Lesson 9 1-Year Course, Week 32

Guessing and Seeming: -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요, -나 봐요

Make soft guesses in Korean with -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요, -는/-(으)ㄴ 것 같아요 and -나 봐요, and choose the right one for what you see or know.

Mr. Gaon · Grammar, vocabulary & TOPIK

What you will learn in this lesson

Guess about the future and the present with -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요
Talk about what seems to be happening now or what seems to have happened with -는/-(으)ㄴ 것 같아요
Draw a conclusion from evidence with -나 봐요 and -(으)ㄴ가 봐요
Use 것 같아요 to sound softer and more polite

Mr. Gaon

Hello again! Today we learn how to say "I think…", "it seems…" and "it looks like…". Koreans use these endings all the time, even when they are quite sure, because they make speech gentle. Let’s go step by step.

Why guessing endings matter

In English you often add words like "maybe", "probably" or "I think" to a sentence. In Korean, the same feeling usually goes into the ending of the sentence.

The most common ending is 것 같아요. Literally it means "it is like the thing that…", but in practice it means "I think…" or "it seems…". It changes depending on time: future or general guess, something happening now, or something that already happened.

The second ending is -나 봐요. You use it when you see some evidence and draw a conclusion from it, like a detective. You cannot use it about yourself, because you do not need evidence to know your own feelings.

V/A + -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요

"I think it will…" / "It will probably…" — a guess about the future, or a general guess when you have little evidence.

Stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ: add -ㄹ 것 같아요 (가다 → 갈 것 같아요, 만들다 → 만들 것 같아요).
Stem ends in a consonant: add -을 것 같아요 (먹다 → 먹을 것 같아요, 많다 → 많을 것 같아요).
Irregular stems change as usual: 덥다 → 더울 것 같아요, 듣다 → 들을 것 같아요.
It works with both verbs and adjectives, and with 이다: 학생일 것 같아요.

내일은 비가 올 것 같아요. naeireun biga ol geot gatayo.
I think it will rain tomorrow.
이 가방은 좀 비쌀 것 같아요. i gabangeun jom bissal geot gatayo.
This bag will probably be a bit expensive.
지금 출발하면 늦을 것 같아요. jigeum chulbalhamyeon neujeul geot gatayo.
If we leave now, I think we’ll be late.
그 사람은 아마 선생님일 것 같아요. geu sarameun ama seonsaengnimil geot gatayo.
That person is probably a teacher.

V + -는 것 같아요 / V + -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요 / A + -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요

"It seems that…" — a guess about the present or the past, usually based on something you notice.

Verb, happening now: stem + -는 것 같아요 (자다 → 자는 것 같아요, 먹다 → 먹는 것 같아요).
Verb, already happened: stem + -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요 (가다 → 간 것 같아요, 먹다 → 먹은 것 같아요).
Adjective, present state: stem + -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요 (바쁘다 → 바쁜 것 같아요, 작다 → 작은 것 같아요).
있다/없다 take -는: 맛있는 것 같아요, 재미없는 것 같아요.
ㄹ-stem verbs drop ㄹ before -는 and -ㄴ: 살다 → 사는 것 같아요, 만들다 → 만든 것 같아요.

동생이 방에서 자는 것 같아요. dongsaengi bangeseo janeun geot gatayo.
My younger sibling seems to be sleeping in the room.
민수 씨가 벌써 집에 간 것 같아요. minsu ssiga beolsseo jibe gan geot gatayo.
It seems Minsu has already gone home.
요즘 많이 바쁜 것 같아요. yojeum mani bappeun geot gatayo.
You seem to be very busy these days.
이 식당 음식이 맛있는 것 같아요. i sikdang eumsigi masinneun geot gatayo.
The food at this restaurant seems good.

Mr. Gaon

Here is a small secret: Koreans often say 것 같아요 even about their own opinion, just to sound polite. "이게 더 좋은 것 같아요" is softer than "이게 더 좋아요". But don’t use it too much for facts you clearly know, or you may sound unsure.

One verb, three times

Time	가다 (to go)	먹다 (to eat)	Meaning
Already happened	간 것 같아요	먹은 것 같아요	It seems (someone) went / ate.
Happening now	가는 것 같아요	먹는 것 같아요	It seems (someone) is going / eating.
Future or general guess	갈 것 같아요	먹을 것 같아요	I think (someone) will go / eat.

The modifier endings -(으)ㄴ, -는, -(으)ㄹ from the modifiers lesson come back here.

V + -나 봐요 / A + -(으)ㄴ가 봐요

"It looks like…" / "I guess…" — a conclusion you draw from something you saw or heard.

Verbs and 있다/없다: stem + -나 봐요 (오다 → 오나 봐요, 맛있다 → 맛있나 봐요).
Adjectives: stem + -(으)ㄴ가 봐요 (피곤하다 → 피곤한가 봐요, 좋다 → 좋은가 봐요).
Nouns: N + -인가 봐요 (학생인가 봐요).
Past: stem + -았/었나 봐요 for both verbs and adjectives (먹었나 봐요, 바빴나 봐요).
ㄹ-stem verbs drop ㄹ: 살다 → 사나 봐요; ㄹ-stem adjectives: 멀다 → 먼가 봐요.
Do not use it about yourself, and do not use it for the future (use -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요 instead).

