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To state or refute in an unsure way: ~ㄹ/을걸(요)
Past tense
아니다 + ~ㄹ/을걸(요)
Vocabulary
Nouns:
백합 = lily
Examples:
잘 모르겠지만 백합일걸요
= I don’t know, but it is probably a lily
정원에는 아름다운 백합이 피어 있었어요
= Beautiful lilies were blooming in the garden
물질 = object, matter, substance
Common Usages:
이물질 = foreign substance
형광 물질 = fluorescent object
오염 물질 = pollutant
발암 물질 = carcinogen
Examples:
공장을 엄격하게 통제해야 오염물질을 대기에 배출하지 않을 거예요
= Only if we strictly control factories will they not discharge/belch pollutants into the atmosphere
그렇게 하면 은박지에서 해로운 물질이 나올걸
= If you do it like that, some substances not good (for one’s health) will probably come out of the tinfoil
경주 = running race
Common Usages:
경주마 = racehorse
Examples:
마라톤 경주는 많은 인내와 훈련을 요구해요
= A marathon race requires a lot of patience and training
그 선수 두 명은 경주마다 선두를 다퉈요
= Those two athletes/competitors compete for first place (for the lead) in every race
선장 = the captain of a ship
Examples:
선장은 배에서 선원들에게 명령을 내리고 있어요
= The captain is giving orders to his crew on the ship
선장님한테 연락이 없어서 아직 출발 안 했을걸
= No word from the captain yet, so it probably hasn’t left yet
겨자 = mustard
Examples:
저는 햄버거에 겨자를 바르는 게 좋아요
= I like putting mustard on my hamburger
겨자는 햄버거에 맛을 더해 줘요
= Mustard adds flavor to hamburgers
어부 = fisherman
Examples:
그 아저씨가 바닷가에서 맨날 배를 타고 있는데 어부일까?
= That man is always in the ocean on a boat, do you think he is a fisherman?
어부들은 일출과 함께 바다로 나가요
= Fishermen head out to sea with the sunrise
정점 = peak, top, climax
Common Usages:
정점을 찍다 = to get to the top
정점에 다다르다 = to arrive at the top
Examples:
정점에 다다르기 위해서는 많은 노력이 필요해요
= Reaching the peak requires a lot of effort
이 산의 정점에 도착하면 고도가 높아서 두통이 생길 수도 있을 것 같아
= When you get to the summit of this mountain, the altitude is so high that you might get a headache
고도 = altitude
Examples:
비행기가 높은 고도로 올라가고 있어요
= The airplane is ascending to a high altitude
이 산의 정점에 도착하면 고도가 높아서 두통이 생길 수도 있을 것 같아
= When you get to the summit of this mountain, the altitude is so high that you might get a headache
산불 = forest fire
Common Usages:
산불을 방지하다 = to prevent forest fires
산불을 예방하다 = to prevent forest fires
Examples:
저기 누군가가 산불을 냈나 봐. 연기가 많이 나는데
= It seems like somebody started a forest fire over there. There is a lot of smoke coming up.
자연산불일걸. 이 시기에 나무가 건조해서 산불이 자주 나
= It seems like somebody started a forest fire over there. There is a lot of smoke coming up.
철사 = wire
Examples:
요즘의 철사는 금속이 아닌 유리로써 만들어져요
= Wires these days are made out of glass, not metal
그 회사는 금속으로 철사를 만들어요
= That company makes wires from metal
저기 철조망이 철사로 매우 촘촘하게 만들어져서 힘들 거야
= Barbed wire is made out of really dense wire, so it will be difficult
양가 = both families
Common Usages:
양가 부모님 = the parents of both families
Examples:
결혼식은 양가가 함께 참석하는 특별한 자리예요
= The wedding ceremony is a special occasion where both families attend
양가 사이가 별로 안 좋지만 상견례가 중요해서 하겠지?
= Even though the two families don’t get along, the 상견례 is important, so they’ll do it, right?
당분 = sugars
Common Usages:
당분을 대체하다 = to substitute sugars with something else (like an artificial sugar)
Examples:
당분은 과일에 자연적으로 들어있어요
= Sugars are naturally present in fruits
당분이 너무 많은 음식은 피하는 게 좋아요
= It is good to avoid foods with a lot of sugar
포도당 = glucose
Notes: If you’re into Biology, other common saccharides are 젖당, 과당 and 엿당.
Examples:
포도당은 혈액 중에 존재하는 중요한 성분이에요
= Glucose is an important component present in the blood
포도에는 포도당이 많아서 운동하고 먹으면 좋을걸
= There is a lot of glucose in grapes, so it is probably good to eat them after exercise
철조망 = barbed wire
Examples:
저 철조망이 허술해 보이는데 구멍을 만들어서 통과할 수 있을까?
= That barbed wire looks a little weak/poorly made, do you think we could go through it if we make a hole?
저기 철조망이 철사로 매우 촘촘하게 만들어져서 힘들 거야
= Barbed wire is made out of really dense wire, so it will be difficult
상견례 = Korean tradition of a couples’ parents meeting before their wedding
Common Usages:
상견례 자리 = the place where one holds a 상견례
상견례를 하다 = to hold a meeting between parents before a wedding
Examples:
한국의 상견례는 부모님을 만나는 공식적인 자리에요
= Korean traditional meeting before the wedding is an official time for parents to meet
양가 사이가 별로 안 좋지만 상견례가 중요해서 하겠지?
= Even though the two families don’t get along, the 상견례 is important, so they’ll do it, right?
