-(으)ㄹ게요 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -ㄹ게요 or -을게요 to a verb stem and say it with the tense sound.
• Handle ㄹ-stems and the ㄷ- and ㅂ-irregular stems.
• Spell the ending correctly: 게요, not 께요.
• Tell a promise from a wish and from a plan.
• Choose between -(으)ㄹ게요, -(으)ㄹ래요 and -(으)ㄹ 거예요.

Before you start: you should know how to find a verb stem by dropping 다, and the shall-we question -(으)ㄹ까요?, which often triggers a reply with -(으)ㄹ게요. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -(으)ㄹ게요 Grammar Mean?

-(으)ㄹ게요 grammar means "I will..." when the speaker promises, offers or decides something for the listener. The key idea is that another person is involved. The speaker does not only want something; the speaker commits to an action because of what the other person said or needs.

Two examples show the idea.

• 제가 먼저 갈게요. (jega meonjeo galgeyo.) [제가 먼저 갈께요] = "I'll go first."
• 다음에 또 올게요. (daeume tto olgeyo.) [다으메 또 올께요] = "I'll come again."

The first sentence is what you say when leaving a gathering early. The second is a friendly promise to a shop owner. Both sentences are about the speaker, and both are aimed at someone. The sections below show how to build the ending and how it differs from nearby patterns. First comes the formation rule.

How Do You Form -(으)ㄹ게요?

-(으)ㄹ게요 is formed by dropping 다 from the dictionary form of a verb and adding -ㄹ게요 or -을게요, depending on the last sound of the stem. A stem that ends in a vowel takes the short form, and a stem that ends in a consonant takes the form with 을.

The table shows one pattern with two endings. The Revised Romanization writes the letters (galgeyo), not the tense sound, because the tensing comes from a neighbouring sound and not from a tense letter. The next parts take each stem type in turn.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

A vowel stem takes -ㄹ게요 directly, and the ㄹ moves onto the last syllable of the stem as its final consonant. So 가 + ㄹ게요 is written 갈게요, and 전화하 + ㄹ게요 is written 전화할게요.

• 이따가 전화할게요. (ittaga jeonhwahalgeyo.) [이따가 전화할께요] = "I'll call you later."
• 제가 살게요. (jega salgeyo.) [제가 살께요] = "I'll pay." (Here 사다 can mean "to buy" or "to treat".)

The tense sound is the main pronunciation point. After the ㄹ, the ㄱ of 게 is said as ㄲ, so 할게요 sounds like "hal-kke-yo". This follows the 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법), Article 27, which tense the first sound of an ending that follows -(으)ㄹ. The spelling does not show this, so write 게요 and say [께요].

Stems Ending in a Consonant

A consonant stem takes -을게요. The 을 links the stem to the ending, and the final consonant of the stem moves to the next syllable when you speak: 먹을게요 sounds like [머글께요], and 앉을게요 sounds like [안즐께요].

• 그럼 제가 먹을게요. (geureom jega meogeulgeyo.) [그럼 제가 머글께요] = "Then I'll eat it."
• 여기에 앉을게요. (yeogie anjeulgeyo.) [여기에 안즐께요] = "I'll sit here."

Do ㄹ-Stems and Irregular Verbs Change?

ㄹ-stems keep their ㄹ and take no 을, because the stem already ends in the sound ㄹ. So 만들다 becomes 만들게요, 살다 becomes 살게요, and 열다 becomes 열게요. Other irregular verbs change in the same way as before any ending that starts with 으 or 을.

These forms come from the site's conjugation engine, which follows the standard rules. One sentence shows the ㅂ-irregular verb in an offer: 제가 도울게요 (jega doulgeyo) = "I'll help." With the formation clear, one sentence can be built step by step.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -(으)ㄹ게요

-(으)ㄹ게요 grammar works by turning a plain verb into a commitment aimed at the listener. Follow the steps for a reply to the request "Please close the door."

