How to Conjugate Korean Verbs in Future Tense: -(으)ㄹ 거예요

What you will be able to do after this lesson

• Form -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for vowel stems, consonant stems and ㄹ stems, and for adjectives.
• Apply the ending to ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, 르, ㅎ, ㅡ and ㄹ irregular stems: 들을 거예요, 도울 거예요, 지을 거예요, 모를 거예요.
• Choose between -(으)ㄹ 거예요, -겠-, -(으)ㄹ게요 and the plain present in four everyday situations.
• Tell a plan from a guess and avoid the spelling slip 거에요.

Before you start: read the present tense recipe, because this lesson reuses its first step, finding the stem. Time: about 35 minutes. Level: A1.

How to Conjugate Korean Verbs in Future Tense: What Are the Steps?

The future needs three steps, and only the last sound of the stem matters. Find the stem, add ㄹ or 을 according to that last sound, then add 거예요. There is no 아/어 choice and no contraction, so the future is simpler than the past.

1. Find the stem. Remove 다: 가다 → 가, 먹다 → 먹, 살다 → 살.
2. Add the prospective ending. A vowel stem takes ㄹ (가 + ㄹ = 갈). A consonant stem takes 을 (먹 + 을 = 먹을). A stem that already ends in ㄹ takes nothing (살 stays 살).
3. Add 거예요. 갈 거예요, 먹을 거예요, 살 거예요. Write 거예요 as a separate word after a space.

Two pieces build the ending. The first, -(으)ㄹ, turns the verb into a modifier meaning "going to do" (갈 = "going to go"). The second, 거예요, is 거 (a short form of 것, "thing, fact") plus 예요 ("is"). Literally, 갈 거예요 means "it is a thing of going", and in practice "I will go" or "someone will probably go". The parentheses in -(으)ㄹ show that the 으 appears only after a consonant stem, as in 먹으면 and 먹을.

The spelling and the sound differ. The written form is 갈 거예요 (gal geoyeyo), but the spoken form is [갈꺼예요], with a tense [ㄲ]. The Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법, Article 27) tense a consonant that follows the modifier ending -(으)ㄹ. The rule is explained in Korean tensification.

The three steps cover regular stems. Next comes a closer look at each stem type.

How Do You Attach -(으)ㄹ 거예요 to Different Stems?

You attach -(으)ㄹ 거예요 by looking only at the last sound of the stem: a vowel gives -ㄹ 거예요, a consonant gives -을 거예요, and a final ㄹ gives -거예요 with no change. The table shows 15 words, mixing verbs and adjectives, with the polite present beside the future.

Three observations help you read the table quickly.

• ㄹ stems never double the ㄹ. The stem 살 already ends in ㄹ, so 살 + ㄹ merges into 살. The forms 살을 거예요 and 살ㄹ 거예요 are errors. The same holds for 알다 (알 거예요) and 만들다 (만들 거예요).
• ㅡ stems keep their ㅡ. The polite present 커요 drops the ㅡ, but the future is 클 거예요. The ㅡ drop only happens before 아 or 어, and -(으)ㄹ does not start with either.
• Adjectives work like verbs. 크다 becomes 클 거예요 ("it will be big", or "it is probably big"), and 좋다 becomes 좋을 거예요. With adjectives, the meaning is nearly always a guess, never a plan, as the section on plans and guesses below explains.

Stems with a final ㅎ, such as 좋, take 을 and keep the ㅎ in the spelling: 좋을 거예요 [조을꺼예요]. Now for stems that change their shape.

How Do Irregular Stems Behave in the Future?

Irregular stems follow their usual rule, but only the rules that fire before a vowel matter, because -(으)ㄹ starts with the vowel 으 after a consonant stem. The table gives one example for each of the seven classes.

The surprise is in what does not happen. The 르 irregular doubles the ㄹ only before 아 or 어: 몰라요 (not 모라요). In the future the ending starts with ㄹ, so 모르 + ㄹ gives the plain 모를 거예요. The ㅎ irregular changes its vowel to ㅐ only before 아 or 어 (빨개요), and the future shows no ㅐ: 빨갈 거예요, not 빨갤 거예요.

A quick rule of thumb follows. For the future, think of the ending as 으 + ㄹ. If the stem would change before 으 (ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅎ), it changes. If it would change only before 아/어 (르, ㅡ), it stays. The class lessons begin on the Korean irregular verbs hub, and all seven classes sit side by side on the irregular verbs chart. With the forms settled, the next question is which future form to pick.

How Do -(으)ㄹ 거예요, -겠-, -(으)ㄹ게요 and the Present Differ?

Korean has four everyday ways to talk about the time ahead, and each answers a different situation. Use the plain present for a fixed schedule, -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for a plan or a guess, -겠- for an on-the-spot decision or a strong inference, and -(으)ㄹ게요 for a promise to the listener.

Here is how to choose in practice.

• Plain present for timetables. 내일 학교에 가요 states a fact about tomorrow. Korean often uses the present when the time word (내일, 다음 주) already shows the future.
• -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for plans. 주말에 영화를 볼 거예요 means "I will watch a movie this weekend". The plan was in your mind before you spoke.
• -겠- for the moment of decision. At a restaurant, 이걸로 하겠습니다 means "I will take this one". The decision happens as you speak. The same ending also appears in inference: 맛있겠어요 means "that looks tasty", and 비가 오겠어요 means "it looks like rain".
• -(으)ㄹ게요 for promises. 제가 전화할게요 means "I will call you". The speaker offers or promises something to the listener, so the subject is nearly always "I" and the form is not used in questions.

