-지 싶다 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -지 싶다 to a verb, an adjective or a noun.
• Make a soft guess about the present, the past and what is likely.
• Pronounce the ending correctly: [지 십따] and [시퍼요].
• Explain how -지 싶다 differs from -고 싶다, -나 싶다 and -(으)ㄹ 것 같다.

Before you start: you should know how to find a verb stem (drop 다 from the dictionary form) and the past endings -았/었-. If stems are new to you, read about verb stems first. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -지 싶다 Grammar Mean?

-지 싶다 grammar means "I suspect that this is so" or "I'd guess that this is so." The ending -지 links the idea to 싶다. The verb 싶다 usually means "to want" in -고 싶다, but here it means "to feel" or "to think." Together they say: "It seems to me that this is so." The listener hears an opinion that is held lightly.

Here are the first two examples. The pattern is the same in both, and only the stem changes.

• 그게 맞지 싶어요. (geuge matji sipeoyo.) [그게 맏찌 시퍼요] = "I suspect that is right."
• 이게 더 낫지 싶어요. (ige deo natji sipeoyo.) [이게 더 낟찌 시퍼요] = "I suspect this one is better."

Notice what the speaker is doing. They are not stating a fact, and they are not asking a full question. They are offering a hunch, with a small invitation: "Am I right?" That is why the pattern can feel like half a statement and half a question. Because of that, -지 싶다 often sounds like thinking aloud. The next section shows how to build the pattern.

How Do You Form -지 싶다?

-지 싶다 is formed by dropping 다 from the dictionary form and adding -지 싶다. No 으 is ever added, because the ending begins with the consonant ㅈ, and irregular stems do not change. Add the speech level only to the last word, 싶다: 싶어요 (polite), 싶습니다 (formal) or 싶다 (plain).

The table shows one rule applied to seven words. The next three parts look at the groups of stems one at a time.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

A vowel stem takes -지 directly: 가다 becomes 가지, 오다 becomes 오지, and 도착하다 becomes 도착하지. For a guess about something that has already happened, add the past ending first. 가 + ㅆ = 갔, so 갔지 싶다.

• 아마 벌써 집에 갔지 싶어요. (ama beolsseo jibe gatji sipeoyo.) [아마 벌써 지베 갇찌 시퍼요] = "I suspect he has gone home already."
• 오늘은 비가 오지 싶다. (oneureun biga oji sipda.) [오느른 비가 오지 십따] = "I suspect it will rain today."

The second sentence uses the plain form 싶다, which is how people write a thought in a diary or a post. A guess about the near future in this form is natural in speech. Vowel stems are the simplest case. A stem with a final consonant changes the sound, though not the spelling.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

A consonant stem also takes -지 directly. The spelling does not change, but the final consonant makes the ㅈ of 지 sound tense, and the final consonant itself changes: 맞지 is spoken [맏찌], 낫지 is spoken [낟찌], 춥지 is spoken [춥찌], and 맛있지 is spoken [마싣찌]. This follows the standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원 (National Institute of Korean Language) for tensing after a stem-final consonant.

• 이 집이 제일 맛있지 싶어요. (i jibi jeil masitji sipeoyo.) [이 지비 제일 마싣찌 시퍼요] = "I suspect this restaurant is the best."
• 날씨가 춥지 싶어요. (nalssiga chupji sipeoyo.) [날씨가 춥찌 시퍼요] = "I suspect the weather is cold."

Now listen to 싶어요. It is spelled with ㅍ and spoken [시퍼요]: the ㅍ moves to the next syllable and the word sounds like "shi-peo-yo." Learners who write what they hear, 시퍼요, make a spelling mistake. Write 싶어요. Two more groups need a short note, because learners expect trouble with them.

Do ㄹ-Stems, Irregular Stems, Nouns and past Forms Change?

The ending -지 begins with a consonant, so ㄹ-stems keep the ㄹ and irregular stems stay as they are.

• ㄹ-stems keep the ㄹ: 길다 gives 길지 싶다, and 놀다 gives 놀지 싶다.

