Future Guess -겠-: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Insert 겠 into any verb or adjective without changing the stem.
• Tell the will, offer and inference readings of -겠- apart.
• Use the set phrases 알겠습니다, 처음 뵙겠습니다 and 잘 먹겠습니다.
• Explain why 내일 가겠어요 and 내일 갈 거예요 feel different.

Before you start: you should know the polite ending -아요/어요 and the lesson on future tense -(으)ㄹ 거예요. Time: about 30 minutes.

What Does the Future Guess -겠- Mean?

The future guess -겠- marks a thought about something that is not settled yet. The speaker decides it now, offers it to the listener, or concludes it from what is in front of them. It is an infix (선어말어미), a small piece placed inside a word between the stem and the final ending.

The three jobs depend on who the subject is and what the speaker can see.

Pronunciation: 제가 하겠습니다 is [제가 하겓씀니다] (jega hagetseumnida), 뭐 드시겠어요 is [뭐 드시게써요] (mwo deusigesseoyo), and 비가 오겠어요 is [비가 오게써요] (biga ogesseoyo).

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 제가 하겠습니다. (jega hagetseumnida) "I will do it."

Pronunciation: [제가 하겓씀니다]. The speaker decides at this moment and takes responsibility. The ending 습니다 makes the sentence formal, as in an office.

2. 비가 오겠어요. (biga ogesseoyo) "It looks like it will rain."

Pronunciation: [비가 오게써요]. The speaker sees dark clouds and concludes that rain is coming. The sentence is a guess from evidence, not a plan.

The same infix gives a promise in one sentence and a guess in the other. The next section shows how the infix is placed.

How Does -겠- Work?

Insert 겠 after the stem and before the ending. The stem never changes, so the same rule works for every verb and adjective. After 겠 comes any normal ending: 습니다, 어요, 어, 다 or 지요.

Pattern Table

Romanization of the polite column: hagesseoyo, gagesseoyo, meokgesseoyo, ilgesseoyo, salgesseoyo, deutgesseoyo, dopgesseoyo, moreugesseoyo, jokesseoyo, and masitgesseoyo.

Three details make the table easy to apply.

1. The stem stays whole. 듣 does not become 들, 돕 does not become 도우, and 살 keeps its ㄹ. The infix begins with a consonant, so the sound changes that irregular stems show before a vowel do not occur.
2. Spell the infix with ㅆ. The double consonant is part of the infix: 겠. A single ㅅ, as in 갯어요, is a spelling error.
3. Some sounds change in speech. After a stem whose last sound is a stop (ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ, including finals pronounced that way, such as the ㅆ of 맛있), the 겠 is spoken with a tense sound: 먹겠어요 is [먹께써요]. After ㅎ, the sounds join into ㅋ: 좋겠어요 is [조케써요].

Other Endings

The infix stays the same at every speech level. Only the part after it changes.

Romanization: hagetseumnida, hagesseoyo, hagesseo and hagetda. The bare form 하겠요 does not exist, because 겠 needs a full ending after it. With the placement clear, the next section builds one sentence.

Building a Sentence with -겠-, Step by Step

To make a -겠- sentence, take the dictionary form, remove 다, insert 겠 and add the ending. Follow these steps with 제가 하겠습니다.

1. Start from the dictionary form. 하다 ("to do").
2. Remove 다. The stem is 하.
3. Insert 겠. 하 + 겠 becomes 하겠. There is no vowel rule to check.
4. Add the ending. For the formal style, add 습니다: 하겠습니다. For the polite style, add 어요: 하겠어요.
5. Add the other words. 제가 gives the subject: 제가 하겠습니다.

You'll know it worked when the verb contains 겠 followed by a full ending. Common mistake at this step: adding only 요 after 겠, as in 하겠요. Add 어요 or 습니다.

Repeat the steps with two more verbs. For 먹다, the stem is 먹, and the polite form is 먹겠어요. For 오다, the stem is 오, and the polite form is 오겠어요.

With the sentence built, the next section compares -겠- with the forms that learners mix it up with.

How Is -겠- Different from Similar Forms?

Use -겠- for what the speaker decides now or concludes from evidence, -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for a plan or a neutral prediction, -(으)ㄹ게요 for a promise to the listener, and the present tense for a routine. All four can point to the future, but each one shows a different source for the idea.

Romanization: jega hagetseumnida, naeil hal geoyeyo, jega halgeyo and maeil haeyo. The plan form 내일 갈 거예요 is taught in future tense -(으)ㄹ 거예요, and a side-by-side study with more examples is in -겠- vs -(으)ㄹ 거예요. A wider list of ending choices is in Korean sentence endings. The next section covers when the infix is natural and when it is not.

When Do You Use -겠-, and When Not?

Use -겠- when the speaker decides, offers or concludes in the moment of speaking, and avoid it for neutral facts. The edge cases below follow from that rule.

Inference about feelings and conditions. Korean speakers answer what they see or hear with -겠-. 힘들겠어요 [힘들게써요] means "That must be hard", and 피곤하겠어요 [피곤하게써요] means "You must be tired". Food that looks good gets 맛있겠다 [마싣껟따] ("That looks delicious").

Past inference. Insert -았/었- before 겠 to guess about the past: 어제 많이 힘들었겠어요 [어제 마니 힘드럳께써요] means "Yesterday must have been very hard". The order is always past infix first, then 겠.

Third-person subjects. With "he" or "she", -겠- usually reads as the speaker's inference, not as the other person's plan. 민수 씨는 힘들겠어요 [민수 씨는 힘들게써요] means "Minsu must be having a hard time".

Refusing. A negative with -겠- is firm. 저는 안 먹겠어요 [저는 안 먹께써요] means "I won't eat it", which is stronger than 안 먹을 거예요.

