Korean Language Blog

To express probability, you can use the construction ~(으)ㄹ 거예요 :

다음 주에 시험이 있을 거예요 = Next week, there will probably be a test.

(다음 = next. 주 = week. 에 = particle. 시험 = test. 이 = particle. 있을 거예요 = will probably be)

The construction ~(으)ㄹ 거예요 doesn’t just express probability, it expresses the likelihood of events happening in the future :

거기서 집을 지을 거예요 = A house will probably be built there (in the near or distant future)

(거기서 = there. 집 = house. 을 = particle. 지을 거예요 = will probably build)

Sometimes certain adverbs like 아마 are added to emphasize how probable something will happen in the future :

아마 비가 올 거예요 = It’ll probably rain (literally the rain will come)

(아마 = probably. 비 = rain. 가 = particle. 올 거예요 = probably will come)

The construction ~(으)ㄹ 거예요 is often mistaken with the construction ~(으)ㄹ 게요 :

내일 돈을 보낼 게요 = I’ll send the money tomorrow.

(내일 = tomorrow. 돈 = money. 을 = particle. 보낼 게요 = will send)

With ~(으)ㄹ 게요, the timeline in which the events occur happen in the future, but unlike ~(으)ㄹ 거예요, there is no sense of probability.

Both constructions can be used to state the opposite of something happening in the future :

아마 선물을 안 살 거예요 = I will probably not buy a present

(아마 = probably. 선물 = present. 을 = particle. 안 = not. 살 거예요 = probably will buy)

선물을 안 살 게요 = I will not buy a present

(선물 = present. 을 = particle. 안 = not. 살 게요 = will buy)

There are some verbs that have vowel contracts when they are conjugated in the standard polite form.

For example, 오다 (to come)is conjugated as 와요 in the standard polite form.

There are lots of verbs that contain 오다 :

따라오다 – to follow along

들어오다 – to come in

데려오다 – to bring someone along

And these are just a few of the many more that contain 오다.

언제 집에 들어왔어요? = When did you come home?

(언제 = when. 집 = home. 에 = location marker. 들어왔어요 = past tense of “come”)

Like 오다, 보다 will have a change in the vowel :

영화를 봤어요 = I watched a movie

(영화 = movie. 를 = object marker. 봤어요 = watched)

Like 오다, the vowel in 보다 changed to 봐.

There’s another type of verb that changes when conjugated in the standard polite form :

Depending on the context, 치다 can mean “to play”, “to take a test”, or “to strike”, in addition to other meanings.

린다는 피아노를 쳐요 = Linda plays the piano

(린다 = Linda. 는 = topic marker. 피아노 = piano. 를 = object marker. 쳐요 = play)

The vowel in 치다 changes to 쳐.

Other verbs contain 치다 like :

가르치다 = to teach

그치다 = to stop, cease

넘치다 = to overflow

In English, the present progressive is expressed by adding -ing. In Korean, the gerund is expressed by the construction ~고 있다.

변호사들이 서류를 준비하고 있어요 = The lawyers are preparing the documents

(변호사 = lawyer. 들 = plural marker. 이 = subject marker. 서류 = document. 를 = object marker. 준비하고 있어요 = preparing)

The verb used in the above sentence was 준비하다 = to prepare. To form the present progressive, drop the 다 of 준비하다 and add it to 고 있다. 있다 was conjugated in the standard polite in the example above, but it can also be conjugated in the deferential polite as well.

With the sentence below, can you tell how this construction is different from 고 있다?

유리는 책을 읽고 있었어요 = Yuri was reading a book.

(유리 = Yuri. 는 = topic marker. 책 = book. 을 = object marker. 읽고 있었어요 = was reading)

The construction ~고 있었다 was used instead of ~고 있다. With the ~고 있었다  construction, the -ing remains intact, but unlike ~고 있다, the action is happening in the past. As a result, if the above construction was replaced by ~고 있다, it would mean that Yuri “is” reading a book, instead of “was” reading a book. Also, as a sidenote, 있었다 was conjugated as 있었어요 in the standard polite, but the deferential polite can also be used.

There’s another construction that is similar in meaning to 고 있다, but with a specific nuance that is completely different from 고 있다.

그 행사가 범죄를 조사하는 중이에요 = That detective is in the middle of investigating the crime

(그 = that. 행사 = detective. 가 = subject marker. 범죄 = crime. 를 = object marker. 조사하는 중이에요 = in the middle of investigating)

The construction used was 은/는 중이다, which means, “in the middle of” or “in the process of”

If you take the same sentence above and replace it with 고 있다, it would mean “That detective is investigating the crime”.