• ㅂ- and ㅅ-irregular stems keep the ㅂ and ㅅ: 춥지, 낫지. They only change before a vowel.

• 하다 verbs and adjectives behave like any vowel stem: 도착하지, 조용하지.

• 회의가 길지 싶어요. (hoeuiga gilji sipeoyo.) [회의가 길지 시퍼요] = "I suspect the meeting will be long."

For nouns, use the copula 이다: after a vowel, N + 지 (or 이지); after a consonant, N + 이지. 사장님 ends in the consonant ㅁ, so it becomes 사장님이지.

• 저 사람이 사장님이지 싶어요. (jeo sarami sajangnimiji sipeoyo.) [저 사라미 사장니미지 시퍼요] = "I suspect that person is the boss."

Past guesses add -았/었- to the stem before -지: 갔지, 먹었지, 도착했지. With 하다 verbs, the past is 했 and the aspirated sound appears in speech: 도착했지 is spoken [도차캗찌]. With the formation clear, one sentence can be built step by step.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -지 싶다

-지 싶다 grammar works by turning a guess into a soft statement. Follow the steps with the idea "I suspect he has arrived by now."

1. Start with the verb. The verb is 도착하다 (to arrive). Its dictionary form ends in 다.
2. Find the stem. Drop 다. The stem is 도착하. It ends in the vowel ㅏ.
3. Put it in the past. The guess is about something that has probably happened, so use 했: 도착하 + 였 = 도착했.
4. Add -지 싶다 in the polite style. 도착했 + 지 싶어요 = 도착했지 싶어요.
5. Rebuild the sentence. Put the time word first: 지금쯤 도착했지 싶어요. (jigeumjjeum dochakaetji sipeoyo.) [지금쯤 도차캗찌 시퍼요] = "I suspect he has arrived by now."

You will know it worked when -지 comes right after the past stem and 싶어요 comes last as its own word. The most common slip at this step is to write 도착하고 싶어요. That sentence means "I want to arrive," because -고 싶다 is the "want" pattern. The sentence is now a guess, but the pattern has limits on tense and sentence type.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -지 싶다?

-지 싶다 works in the present and the past, mostly in statements. Two kinds of change are possible. The tense of the guess goes on the stem (갔지 싶다), and the speech level and time of the hunch go on 싶다 (싶어요, 싶었어요). The table shows forms for 맞다.

The polite 싶어요 is spoken [시퍼요], the softener 싶은데요 is spoken [시푼데요], and the formal 싶습니다 is spoken [십씀니다]. The past hunch 싶었어요 is spoken [시퍼써요].

• 그때는 그게 맞지 싶었어요. (geuttaeneun geuge matji sipeosseoyo.) [그때는 그게 맏찌 시퍼써요] = "At that time I suspected it was right."
• 그게 맞지 싶은데요. (geuge matji sipeundeyo.) [그게 맏찌 시푼데요] = "I suspect that is right, though."
• 그것이 맞지 싶습니다. (geugeosi matji sipseumnida.) [그거시 맏찌 십씀니다] = "I suspect that is right."

The softener 싶은데요 leaves the sentence open, and the listener often answers. The formal 싶습니다 is correct, but in formal speech people often choose -(으)ㄹ 것 같습니다 instead. The pattern does not become a command or a suggestion. It is almost never a question, because it already sounds like a question you ask yourself. The most useful contrast for a learner is next to the pattern it is closest to.

How Is -지 싶다 Different from -나 싶다?

-지 싶다 gives a hunch that leans toward yes, while -나 싶다 voices a doubt. Both use 싶다 for a thought in the speaker's head, and both look similar on the page. The meaning differs by one syllable.

The first speaker thinks the answer is probably yes. The second speaker is not sure, and may be hoping it is no. The full rules are on the page for -나 싶다.

Two other neighbours are worth knowing.