Questions to the listener. 먹겠어요? asks "Will you eat it?" or "Would you like it?". The version with the honorific 드시겠어요? is the polite way for a server to ask what a guest wants.

Writing. In formal writing and speeches, -겠- opens an event: 지금부터 회의를 시작하겠습니다 [지금부터 회의를 시자카겓씀니다] means "We will start the meeting now". In a diary or resolution, the plain form appears: 내년에는 운동을 꾸준히 하겠다 [내녀네는 운동을 꾸준히 하겓따] means "Next year I will exercise regularly".

Limitation: this lesson covers the basic readings of -겠-. It does not cover fixed idioms such as 죽겠다 ("it is killing me") or the polite "would you mind" patterns, which sit in Guessing and Conjecture and later levels. The next section lists the set phrases.

Set Phrases with -겠-

Several everyday phrases contain 겠 even though they do not describe the future. Learn them as whole units and use them without analysis.

Romanization: algetseumnida, algesseoyo, moreugesseoyo, cheoeum boepgetseumnida, jal meokgetseumnida and jal butakdeurigetseumnida. The phrase 잘 먹겠습니다 is said before the meal, and 잘 먹었습니다 is said after it, which is why the first uses 겠 and the second uses the past infix. In offices, 알겠습니다 is more respectful than 알았어요 when answering a manager. The next section lists the errors to avoid.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Six mistakes cover most wrong -겠- sentences.

1. Using -겠- for a timetable. 내일 아홉 시에 가겠어요 as a plain fact sounds like a vow. For a plan, say 내일 아홉 시에 갈 거예요.
2. Writing 하겠요. After 겠 you need a full ending. Say 하겠어요 or 하겠습니다.
3. Using a single ㅅ. 갯어요 is wrong. The infix is 겠.
4. Changing the stem of an irregular verb. 듣다 stays 듣겠어요, not 들겠어요. The change happens only before a vowel.
5. Reading 모르겠어요 as "I will not know". The phrase is a set expression that means "I don't know" or "I can't tell".
6. Stacking two future forms. Learners write 갈 거겠어요. Choose one: 갈 거예요 for a plan, or 가겠어요 for a decision.

The same stems appear in the formal ending explained in formal speech -ㅂ니다/습니다, and the sentence pattern behind every example is in the Korean SOV sentence pattern. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. You see dark clouds. Which sentence says "It looks like it will rain": 비가 오겠어요 or 비가 와요?
2. Fix the error. 제가 하겠요. (The speaker wants to say "I will do it.")
3. Translate. "I will do my best." (formal)
4. Write your own. Write one sentence with -겠- that states a decision about tonight, using 자다 (to sleep) or 먹다 (to eat).

Answer Key

1. 비가 오겠어요 (biga ogesseoyo) Pronounced [비가 오게써요]. The speaker concludes from the clouds, so -겠- is right. 비가 와요 says that it is raining.

2. 제가 하겠어요. (jega hagesseoyo) Pronounced [제가 하게써요]. 겠 needs a full ending, so 요 alone is not enough.

3. 열심히 하겠습니다. (yeolsimhi hagetseumnida) Pronounced [열씸히 하겓씀니다]. The formal ending suits a promise to a manager or teacher.

4. Sample answer: 오늘은 일찍 자겠어요. (oneureun iljjik jagesseoyo) "I will go to bed early tonight." Pronounced [오느른 일찍 자게써요]. Any decision about tonight with a correct 겠 is right.

If you chose the wrong form, ask whether the speaker is deciding, offering or concluding now. If yes, use -겠-. If the idea is an earlier plan, use -(으)ㄹ 거예요. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After the future guess -겠-, the natural next lesson is -겠- vs -(으)ㄹ 거예요, which gives a rule for choosing between the two forms. To revisit the plan form, read future tense -(으)ㄹ 거예요. The set overview, Korean future tense, lists every lesson in order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: the future guess -겠- goes between the stem and the ending, and it shows a decision made now, a polite offer or a guess from evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -겠- Mean in Korean?

-겠- is an infix with three main jobs. With "I" it shows will or resolve, as in 제가 하겠습니다 ("I will do it"). With "you" it makes a polite offer or question, as in 뭐 드시겠어요? With evidence it shows inference, as in 비가 오겠어요 ("It looks like it will rain").

How Do I Form -겠-?

Remove 다 from the dictionary form and insert 겠 before the ending. The stem never changes, so 하다 gives 하겠어요, 먹다 gives 먹겠어요, and 살다 gives 살겠어요. Irregular stems such as 듣다 and 돕다 also stay unchanged, because 겠 starts with a consonant. The ending after it is the usual one.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -겠-?

The most common mistake is using -겠- for a plain plan or timetable. 내일 가겠어요 sounds like a vow, while 내일 갈 거예요 simply states a plan. A second mistake is writing 하겠요, which is wrong. After 겠 you need a full ending such as 어요 or 습니다: 하겠어요, 하겠습니다.

How Is -겠- Different from -(으)ㄹ 거예요?

Use -겠- for a decision made at the moment of speaking, an offer, or a guess from what you can see. Use -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for a plan made earlier or a neutral prediction. 제가 하겠습니다 volunteers right now, while 내일 할 거예요 reports a plan. The comparison lesson shows the same verb in both forms.

Do I Use -겠- in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both. In speech it is common in formal and service settings, in set phrases such as 알겠습니다, and in guesses such as 맛있겠다. In writing it appears in announcements, such as 시작하겠습니다, and in plain-style resolutions, such as 열심히 하겠다. The spelling stays 겠 in every style, and only the ending changes.