-겠어요
get
Grammar · 2 senses
I will, I'm going to - a decision just made
Examples
제가 먼저 발표하겠습니다.
I'll present first.
오늘부터 매일 운동하겠어요.
From today I'm going to exercise every day.
When you'd hear it
Common in polite and formal speech, especially in service settings, announcements, and workplace talk. It often sounds deliberate, as when staff say 시술 시작하겠습니다 before beginning a treatment.
What learners get wrong
Announces what you have decided to do, often on the spot: 제가 하겠습니다. It sits inside the verb before the ending, so the formal version is -겠습니다, which is why it turns up in announcements and job interviews. First person for intention; with someone else as subject it turns into a guess instead, which is a separate sense.
it must be, that looks - a guess from what you see
Examples
케이크가 정말 맛있겠어요.
That cake must be delicious.
짐이 많아서 무겁겠어요.
You've got a lot of luggage - that must be heavy.
When you'd hear it
This supposition is common in spoken Korean, especially in reactions such as 맛있겠다 or 재밌겠다. It appears in casual and polite conversation, including dramas and everyday comments, rather than mainly in formal writing.
What learners get wrong
The same -겠- as the intention ending, but with someone or something else as the subject it becomes a guess drawn from evidence in front of you: 맛있겠어요 on seeing the food, 힘들겠어요 on hearing the story. Immediate and reactive, which is what separates it from -(으)ㄹ 거예요.
Ask Ipsae about -겠어요
You looked up -겠어요 — Ipsae makes sure you still know it in three weeks.
No account needed to try.