Overview
~것 같다 (geot gatda) is one of the most frequently used grammar patterns in Korean. It expresses conjecture, probability, or softened opinions — similar to "it seems like," "I think," "probably," or "it looks like" in English.
| Tense | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Future/Guess | ~ㄹ/을 것 같다 | It seems like (will), probably |
| Present | ~는 것 같다 (verbs) / ~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (adj) | It seems like (is) |
| Past | ~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (verbs) / ~았/었던 것 같다 | It seems like (was/did) |
Why so common? Korean culture values indirect communication. Rather than stating things bluntly ("It will rain"), Koreans often soften their statements ("It seems like it will rain"). ~것 같다 is the primary tool for this.
Future / Speculation: ~ㄹ/을 것 같다
Used to express guesses about the future or general probability.
Formation
| Stem ends in | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel | ~ㄹ 것 같다 | 가 + ㄹ 것 같다 = 갈 것 같아요 |
| Consonant | ~을 것 같다 | 먹 + 을 것 같다 = 먹을 것 같아요 |
| ㄹ | ~ㄹ 것 같다 (no change) | 만들 + ㄹ 것 같다 = 만들 것 같아요 |
Conjugation table (future)
| Dictionary | Future conjecture |
|---|---|
| 가다 (go) | 갈 것 같아요 |
| 오다 (come) | 올 것 같아요 |
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹을 것 같아요 |
| 하다 (do) | 할 것 같아요 |
| 보다 (see) | 볼 것 같아요 |
| 좋다 (good) | 좋을 것 같아요 |
| 맛있다 (delicious) | 맛있을 것 같아요 |
| 덥다 (hot) | 더울 것 같아요 |
| 춥다 (cold) | 추울 것 같아요 |
| 어렵다 (difficult) | 어려울 것 같아요 |
| 크다 (big) | 클 것 같아요 |
Example sentences (future)
내일 비가 올 것 같아요. (It will probably rain tomorrow.)
이 영화 재미있을 것 같아요. (This movie looks like it will be fun.)
시간이 오래 걸릴 것 같아요. (It seems like it will take a long time.)
오늘 늦을 것 같아요. (I think I'll be late today.)
맛있을 것 같아요! (It looks like it will be delicious!)
Present: ~는 것 같다 (Verbs) / ~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (Adjectives)
Used to express guesses about the current situation.
Formation
| Word type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action verb | ~는 것 같다 | 가는 것 같아요 (seems like going) |
| Descriptive adj (vowel) | ~ㄴ 것 같다 | 큰 것 같아요 (seems big) |
| Descriptive adj (consonant) | ~은 것 같다 | 좋은 것 같아요 (seems good) |
| 이다 (to be) | ~인 것 같다 | 학생인 것 같아요 (seems to be a student) |
Conjugation table (present)
| Dictionary | Present conjecture |
|---|---|
| 가다 (go) | 가는 것 같아요 |
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹는 것 같아요 |
| 하다 (do) | 하는 것 같아요 |
| 자다 (sleep) | 자는 것 같아요 |
| 좋다 (good) | 좋은 것 같아요 |
| 크다 (big) | 큰 것 같아요 |
| 바쁘다 (busy) | 바쁜 것 같아요 |
| 학생이다 (be a student) | 학생인 것 같아요 |
Example sentences (present)
지금 자는 것 같아요. (It seems like they're sleeping now.)
그 사람이 바쁜 것 같아요. (That person seems busy.)
한국 사람인 것 같아요. (They seem to be Korean.)
지금 비가 오는 것 같아요. (It seems like it's raining now.)
Past: ~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (Verbs)
Used to express guesses about past events.
Formation (verbs)
| Stem ends in | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel | ~ㄴ 것 같다 | 가 → 간 것 같아요 |
| Consonant | ~은 것 같다 | 먹 → 먹은 것 같아요 |
Conjugation table (past)
| Dictionary | Past conjecture |
|---|---|
| 가다 (go) | 간 것 같아요 |
| 오다 (come) | 온 것 같아요 |
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹은 것 같아요 |
| 하다 (do) | 한 것 같아요 |
| 보다 (see) | 본 것 같아요 |
| 자다 (sleep) | 잔 것 같아요 |
Example sentences (past)
벌써 간 것 같아요. (It seems like they already left.)