Each ending is attached differently. The -겠- form goes directly on the stem with no ㄹ/을 choice (먹겠어요, 가겠어요). The -(으)ㄹ게요 form follows the same ㄹ/을 rule as 거예요 (갈게요, 먹을게요, 놀게요), and it is pronounced with a tense consonant: 갈게요 [갈께요]. The meaning side of this choice is in Korean future tense and in future tense -(으)ㄹ 거예요, and the inference uses are in Korean guesses and conjecture. This page is about forming the endings, so the next section covers how to read one ending that carries two meanings.

Plan or Guess? How Do You Tell What -(으)ㄹ 거예요 Means?

The subject usually tells you. With "I" or "we" and an action verb, -(으)ㄹ 거예요 expresses a plan. With another person, a thing, the weather or an adjective, it expresses a guess. This is a strong tendency, not a hard rule, so context always has the final word.

A simple test works for beginners. Add "probably" to the English translation. If "I will probably go" changes the meaning too much, the speaker is stating a plan. If "it will probably be cold" fits, the speaker is guessing. Another clue is the type of word: adjectives (추울, 재미있을) almost never mean a plan, because a quality is not something you decide.

The same ending can also point back in time. 갔을 거예요 ("probably went") adds the past marker 았 before -을 거예요 to guess about the past. That form belongs to the guesses and conjecture lessons. Next, how the future looks at other speech levels.

How Do You Say the Future in Formal and Casual Speech?

The formal future is -(으)ㄹ 겁니다, the casual future is -(으)ㄹ 거야, and the plain written future is -(으)ㄹ 것이다. Each one replaces 예요 with the ending of that speech level. The ㄹ/을 choice stays the same.

The formal 겁니다 is a contraction of 것입니다 (것 + 입니다), so 갈 겁니다 and 갈 것입니다 mean the same. The formal style is built in formal conjugation, and the casual style in casual conjugation. A negative future uses 안 before the verb or 지 않다 after the stem: 안 갈 거예요 and 가지 않을 거예요 both mean "I will not go". Mistakes in this area are common, so they have their own section.

Which Mistakes Do Learners Make with the Future?

Learners mostly slip on spelling, spacing and the vowel-or-consonant choice. The table lists the seven most frequent errors and the cause of each.

One more point deserves emphasis. The spelling 거에요 is a very common mistake, even among Korean speakers, because 예요 is often pronounced [에요] in everyday speech. The standard form is 거예요. The same rule applies to 이에요/예요: use 예요 after a vowel (의사예요) and 이에요 after a consonant (학생이에요).

The remaining piece is practice.

Practice

Write the polite future of each word, then check the answers below.

1. 오다 (come)
2. 읽다 (read)
3. 살다 (live)
4. 듣다 (listen)
5. 돕다 (help)
6. 모르다 (not know)
7. 바쁘다 (be busy)
8. 공부하다 (study)

Answers: 1 올 거예요. 2 읽을 거예요. 3 살 거예요. 4 들을 거예요. 5 도울 거예요. 6 모를 거예요. 7 바쁠 거예요. 8 공부할 거예요.

What Should You Learn Next?

Learn the formal style next, since the future form 갈 겁니다 depends on it. This page covers how to build the future forms. It does not teach the full meaning of conjecture, the retrospective -더-, or the honorific -(으)실 거예요, which live in the grammar section. To check a form you built, use the Korean verb conjugator, and for the previous tense, see past tense conjugation.

How to conjugate Korean verbs in future tense is now a short routine: find the stem, add ㄹ or 을 by the last sound, and add 거예요. Keep the four-way choice in mind (plain present, 거예요, -겠-, -(으)ㄹ게요) and the future will sound natural.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Korean have a future tense? Yes, in practice. Korean has no single future suffix like English will, but -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and -겠- do the job. Some grammar books call them prospective or conjecture forms instead of a pure tense. The plain present also covers scheduled events, as in 내일 가요.

How do I say I will go in Korean? Say 저는 갈 거예요 for a plan, 제가 갈게요 for a promise to the listener, or 제가 가겠어요 for a decision made on the spot. For an arranged trip, the present 내일 가요 also works. Add 안 for the negative: 안 갈 거예요.

What is the difference between -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and -겠어요? -(으)ㄹ 거예요 states a plan you already had or a guess about something. -겠어요 marks a decision made as you speak (이걸로 하겠어요) or a strong inference (맛있겠어요). For personal plans, -겠- can sound stiff or abrupt in conversation, so learners use 거예요 first.

How do I make the future of an adjective? Attach the same ending to the adjective stem: 춥다 becomes 추울 거예요, 크다 becomes 클 거예요, and 좋다 becomes 좋을 거예요. With adjectives, the meaning is a guess, such as it will probably be cold, because a quality is not something a speaker plans.

Is 거에요 correct? No. The correct spelling is 거예요. The noun 거 ends in a vowel, so it takes the copula 예요, as in 의사예요. The form 이에요 is used after a consonant, as in 학생이에요. Because 예요 is often pronounced [에요] in everyday speech, 거에요 is a very common slip in informal writing.

Is -(으)ㄹ게요 a future tense? Not exactly. -(으)ㄹ게요 is a promise or an offer made to the listener, such as 제가 전화할게요 (I will call you). It needs a first-person subject and usually an action verb. It looks forward in time, but its job is to commit the speaker, not to describe the future.