Two Ways to Talk About the Future
Korean has two main future tense expressions, each with a different nuance:
| Form | Nuance | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| ~ㄹ/을 거예요 | Plan, intention, prediction | "I'm going to...", "will (planned)" |
| ~겠 | Conjecture, polite will, spontaneous decision | "I think...", "It must be...", "I shall..." |
Future with ~ㄹ/을 거예요 (Plans & Intentions)
This is the most common future tense form. Use it when you have a plan or are making a prediction.
Formation
| Stem Ending | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel (no 받침) | ~ㄹ 거예요 | 가 → 갈 거예요 |
| Consonant (받침) | ~을 거예요 | 먹 → 먹을 거예요 |
Conjugation Table
| Dictionary | Stem | Future (Polite) | Future (Formal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 (go) | 가 | 갈 거예요 | 갈 겁니다 |
| 오다 (come) | 오 | 올 거예요 | 올 겁니다 |
| 자다 (sleep) | 자 | 잘 거예요 | 잘 겁니다 |
| 만나다 (meet) | 만나 | 만날 거예요 | 만날 겁니다 |
| 보다 (watch) | 보 | 볼 거예요 | 볼 겁니다 |
| 하다 (do) | 하 | 할 거예요 | 할 겁니다 |
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹 | 먹을 거예요 | 먹을 겁니다 |
| 읽다 (read) | 읽 | 읽을 거예요 | 읽을 겁니다 |
| 씻다 (wash) | 씻 | 씻을 거예요 | 씻을 겁니다 |
| 공부하다 (study) | 공부하 | 공부할 거예요 | 공부할 겁니다 |
| 운동하다 (exercise) | 운동하 | 운동할 거예요 | 운동할 겁니다 |
Example Sentences
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 내일 학교에 갈 거예요. | I'm going to go to school tomorrow. |
| 다음 주에 영화를 볼 거예요. | I'm going to watch a movie next week. |
| 내년에 한국에 갈 거예요. | I'm going to go to Korea next year. |
| 열심히 공부할 거예요. | I'm going to study hard. |
| 나중에 전화할 거예요. | I'll call later. |
Future with ~겠 (Conjecture & Polite Will)
~겠 is attached directly to the verb stem regardless of whether it ends in a vowel or consonant.
Formation
Simply add ~겠 to the stem:
| Dictionary | Stem | + 겠 | Polite | Formal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가 | 가겠 | 가겠어요 | 가겠습니다 |
| 먹다 | 먹 | 먹겠 | 먹겠어요 | 먹겠습니다 |
| 하다 | 하 | 하겠 | 하겠어요 | 하겠습니다 |
| 덥다 | 덥 | 덥겠 | 덥겠어요 | 덥겠습니다 |
| 맛있다 | 맛있 | 맛있겠 | 맛있겠어요 | 맛있겠습니다 |
When to Use ~겠
1. Conjecture / Guessing (most common use):
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 내일 비가 오겠어요. | It will probably rain tomorrow. |
| 맛있겠다! | That must be delicious! |
| 피곤하겠어요. | You must be tired. |
| 춥겠어요. | It must be cold. |
2. Polite Intention / Determination (formal contexts):
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 제가 하겠습니다. | I will do it. (determined) |
| 열심히 하겠습니다. | I will work hard. |
| 잘 먹겠습니다. | I will eat well. (set phrase before meals) |
3. Spontaneous Decision (deciding in the moment):
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이거 먹겠어요. | I'll have this one. (just decided) |
| 저도 가겠어요. | I'll go too. (just decided) |
~ㄹ/을 거예요 vs ~겠: Key Differences
| Feature | ~ㄹ/을 거예요 | ~겠 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Plan / Intention | Conjecture / Polite will |
| Certainty | More certain | Less certain |
| Example | 내일 갈 거예요. (I'm going to go.) | 내일 가겠어요. (I think I'll go.) |
| About others | Prediction about others | Guessing about others |
| Formality | Neutral | More formal/polite |
Comparison Examples
| ~ㄹ/을 거예요 (plan) | ~겠 (conjecture) |
|---|---|
| 비가 올 거예요. (It's going to rain -- forecast) | 비가 오겠어요. (It'll probably rain -- guess) |
| 맛있을 거예요. (It'll be delicious -- I know) | 맛있겠어요. (It must be delicious -- I imagine) |
| 제가 할 거예요. (I'm going to do it -- plan) | 제가 하겠습니다. (I will do it -- determination) |
Time Expressions for the Future
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 곧 | got | soon |
| 이따가 | ittaga | later (soon) |
| 나중에 | najunge | later (unspecified) |
| 내일 | naeil | tomorrow |
| 모레 | more | day after tomorrow |
| 다음 주 | daeum ju | next week |
| 다음 달 | daeum dal | next month |
| 내년 | naenyeon | next year |
All Three Tenses Compared
| Tense | 가다 | 먹다 | 하다 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | 갔어요 | 먹었어요 | 했어요 |
| Present | 가요 | 먹어요 | 해요 |
| Future (plan) | 갈 거예요 | 먹을 거예요 | 할 거예요 |
| Future (conjecture) | 가겠어요 | 먹겠어요 | 하겠어요 |
Practice
Express these future plans using ~ㄹ/을 거예요:
- I'm going to eat dinner. → 저녁을 ___.
- I'm going to study Korean. → 한국어를 ___.
- I'm going to meet a friend tomorrow. → 내일 친구를 ___.
- I'm going to exercise. → ___.