우산을 들고 있네요. 밖에 비가 오나 봐요. usaneul deulgo inneyo. bakke biga ona bwayo.
You’re holding an umbrella. It must be raining outside.
하품을 계속 하네요. 피곤한가 봐요. hapumeul gyesok haneyo. pigonhanga bwayo.
You keep yawning. You must be tired.
가게 앞에 줄이 길어요. 여기가 유명한가 봐요. gage ape juri gireoyo. yeogiga yumyeonghanga bwayo.
There’s a long line in front of the shop. This place must be famous.
불이 꺼져 있어요. 다들 퇴근했나 봐요. buri kkeojyeo isseoyo. dadeul toegeunhaenna bwayo.
The lights are off. Everyone seems to have gone home from work.

것 같아요 or 나 봐요?

저는 감기에 걸린 것 같아요. jeoneun gamgie geollin geot gatayo.
I think I’ve caught a cold. Correct. 것 같아요 can be used about yourself.
저는 감기에 걸렸나 봐요. jeoneun gamgie geollyeonna bwayo.
(Unnatural) I must have caught a cold. Usually unnatural: you don’t need outside evidence for your own body. It is only possible in a special case, such as reading your own test result.
내일 눈이 올 것 같아요. naeil nuni ol geot gatayo.
I think it will snow tomorrow. Correct. A future guess.
내일 눈이 오나 봐요. naeil nuni ona bwayo.
(Different meaning) It looks like it snows tomorrow. This only works if you saw evidence like a forecast, and it reports what you found, not your own prediction.
수진 씨가 기분이 좋은가 봐요. sujin ssiga gibuni joeunga bwayo.
Sujin seems to be in a good mood. Natural when you see her smiling: evidence → conclusion.

More everyday guesses

이 옷은 저한테 좀 작은 것 같아요. i oseun jeohante jom jageun geot gatayo.
I think these clothes are a little small for me. Polite way to give an opinion in a shop.
길이 막히는 것 같아요. giri makineun geot gatayo.
It seems the road is jammed. 막히다 = to be blocked; happening now.
시험이 생각보다 어려울 것 같아요. siheomi saenggakboda eoryeoul geot gatayo.
I think the exam will be harder than I expected.
전화를 안 받네요. 회의 중인가 봐요. jeonhwareul an banneyo. hoeui junginga bwayo.
He isn’t answering. He must be in a meeting. N + 인가 봐요.
아이가 우네요. 배가 고픈가 봐요. aiga uneyo. baega gopeunga bwayo.
The child is crying. He must be hungry. 고프다 is an adjective, so -ㄴ가 봐요.
제 생각에는 이 방법이 더 나은 것 같아요. je saenggageneun i bangbeobi deo naeun geot gatayo.
In my opinion, this method seems better. 낫다 → 나은 (ㅅ irregular).

At the office

A지훈 씨 자리에 없네요.   jihun ssi jarie eomneyo.Jihun isn’t at his desk.
B가방도 없어요. 벌써 퇴근했나 봐요.   gabangdo eopseoyo. beolsseo toegeunhaenna bwayo.His bag is gone too. He must have already left work.
A오늘 몸이 안 좋다고 했어요. 감기에 걸린 것 같아요.   oneul momi an jotago haesseoyo. gamgie geollin geot gatayo.He said he didn’t feel well today. I think he caught a cold.
B그럼 내일 회의에 못 올 것 같아요.   geureom naeil hoeuie mot ol geot gatayo.Then I think he won’t be able to come to tomorrow’s meeting.
A그런 것 같아요. 제가 문자 한번 보내 볼게요.   geureon geot gatayo. jega munja hanbeon bonae bolgeyo.It seems so. I’ll send him a text.

Check quiz

Q1. Choose the best guess about tomorrow’s weather.
Q2. Your friend keeps checking the clock. Which sentence fits best?
Q3. Which form is correct for "It seems (he) already ate"?
Q4. Which sentence is unnatural?
Q5. Fill in the blank: 이 영화 정말 재미( ) 것 같아요.
Q6. How do you make 멀다 (far) into a -(으)ㄴ가 봐요 sentence?

Mr. Gaon

Well done! Try this today: when you see something around you, make one -나 봐요 sentence, and when you give your opinion, add 것 같아요. Little by little, your Korean will sound softer and more natural.

Key points

-(으)ㄹ 것 같아요 = future or general guess: 비가 올 것 같아요.
Verb now -는 것 같아요, verb past -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요, adjective -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요.
-나 봐요 (verbs) / -(으)ㄴ가 봐요 (adjectives) = conclusion from evidence.
Do not use -나 봐요 about yourself; use 것 같아요 instead.
Koreans use 것 같아요 to soften opinions politely.

Recommended official free resources

Korean Basic Dictionary (multilingual) — National Institute of Korean Language
Nuri-Sejong Hakdang (free e-textbooks) — King Sejong Institute Foundation

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