1. Read the request. A colleague says 문 좀 닫아 주세요 ("Please close the door").
2. Choose the verb. The verb is 닫다 (to close).
3. Drop 다 to find the stem. The stem is 닫. It ends in a consonant (ㄷ).
4. Choose the ending. A consonant stem takes -을게요, so you get 닫을게요.
5. Add the answer word. 네, 닫을게요. (ne, dadeulgeyo.) [네, 다들께요] = "Yes, I'll close it."

You will know it worked when the speaker is the one acting and the sentence answers someone's request or need. The most common slip is using -(으)ㄹ래요 here: 닫을래요 means "I want to close it" and does not answer the colleague. The next question is when the ending can appear in different tenses and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -(으)ㄹ게요?

-(으)ㄹ게요 works only in the present, as a statement, and only for the speaker. A promise is about the speaker's own future action, so most other forms cannot attach.

The negative form is a common promise: 다음부터 늦지 않을게요 (daeumbuteo neutji aneulgeyo) [다음부터 늗찌 아늘께요] = "I won't be late from next time." The negative with 안 also works: 안 갈게요 means "I won't go" as a decision.

The sentence type matters for intonation too. -(으)ㄹ게요 is a statement, so it ends with a falling or level tone, not a question rise. A rising tone makes it sound like asking for permission, and in standard grammar a different ending, -(으)ㄹ까요?, carries that meaning. The pattern has close neighbours that learners confuse with it.

How Is -(으)ㄹ게요 Different from -(으)ㄹ래요 and -(으)ㄹ 거예요?

-(으)ㄹ게요 commits the speaker to the listener, -(으)ㄹ래요 shows what the speaker wants, and -(으)ㄹ 거예요 states a plan or a prediction. The same verb changes its meaning with each ending.

Compare three sentences with 먹다. 먹을게요 says "I'll eat" in answer to an offer or a request. 먹을래요 says "I want to eat" or asks "Do you want to eat?" 먹을 거예요 says "I will eat" as a plan or a fact about the future, such as 저녁에 먹을 거예요 ("I'll eat in the evening"). The full contrast is covered in -(으)ㄹ래요 and -(으)ㄹ까요?. Two comparison pages put the forms side by side: -(으)ㄹ게요 vs -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and -(으)ㄹ게요 vs -(으)ㄹ래요. These contrasts lead to a few variations in how the ending is used.

Variations and Edge Cases of -(으)ㄹ게요

-(으)ㄹ게요 has four common variations: casual speech, leaving phrases, offers and formal speech. Each one shows how real speakers use it.

• Casual speech. Drop 요 to talk to a friend: 내가 할게 (naega halge) [내가 할께] = "I'll do it," and 나 먼저 갈게 (na meonjeo galge) = "I'm heading out first."
• Leaving phrases. 먼저 갈게요 is a normal way to leave a table before others. It announces the decision and invites a goodbye.
• Offers. After an offer with -(으)ㄹ까요?, the offerer can confirm with -(으)ㄹ게요: A: 제가 할까요? B: 네, 부탁해요. A: 제가 할게요. The first speaker now commits.
• Formal speech. In a very formal setting, speakers use -겠습니다 for the same idea: 제가 하겠습니다 (jega hagetseumnida) [제가 하겓씀니다] = "I will do it."

This lesson covers the polite ending, not the whole -겠- system. You cannot add the honorific -(으)시- to -(으)ㄹ게요, because the honorific never marks the speaker. See honorific -(으)시- and Korean Speech Levels for the wider picture. The mistakes below are the ones that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -(으)ㄹ게요?

Learners most often confuse the spelling, the subject and the meaning. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Spelling it -께요. The sound is tense, but the standard spelling is 갈게요. The 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules, Article 53) write -(으)ㄹ게 with a plain ㄱ. Only question endings such as -(으)ㄹ까요 are written with ㄲ.
2. Using it as a question. 제가 갈게요? with a rise is not the standard way to offer. Ask 제가 갈까요? instead.
3. Using it for a third person. 민수 씨가 올게요 is wrong when you mean "Minsu will come." Use 올 거예요.
4. Using it for a plain plan. 내일 비가 올게요 is wrong because the weather cannot promise anything. Use 올 거예요 for predictions and plans.

