-(았/었/했)을 것
(at/eot/haet)eul geot
Grammar · 1 sense
Would have/Might have/Must have had
Examples
날씨가 좀 더 따뜻했다면 나갔을 거예요.
If the weather was a little warmer, I would have gone out.
그 카메라를 싼다면 샀을 거예요.
I would have bought that camera if it were cheaper.
아이가 배가 아팠을 것이다.
The child must have had a stomachache.
When you'd hear it
This pattern appears frequently in conversation, dramas, and writing, with the ending choosing the tone: -(았/었/했)을 거예요 can describe a hypothetical past result, while -(았/었/했)을 것이다 sounds more formal and assertive. It is common in conditionals such as 날씨가 더 따뜻했다면 나갔을 거예요 and in guesses such as 아이가 배가 아팠을 것이다.
What learners get wrong
English learners often translate -(았/었/했)을 것 automatically as “must have,” but it can also mean “would have” in a conditional sentence. Check the surrounding clause: a condition with -다면 or -았/었더라면 points to a hypothetical result, while a statement like 아이가 배가 아팠을 것이다 expresses an inference.
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