Future and Intention -(으)ㄹ 거예요 in Korean

In Brief

Attach -(으)ㄹ 거예요 to a verb stem to express a future plan, intention, or prediction in polite everyday Korean: 갈 거예요 means “will go” or “am going to go,” and 비가 올 거예요 means “it will rain.” Use -ㄹ 거예요 after a vowel, -을 거예요 after most consonants, and simply - 거예요 when the stem already ends in ㄹ.

Overview

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is the everyday Korean form you need for talking about what will happen or what someone plans to do. At A1, it lets you discuss tomorrow, the weekend, meals, travel, and other simple plans. It belongs to the polite 해요체 speech style, the same level of politeness used in forms such as 가요 and 먹어요.

English uses several future expressions—“will,” “be going to,” and sometimes a present form such as “I’m leaving tomorrow.” Korean does not divide those meanings in exactly the same way. 내일 떠날 거예요 may be translated as “I’ll leave tomorrow” or “I’m going to leave tomorrow.” The context matters more than choosing one fixed English equivalent.

With an action that a person can choose, the form often describes a plan or intention: 주말에 공부할 거예요 (“I’m going to study this weekend”). With weather, events, descriptive verbs, or another person’s situation, it usually makes a prediction: 내일은 바쁠 거예요 (“Tomorrow will be busy”). Korean often leaves the subject unstated, so context also tells you whether the sentence means “I will,” “you will,” or “they will.”

How It Works

1. Start with the verb stem

The stem is the part left after removing dictionary-form -다. Then attach the appropriate form of -(으)ㄹ 거예요.

Dictionary form	Stem	Future/intention form
가다 (to go)	가-	갈 거예요
먹다 (to eat)	먹-	먹을 거예요
하다 (to do)	하-	할 거예요
살다 (to live)	살-	살 거예요

The ending has three practical patterns:

Stem ending	Rule	Example
Vowel	Add -ㄹ 거예요	가다 → 갈 거예요
Most consonants	Add -을 거예요	먹다 → 먹을 거예요
ㄹ	Keep the existing ㄹ and add 거예요	살다 → 살 거예요

The ㄹ in 갈 is written in the lower consonant position of the final syllable. Do not write it as a separate syllable: 가을 거예요 is not the future form of 가다.

2. Understand what the construction contains

Historically and grammatically, the form is built from the future noun-modifying ending -(으)ㄹ, the bound noun 것 (“thing/fact”), and the polite copula 이에요 (“is”). A bound noun is a noun-like word that cannot normally stand alone in this use. In everyday speech and writing:

갈 것이에요 → 갈 거예요

For a beginner, it is easiest to learn -(으)ㄹ 거예요 as one complete pattern. The internal structure becomes useful later, because the same -(으)ㄹ appears before other nouns and in expressions such as -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요.

3. Keep the spaces

Write a space before 거예요:

• 갈 거예요
• 먹을 거예요
• 공부할 거예요

The spelling 거에요 is also incorrect. The standard form is 거예요. This follows from 것이에요 → 거예요, not from 거 + 에요.

4. Use it for plans and predictions

The grammar stays the same, but its interpretation changes with the subject and verb.

Meaning	Typical context	Example
Plan or intention	A person’s chosen future action	저는 저녁에 운동할 거예요.
Prediction	Weather, events, states, or expected actions	곧 비가 올 거예요.
Question about a plan	The listener’s intended action	방학에 뭐 할 거예요?

Descriptive verbs—Korean words that function like English adjectives but conjugate as verbs—normally produce predictions rather than intentions. 날씨가 추울 거예요 means “The weather will be cold”; cold weather does not have a plan.

5. Form questions without changing the ending

In polite 해요체, the written form remains the same. A question mark and rising intonation make it a question:

• 갈 거예요. — “I’m going to go.”
• 갈 거예요? — “Are you going to go?”
• 언제 갈 거예요? — “When are you going to go?”

Because Korean commonly omits pronouns, the subject is often understood from the conversation. If clarity is needed, add a subject or topic: 민수 씨도 갈 거예요? (“Is Minsu going too?”).

6. Make negative sentences

Put 안 before the verb, or use the longer -지 않다 form. Both can express a future negative plan or prediction.