A quick check: Is the speaker the one acting? Is another person involved (a request, an offer, a goodbye)? Is the spelling 게요 with ㄱ? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set below tests these points directly.

Practice and Answers

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

1. Choose the spelling. Which is standard: 갈게요 or 갈께요?
2. Fix the error. A learner writes 만들을게요 for "I'll make it." Correct it.
3. Translate. "I'll call you later." Use 전화하다.
4. Choose the ending. A friend asks 누가 할래요? ("Who wants to do it?") You volunteer. Do you say 제가 할게요 or 제가 할 거예요? Explain why.

Answer key

1. 갈게요. The ending is written with ㄱ and pronounced [갈께요].
2. 만들게요. The ㄹ of 만들 is kept, and no 을 is added.
3. 이따가 전화할게요. The stem 전화하 ends in a vowel, so the ending is -ㄹ게요.
4. 제가 할게요. You answer the group's need, and -(으)ㄹ게요 is the ending for that.

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can use -(으)ㄹ게요 in everyday speech. The final section points to the next lessons.

What Should You Learn Next after -(으)ㄹ게요 Grammar?

After -(으)ㄹ게요 grammar, learn the wish ending, then compare the three "will" patterns. This lesson teaches the promise and offer ending and does not cover the plan form or the formal -겠- system in depth. Those live on separate pages.

1. Learn -(으)ㄹ래요, the wish and invitation ending.
2. Review -(으)ㄹ까요?, which often comes right before -(으)ㄹ게요.
3. Read Suggestions and Requests for every suggestion and request ending in one place.
4. Return to the Beginner Grammar list for the other patterns at this level.

TOPIK is the official Korean proficiency test, and the level shown here is an editorial estimate; the official descriptions are on topik.go.kr. With these steps, the choice becomes automatic: use -(으)ㄹ게요 when you promise something to the listener, and -(으)ㄹ 거예요 when you state a plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -(으)ㄹ게요 mean?

-(으)ㄹ게요 means "I will..." as a promise, an offer or a decision made for the listener. 제가 먼저 갈게요 means "I'll go first," and 다음에 또 올게요 means "I'll come again." The speaker commits to an action in response to the situation or to what the other person just said.

How do I attach -(으)ㄹ게요 to a verb?

Drop 다 from the verb. After a vowel stem or a ㄹ-stem add -ㄹ게요 to the stem: 가다 becomes 갈게요, and 만들다 becomes 만들게요. After a consonant stem add -을게요: 먹다 becomes 먹을게요. ㄷ- and ㅂ-irregular stems change first: 들을게요 and 도울게요.

Is it 갈게요 or 갈께요?

The standard spelling is 갈게요, with ㄱ, even though the sound is tense and heard as [갈께요]. The 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules) write the -(으)ㄹ게 ending with a plain ㄱ. Spellings such as 갈께요 are common in messages but are treated as non-standard in formal writing and exams.

Can -(으)ㄹ게요 be used as a question or with a third person?

In standard grammar, no. The ending states the speaker's own decision, so it works only with "I" and it is not a question. To offer help, ask with -(으)ㄹ까요?: 제가 도와 드릴까요? For a third person, use -(으)ㄹ 거예요: 민수 씨는 올 거예요 means "Minsu will come."

What is the difference between -(으)ㄹ게요 and -(으)ㄹ 거예요?

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 states a plan or a prediction and fits any subject. -(으)ㄹ게요 commits the speaker to an action in the moment, usually toward the listener. 내일 갈 거예요 is a plan for tomorrow. 내일 갈게요 is a promise, such as an answer to "Can you come tomorrow?"

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