based on clouds)
- 비가 오겠어요 (It will probably rain - conjecture)
About others:
- 친구가 올 거예요 (Friend is going to come - factual)
- 친구가 오겠어요 (Friend will probably come - supposition)
Questions with -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Future Plans Questions
Rising intonation:
- 뭐 할 거예요? (What are you going to do?)
- 어디 갈 거예요? (Where are you going to go?)
- 언제 올 거예요? (When are you going to come?)
Most natural way to ask about future plans
About Others
- 친구가 올 거예요? (Is your friend going to come?)
- 비가 올 거예요? (Is it going to rain?)
- 어려울 거예요? (Will it be difficult?)
Negative Forms
안 + -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Won't / not going to:
- 안 갈 거예요 (not going to go)
- 안 먹을 거예요 (not going to eat)
- 안 할 거예요 (not going to do)
Most common negative future
-(으)ㄹ 거 아니에요
Alternative "won't":
- 갈 거 아니에요 (won't go)
- 먹을 거 아니에요 (won't eat)
Slightly emphatic
못 + -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Won't be able to:
- 못 갈 거예요 (won't be able to go)
- 못 먹을 거예요 (won't be able to eat)
- 못 할 거예요 (won't be able to do)
Common Expressions
Daily Plans
뭐 할 거예요?
- Translation: "What are you going to do?"
- Most common future question
집에 있을 거예요
- Translation: "I'm going to stay home"
- Common response
나중에 할 거예요
- Translation: "I'll do it later"
- Procrastination phrase
Predictions
잘 될 거예요
- Translation: "It will go well"
- Encouragement
괜찮을 거예요
- Translation: "It will be okay"
- Reassurance
좋아질 거예요
- Translation: "It will get better"
- Comfort
Time Expressions
Common Time Words
내일 (tomorrow):
- 내일 갈 거예요 (going tomorrow)
다음 (next):
- 다음 주에 만날 거예요 (meeting next week)
- 다음 달에 시작할 거예요 (starting next month)
나중에 (later):
- 나중에 할 거예요 (will do later)
곧 (soon):
- 곧 올 거예요 (coming soon)
언젠가 (someday):
- 언젠가 갈 거예요 (will go someday)
With Descriptive Verbs
Future States
Adjectives can use future tense:
- 날씨가 좋을 거예요 (The weather will be good)
- 어려울 거예요 (It will be difficult)
- 재미있을 거예요 (It will be fun)
- 맛있을 거예요 (It will be delicious)
Predictions about states
Honorific with -(으)ㄹ 거예요
-(으)실 거예요
For honored subjects:
- 가실 거예요 (will go - honored)
- 오실 거예요 (will come - honored)
- 드실 거예요 (will eat - honored)
Formation: Stem + (으)시 + ㄹ 거예요
Questions to Honored Person
- 언제 오실 거예요? (When will you come?)
- 뭐 드실 거예요? (What will you eat?)
- 가실 거예요? (Will you go?)
Sentence Patterns
Statement Pattern
[Subject] + [Object] + [-(으)ㄹ 거예요]
- 저는 내일 학교에 갈 거예요 (I'm going to school tomorrow)
- 친구가 한국에 올 거예요 (Friend is coming to Korea)
- 날씨가 추울 거예요 (The weather will be cold)
Question Pattern
[Question word] + [-(으)ㄹ 거예요?]
- 뭐 할 거예요? (What will you do?)
- 어디 갈 거예요? (Where will you go?)
- 언제 올 거예요? (When will you come?)
Negative Pattern
안 + [Verb-ㄹ 거예요]
- 안 갈 거예요 (not going to go)
- 안 먹을 거예요 (not going to eat)
Special Uses
Expressing Certainty
With 꼭 (definitely):
- 꼭 갈 거예요 (will definitely go)
- 꼭 성공할 거예요 (will definitely succeed)
Expressing Probability
With 아마 (probably):
- 아마 올 거예요 (probably will come)
- 아마 비가 올 거예요 (probably will rain)
Softening Statements
Less direct than present tense:
- 어려워요 (It's difficult - direct)
- 어려울 거예요 (It will be difficult - softer)
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using 을 After Vowels
Wrong: 가을 거예요 Right: 갈 거예요
Remember: Vowels and ㄹ take ㄹ only
Mistake 2: Dropping ㄹ After ㄹ Stems
Wrong: 만들을 거예요 Right: 만들 거예요
ㄹ stays when stem ends in ㄹ
Mistake 3: Using -겠어요 for Simple Plans
Awkward: 내일 영화 보겠어요 (sounds too determined) Natural: 내일 영화 볼 거예요 (simple plan)
Mistake 4: Forgetting Honorific ㅅ
Wrong: 오시ㄹ 거예요 Right: 오실 거예요
ㅅ before ㄹ in honorific
Practice Sentences
Future Plans
- 내일 친구를 만날 거예요 (I'm going to meet a friend tomorrow)
- 주말에 쉴 거예요 (I'm going to rest on the weekend)
- 다음 주에 여행 갈 거예요 (I'm going to travel next week)
Predictions
- 내일 날씨가 좋을 거예요 (The weather will be good tomorrow)
- 시험이 어려울 거예요 (The test will be difficult)
- 금방 올 거예요 (They'll come soon)
About Others
- 친구가 늦을 거예요 (Friend will be late)
- 부모님이 좋아하실 거예요 (Parents will like it)
- 모두 올 거예요 (Everyone will come)
Questions
- 언제 갈 거예요? (When are you going?)
- 뭐 먹을 거예요? (What are you going to eat?)
- 어디에서 만날 거예요? (Where are we going to meet?)
Conjugation Summary
| Stem Type | Example | -(으)ㄹ 거예요 | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel | 가다 | 갈 거예요 | Vowel → ㄹ |
| Vowel | 오다 | 올 거예요 | Vowel → ㄹ |
| Consonant | 먹다 | 먹을 거예요 | Consonant → 을 |
| Consonant | 읽다 | 읽을 거예요 | Consonant → 을 |
| ㄹ | 만들다 | 만들 거예요 | ㄹ → ㄹ (stays) |
| ㄹ | 살다 | 살 거예요 | ㄹ → ㄹ (stays) |
| 하다 | 공부하다 | 공부할 거예요 | Vowel → ㄹ |
Key Points
- ✅ Pattern: Stem + (으)ㄹ 거예요
- ✅ Choice: Vowel/ㄹ use ㄹ, consonants use 을
- ✅ Main uses: Future plans, predictions
- ✅ Most common: Everyday future tense
- ✅ More casual: Than -겠어요
- ✅ All persons: Works with 1st, 2nd, 3rd person
- ✅ Questions: Most natural for asking about plans
- ✅ Negation: 안 + verb + ㄹ 거예요
- ✅ Honorific: Add -시- before ㄹ
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is your go-to future tense for everyday Korean. Use it for plans, predictions, and general future actions. It's more versatile and casual than -겠어요, making it perfect for daily conversation about what's going to happen.