Pattern	Example	Meaning
안 + verb + -(으)ㄹ 거예요	안 갈 거예요.	I’m not going to go.
verb + -지 않을 거예요	가지 않을 거예요.	I will not go.
못 + verb + -(으)ㄹ 거예요	못 갈 거예요.	I probably will not be able to go.

안 갈 거예요 usually presents not going as a decision or expected fact. 못 갈 거예요 points to inability or circumstances that prevent going.

7. Common irregular and special forms

The ending follows the same changes seen when -(으)ㄹ attaches elsewhere. Learn frequent forms as complete chunks before trying to memorise every irregular class.

Type	Dictionary form	Result	Meaning
ㄷ irregular	듣다	들을 거예요	will listen
ㅂ irregular	돕다	도울 거예요	will help
ㅂ irregular	춥다	추울 거예요	will be cold
ㅅ irregular	짓다	지을 거예요	will build
ㄹ stem	만들다	만들 거예요	will make
하다	하다	할 거예요	will do
Copula	이다	일 거예요	will be / is probably
Negative copula	아니다	아닐 거예요	will not be / is probably not

Not every verb ending in the same consonant is irregular. For example, 받다 → 받을 거예요 and 입다 → 입을 거예요 are regular. A dictionary or conjugation reference can confirm unfamiliar verbs.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
내일 서울에 갈 거예요.	I’m going to Seoul tomorrow.	Personal plan; vowel stem 가-
점심에 김밥을 먹을 거예요.	I’m going to eat gimbap for lunch.	Consonant stem 먹-
오늘 저녁에 뭐 할 거예요?	What are you going to do this evening?	Asks about the listener’s plan
주말에는 집에서 쉴 거예요.	I’m going to rest at home this weekend.	쉬다 → 쉴
다음 달부터 한국어를 배울 거예요.	I’m going to learn Korean starting next month.	Future starting point with -부터
저는 그 신발을 안 살 거예요.	I’m not going to buy those shoes.	Negative decision with 안
일이 많아서 오늘은 못 만날 거예요.	I probably won’t be able to meet today because I have a lot of work.	Inability with 못
내일 비가 올 거예요.	It will rain tomorrow.	Weather prediction
오후에는 사람이 많을 거예요.	There will probably be many people in the afternoon.	Prediction with 많다
이번 겨울은 추울 거예요.	This winter will be cold.	ㅂ irregular form
민지 씨도 파티에 올 거예요?	Is Minji coming to the party too?	Explicit third-person subject
아마 시간이 좀 걸릴 거예요.	It will probably take some time.	아마 reinforces uncertainty
새 건물은 병원일 거예요.	The new building will probably be a hospital.	Noun + 일 거예요
걱정하지 마세요. 어렵지 않을 거예요.	Don’t worry. It probably won’t be difficult.	Long-form negation

Common Mistakes

Adding 을 after every stem

• Wrong: 가을 거예요.
• Right: 갈 거예요.
• Why: 가- ends in a vowel, so attach ㄹ to the syllable: 갈. Use -을 after most consonant stems, as in 먹을.

Doubling ㄹ

• Wrong: 살을 거예요. (“will live”)
• Right: 살 거예요.
• Why: When a stem already ends in ㄹ, keep that ㄹ and attach 거예요 directly.

Writing the expression as one word

• Wrong: 갈거예요.
• Right: 갈 거예요.
• Why: 거 comes from the bound noun 것, so standard spacing places a space before it.

Misspelling 거예요

• Wrong: 먹을 거에요.
• Right: 먹을 거예요.
• Why: The standard polite form is 예요 here. Pronunciation can make the distinction easy to miss, but the spelling does not change.

Treating it as a word-for-word equivalent of English “will”

• Awkward assumption: every English sentence with “will” must use -(으)ㄹ 거예요.
• Better approach: choose the Korean form according to the speaker’s purpose.
• Why: -(으)ㄹ 거예요 neutrally presents a plan or forecast. Promises, spontaneous offers, guesses, and formal projections may favour other endings such as -(으)ㄹ게요, -겠-, or -(으)ㄹ 것입니다.