많이 먹은 것 같아요. (It seems like they ate a lot.)
어제 비가 온 것 같아요. (It seems like it rained yesterday.)
전에 본 것 같아요. (I think I've seen it before.)
All Three Tenses Compared
Using 가다 (to go):
| Tense | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Future | 갈 것 같아요 | It seems like (someone) will go |
| Present | 가는 것 같아요 | It seems like (someone) is going |
| Past | 간 것 같아요 | It seems like (someone) went |
Using 좋다 (good):
| Tense | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Future | 좋을 것 같아요 | It seems like it will be good |
| Present | 좋은 것 같아요 | It seems like it is good |
| Past | 좋았던 것 같아요 | It seems like it was good |
Softening Opinions
~것 같다 is heavily used to soften opinions and avoid sounding too assertive:
| Direct (can sound blunt) | Softened (preferred) |
|---|---|
| 맛있어요. (It's delicious.) | 맛있는 것 같아요. (It seems delicious.) |
| 좋아요. (It's good.) | 좋은 것 같아요. (I think it's good.) |
| 이상해요. (It's strange.) | 이상한 것 같아요. (It seems strange.) |
| 비싸요. (It's expensive.) | 비싼 것 같아요. (It seems expensive.) |
In Korean, directly stating an opinion can feel too strong or presumptuous. Using ~것 같다 adds politeness and humility.
Spoken Shortening: ~거 같아요
In casual speech, 것 is often shortened to 거:
| Written/Formal | Spoken/Casual |
|---|---|
| 갈 것 같아요 | 갈 거 같아요 |
| 좋은 것 같아요 | 좋은 거 같아요 |
| 간 것 같아요 | 간 거 같아요 |
Both forms are widely accepted, but 거 is more common in everyday conversation.
Negation
"It doesn't seem like..."
안 올 것 같아요. (It doesn't seem like they'll come.) 안 좋은 것 같아요. (It doesn't seem good.) 못 갈 것 같아요. (I don't think I can go.)
Using ~지 않을 것 같다
비가 오지 않을 것 같아요. (It doesn't seem like it will rain.) 맛있지 않을 것 같아요. (I don't think it will be delicious.)
Common Expressions
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 괜찮을 것 같아요 | I think it will be okay |
| 좋을 것 같아요 | I think it would be good |
| 맞는 것 같아요 | I think that's right |
| 아닌 것 같아요 | I don't think so |
| 그런 것 같아요 | I think so / It seems like it |
| 모르는 것 같아요 | It seems like they don't know |
| 늦을 것 같아요 | I think I'll be late |
| 힘들 것 같아요 | I think it will be hard |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 갈 것 같다요 | 갈 것 같아요 | Conjugate 같다: 같 + 아요 |
| 가을 것 같아요 | 갈 것 같아요 | Vowel stem: add ㄹ, not 을 |
| 좋는 것 같아요 | 좋은 것 같아요 | Adjectives use ~ㄴ/은, not ~는 |
| 먹는 것 같았어요 (for past event) | 먹은 것 같아요 | For past events, use past modifier on the verb |
| 같에요 | 같아요 | 같다 has last vowel ㅏ: 같 + 아요 |
Summary
- ~ㄹ/을 것 같다: Future conjecture ("it seems like it will...") — most commonly used form.
- ~는 것 같다 (verbs) / ~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (adjectives): Present conjecture ("it seems like...").
- ~ㄴ/은 것 같다 (verbs): Past conjecture ("it seems like... did").
- 것 is often shortened to 거 in speech: 갈 거 같아요.
- ~것 같다 is used extensively to soften opinions — this is a cultural preference for indirect expression.
- Conjugate 같다 for the final speech level: 같아요 (polite), 같습니다 (formal), 같아 (casual).
- This is one of the most useful and frequently used patterns in Korean — master it early.