haru Korean › Grammar › Level 2A › A/V-겠- (짐작 · 1B 복습·확장)

A/V-겠- (짐작 · 1B 복습·확장) — guessing from what you see or hear — 'must be …'

Guessing from what you see or hear — 'must be …'. Korean grammar for upper beginner learners — Level 2A, lesson 8: 정말 속상하겠어요 (You must be so upset — feelings and empathy).

What it means

-겠- after an adjective or a verb is a guess from what you can see or hear right now. You look at a photo of a cake: 맛있겠어요 'that must be delicious'. You see lots of clouds: 곧 비가 오겠어요 'it's going to rain soon'. It is also the most natural way to show you understand how someone feels — a friend tells you their bad news and you answer 정말 속상하겠어요 'you must be so upset'. Take off 다 and add 겠어요; it is the same with or without 받침: 맛있겠어요, 바쁘겠어요, 좋겠어요. For something that is already over, -았/었- comes first and 겠 after it: 힘들었겠어요 'that must have been hard', 놀랐겠어요 'you must have been surprised'. Compare Lesson 5: -(으)ㄹ 거예요 is a guess from what you know (내일은 추울 거예요), while -겠어요 reacts to what is in front of you, which makes it the usual answer to news. Some set phrases you already know also contain 겠 — 잘 먹겠습니다, 알겠습니다, 처음 뵙겠습니다 — but they are polite fixed expressions, not guesses.

Forms

Key points

• A/V-겠어요 — a guess from what you see or hear: 맛있겠어요 · 비가 오겠어요 · 속상하겠어요
• Already over: -았/었- + 겠어요 → 힘들었겠어요 · 놀랐겠어요

Examples

• 케이크 사진을 봐요. → 와, 맛있겠어요!
• 구름이 많아요. → 곧 비가 오겠어요.
• 친구: 지갑을 잃어버렸어요. → 정말 속상하겠어요.
• 친구: 어제 열 시간 일했어요. → 많이 피곤했겠어요.
• 잘 먹겠습니다! · 알겠습니다. · 처음 뵙겠습니다.

Where university textbooks teach it

This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 2A, lesson 8; Yonsei University Korean 2-1, lesson 2; Sogang University Korean 2B, lesson 7; Hongik University Korean 2B, lesson 11; Ewha Womans University Korean 1-2, lesson 12.

Also in this lesson

• A/V-(으)ㄹ 때 — when … — the time or the mood something happens in
• V-아/어 버리다 — it's all over — 'went and …' (too bad, or what a relief)
• N 때문에 — because of … — giving the reason with a noun

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