Forgetting that an omitted subject can change the translation

• Potentially unclear: 내일 갈 거예요.
• Clear when needed: 저는 내일 갈 거예요. / 수진 씨는 내일 갈 거예요.
• Why: The short sentence can mean “I’ll go tomorrow,” “you’re going tomorrow,” or “they’ll go tomorrow,” depending on context. English normally requires a subject; Korean often does not.

Usage Notes

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 is polite and conversational. It is natural with acquaintances, colleagues, service staff, and people you do not know well, provided the ordinary -아/어요 level is appropriate. It does not itself mark the subject as respected; honorific marking may still be needed: 선생님도 오실 거예요 (“The teacher will come too”).

Time words such as 내일 (“tomorrow”), 나중에 (“later”), and 다음 주에 (“next week”) make the future reference clear, but they are not required. In the right context, 뭐 먹을 거예요? naturally asks what someone plans to eat even without a time phrase.

English speakers often look for a strict difference between “will” and “be going to.” That distinction is not a reliable shortcut here. Focus instead on whether the Korean sentence presents an expected future situation or a settled intention. Adverbs can show the speaker’s confidence: 분명히 (“certainly”) sounds confident, while 아마 (“probably”) makes the prediction less firm.

The casual form is -(으)ㄹ 거야, used with close friends and others with whom casual speech is appropriate: 나 먼저 갈 거야 (“I’m going to leave first”). A formal style uses -(으)ㄹ 것입니다, frequently shortened to -(으)ㄹ 겁니다: 행사는 내일 시작될 것입니다 (“The event will begin tomorrow”). Do not switch speech levels only because the event is important; choose a level that fits the relationship and setting.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these contrasts at A1, but they explain why Korean has several forms that English may translate with “will.”

Form	Typical focus	Example	Natural English sense
-(으)ㄹ 거예요	Neutral plan or prediction	내일 전화할 거예요.	I’m going to call tomorrow.
-(으)ㄹ게요	Speaker’s commitment, often responding to the listener or situation	제가 전화할게요.	I’ll call. / Let me call.
-겠어요	Intention, willingness, or conjecture; context and register matter	제가 하겠습니다.	I will do it. (formal commitment)
-(으)려고 해요	Intention or something one is preparing/planning to do	곧 출발하려고 해요.	I’m planning/about to leave soon.

A useful beginner distinction is that -(으)ㄹ게요 normally expresses the speaker’s own commitment. It is not the neutral choice for predicting rain. 비가 올게요 sounds wrong in the ordinary meaning “It will rain,” whereas 비가 올 거예요 is natural.

The same construction can point to a present guess when the event itself may already be happening but is outside the speaker’s direct knowledge: 지금쯤 집에 있을 거예요 means “They are probably at home by now.” This is still predictive or inferential in meaning, even though English uses the present tense.

With a past form before 거예요, Korean can express a guess about the past: 벌써 도착했을 거예요 (“They have probably arrived already”). Here -았/었을 거예요 does not describe a future event; it presents the speaker’s inference about what likely happened. Treat this as a later extension rather than part of the basic A1 rule.

Nouns also combine with 일 거예요: 학생일 거예요 can mean “They will be a student” or, more commonly in a suitable present context, “They are probably a student.” Again, surrounding time words and context determine whether the meaning is future or conjectural.

Practice Tips

1. Sort verbs by their final sound. Make three short lists—vowel stems (가다 → 갈 거예요), consonant stems (먹다 → 먹을 거예요), and ㄹ stems (만들다 → 만들 거예요). Say each form aloud while writing it.
2. Plan a real day in Korean. Write five sentences using time phrases: 아침에, 점심에, 오후에, 저녁에, and 주말에. Include one negative plan with 안 or 못.
3. Practise question-and-answer pairs. Ask 주말에 뭐 할 거예요? and answer with a complete plan. Then change the subject or situation to practise predictions, such as 내일 비가 올 거예요?

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Polite Ending -아/어요 — provides the everyday polite speech style used in 거예요.
• Next step: Suggestion -(으)ㄹ까요 — uses the same -(으)ㄹ shape to make suggestions or ask what someone thinks may happen.