3 Sentence Summary of This Lesson:
- Add -ㄹ/-을 거예요 to verb stems to express future tense or plans.
- Use -을 거예요 with stems ending in a consonant, and -ㄹ 거예요 without.
- Simple present tense can also indicate near future events in Korean.
To express that something will happen in the future or you plan to do something, you need to add ‘-ㄹ/-을 거예요’.
To break down ‘거예요’, the full version of this is ‘것이에요’. ‘것’ means ‘thing’. We often use the word to turn various phrases or other word types into a noun.
The final condensed version of ‘것이에요’ is ‘거예요’. This is the most common form used in daily conversations.
- For verb stems that have a batchim, add ‘-을 거예요’.
- For verb stems without batchim, add ‘-ㄹ 거예요’.
- For the verb ‘하다’, also add ‘-ㄹ 거예요’.
Let’s look at some examples:
→ 가다 - 가요 - 갔어요 - 갈 거예요. (To go - I go - I went - I will go)
→ 먹다 - 먹어요 - 먹었어요 - 먹을 거예요. (To eat - I eat - I ate - I will eat)
→ 하다 - 해요 - 했어요 - 할 거예요. (To do - I do - I did - I will do)
Use simple future when telling about something that will happen in the future, or if it is your plan to do something in the future. In addition, we often use the simple present tense in place of the future tense to say that something will happen in the near future.
→ 내일 가요.
This translates to ‘I will go tomorrow’, but in Korean, it’s common to use the simple present for near future events.
→ 내일 갈 거예요.
This also means ‘I will go tomorrow’, but can have a slightly stronger nuance or emphasis on the fact that you will go tomorrow, depending on the context.
Try the following exercise.
Conjugate the given verbs into the future tense.
- 사과를 _____ (사다).
Answer
살 거예요
- 공부를 _____(하다).
Answer
할 거예요
- 밤에 _____(자다).
Answer
잘 거예요
- 사탕을 _____(먹다).
Answer
먹을 거예요
- 그림을 _____(그리다).
Answer
그릴 거예요
- 영화를 _____(보다).
Answer
볼 거예요
- 아침에 _____(일어나다).
Answer
일어날 거예요
- 주말엔 _____(쉬다).
Answer
쉴 거예요
- 책을 _____(읽다).
Answer
읽을 거예요
- 요리를 _____(하다).
Answer
할 거예요
* For more practice exercises, visit the ‘Practice Hub’.
🚩 All contents on Modu Korean are subject to copyright. Do not share, distribute, or copy any of the contents.