• -고 싶다 means "want to." It looks the same but for one letter: 먹고 싶어요 ("I want to eat") versus 먹지 싶어요 ("I suspect he eats"). See -고 싶다.
• -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 is the all-purpose guess. 올 것 같아요 sounds neutral and works in any setting. -지 싶다 is more personal and sounds like thinking aloud. See -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 and -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다. For a plain future statement, see future tense -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and future guess -겠-.

These contrasts lead to the smaller variations of the pattern itself.

Variations and Edge Cases of -지 싶다

-지 싶다 has three common variations: the open ending 싶은데요, the reason ending 싶어서 and the plain 싶다 of thought. Each one appears in real conversation.

• The open ending -지 싶은데요. Adding -은데요 softens the guess and invites a reply: 오늘은 쉬지 싶은데요 ("I suspect he is off today, though"). Shop staff and colleagues use it when they are not fully sure.
• The reason ending -지 싶어서. It gives the thought as a reason for an action: 비가 오지 싶어서 우산을 가져왔어요 (biga oji sipeoseo usaneul gajyeowasseoyo) [비가 오지 시퍼서 우사늘 가져와써요] means "I thought it might rain, so I brought an umbrella."
• The plain 싶다 of thought. In diaries, posts and subtitles, the plain form shows an inner voice: 이게 더 낫지 싶다 ("I suspect this one is better").

A few points about use. The subject of the guess is usually a third person or a situation, not the speaker's own sure plan. The pattern also needs something to guess about: you may say it when you cannot check the answer yourself. This lesson covers the guessing meaning of -지 싶다. The mistakes below show where the boundary causes real errors.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -지 싶다?

Learners most often get the meaning, the spelling or the certainty wrong. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Confusing it with -고 싶다. 가고 싶어요 means "I want to go," but 가지 싶어요 means "I suspect he goes." One small syllable changes the whole idea. Check for 지 before you translate.
2. Using it for a sure fact. 제 이름은 민수지 싶어요 is odd, because you know your own name. Use -지 싶다 only when you cannot be certain.
3. Spelling 싶어요 as it sounds. 시퍼요 is a spelling mistake. The written form is 싶어요, with ㅍ.
4. Mixing up the two pasts. 갔지 싶어요 guesses that something happened. 가지 싶었어요 says that you had a hunch at that time. They are not the same sentence.

A quick check for any guess: Is the stem followed by -지? Is 싶다 a separate word? Is the speaker truly unsure? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set below tests these four points directly.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Choose the form. Complete: 그게 맞___ 싶어요. (지 / 고 / 나)
2. Fix the error. A learner says 먹지 싶어요 to mean "I want to eat." Correct it.
3. Translate. "I suspect that person is the culprit." Use 범인이다 and the polite style.
4. Write your own. Write one guess about the weather or about a friend, using -지 싶어요. Then rewrite it as a doubt with -나 싶어요 or -(으)ㄴ가 싶어요.

Answer key

1. 지. The pattern is stem + -지 싶어요, so you get 그게 맞지 싶어요.
2. 먹고 싶어요. The "want" pattern is -고 싶다.
3. 아마 그 사람이 범인이지 싶어요. (ama geu sarami beominiji sipeoyo.) [아마 그 사라미 버미니지 시퍼요] = "I suspect that person is the culprit."
4. Answers vary. Check that -지 is attached to the stem, 싶다 is separate, and the doubt version ends in 나 싶어요 or -(으)ㄴ가 싶어요. An example: 내일은 비가 오지 싶어요 → 내일은 비가 오나 싶어요.

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can use the pattern in conversation. Next, the lesson hands off to related patterns.

What Should You Learn Next?

You now know a soft way to say "I suspect that." Continue with -나 싶다, which voices the doubt side of the same idea. Then learn the all-purpose guess -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 and the pattern for what you see or hear now, -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다. All the related lessons are collected under Guessing and Conjecture. The pattern also sits at level B2 on the Advanced Grammar list.

This page covers the meaning, the formation and the common mistakes of -지 싶다. It does not cover every use of 싶다, such as -ㄹ까 싶다. Level placement here is an editorial estimate from textbook syllabi. For official exam information, see topik.go.kr.

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