찰과상 = abrasion, scratch
Common Usages:
찰과상을 입다 = to get an abrasion
Examples:
찰과상은 가벼운 상처를 말해요
= An abrasion is a light scar
의사선생님은 단순한 찰과상이라고 할걸요
= The doctor will probably say that it is just a simple abrasion
은박지 = tinfoil
Examples:
그렇게 하면 은박지에서 해로운 물질이 나올걸
= If you do it like that, some substances not good (for one’s health) will probably come out of the tinfoil
은박지에 고기를 구워도 몸에 나쁘지 않겠지?
= Cooking meat in tinfoil can’t be bad for one’s health, right?
Verbs:
의심하다 = to doubt, to question
Common Usages:
의심병 = a disorder where you are suspicious of everything
Examples:
그 사람의 말은 의심할 여지가 없어요
= There is no doubt about that person’s claim
친구가 저를 도둑으로 의심해서 많이 상처받았어요
= I was hurt that my friend was suspicious of me being a thief
대신하다 = to fill in for
Examples:
내가 그 선생님의 수업을 대신하면 별도 수당을 받겠지?
= If I fill in for that teacher’s class, I will get overtime pay, right?
오늘 부장님이 출장 중이시라서 제가 대신해서 미팅에 참석할 거예요
= The boss is on a business trip, I will fill in for him at the meeting
주저앉다 = to drop down into, to sink into, to flop into
Examples:
잔디밭이 보이자마자 너무 피곤해서 털썩털썩 주저앉았다
= I was so tired, so as soon as I could see the grass I plopped right down
길을 가다가 갑자기 어지러워서 길거리에 주저앉았어요
= I felt dizzy all of sudden when I was walking on the street so I plopped down
통과하다 = to pass, to pass through
Common Usages:
시험을 통과하다 = to pass an exam
관문을 통과하다 = to pass a hurdle
Examples:
대서양에서 태평양까지 운전하려면 수천 킬로의 광야를 통과해야 돼요
= If you want to drive from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, you need to pass through thousands of kilometers of wilderness
오늘 오후에 어제 시험을 통과 못한 사람들은 다시 재시험에 봐야 해요
=Today in the afternoon, people who couldn’t pass the test yesterday will have to take a re-test
우리 회사 제품은 꼼꼼한 품질 검사를 통과한 고품질 상품입니다
= Our company’s product is a high quality product that has passed meticulous product quality checks
이 시험을 한번에 통과하지 못해서 좌절했어
= I’m frustrated that I couldn’t pass the test on the first try
Adjectives:
의심스럽다 = to be doubtful about
This word follows the ㅂ irregular.
Examples:
그 사람이 되게 의심스러워 보여
= That person looks very suspicious
그 일에 대해 의심스러운 부분을 발견했어요
= I found something doubtful about that matter
허술하다 = to be lax, to be slack, to be not done well
Examples:
이 해결책은 너무 허술해서 문제를 해결할 수 없을 것 같아요
= This solution seems too lax to solve the problem
저 철조망이 허술해 보이는데 구멍을 만들어서 통과할 수 있을까?
= That barbed wire looks a little weak/poorly made, do you think we could go through it if we make a hole?/expand]
해롭다 = to be detrimental to
This word follows the ㅂ irregular.
Examples:
흡연은 건강에 해롭습니다
= Smoking is harmful to health
그렇게 하면 은박지에서 해로운 물질이 나올걸
= If you do it like that, some substances not good (for one’s health) will probably come out of the tinfoil
촘촘하다 = to be dense, to be fine
Examples:
거미줄을 가까이서 보면 매우 촘촘해요
= If you look closely a spider web you can see that it’s very dense
저기 철조망이 철사로 매우 촘촘하게 만들어져서 힘들 거야
= Barbed wire is made out of really dense wire, so it will be difficult
For help memorizing these words, try using our mobile app.
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to make or refute a statement in doubt by using ~ㄹ/을걸(요). Although typically used in response to what other people say, it can also be used when one is just talking making a guess. You will learn ways that this is commonly used to make your speech sound more natural. Let’s get started
To state or refute in an unsure way: ~ㄹ/을걸(요)
In Lesson 115, you learned how to add ~ㄹ/을걸(요) to the end of a sentence to indicate that one regrets that an action was performed. Depending on the context, it can have another meaning. That is, to indicate one’s guess or presumption.
For example:
거기에 아직 사람이 없을걸
= There probably isn’t anybody there yet
You probably wouldn’t just say a sentence like this out of nowhere. You would most likely use ~ㄹ/을걸(요) in a conversation when responding to somebody. Specifically, when:
1) Responding to a question. For example:
거기에 사람이 많을까?
사람이 없을걸
= Do you think there will be a lot of people there?
= There probably won’t be anybody there
Conversation Audio
2) Disagreeing or refuting a statement. For example:
거기에 사람이 많이 있을 거야
사람이 없을걸
= There will be a lot of people there
= There probably won’t be anybody there
Conversation Audio
In either case, you aren’t really sure of the answer – it is more of a guess. Therefore, there is a feeling that the sentence is somewhat directed to yourself (the person speaking). It is almost as if the speaker is asking him/herself a question. This “self-directed” feeling is quite strong specifically in the second situation above, when disagreeing or refuting what somebody else said. It is often difficult to disagree with somebody. In a way, it is kind of a way for the speaker to deflect his/her disagreement away from the listener. As is usual when there is so much nuance in adding something as simple as one syllable, this is difficult to translate to English.
거기에 사람이 많이 있을 거야
사람이 없을걸
= There will be a lot of people there
= Hmmm… I don’t know. I guess there probably won’t be anybody there…
Conversation Audio
I’d like you to notice the tone of “없을걸” in the audio recording above. There isn’t a question mark on the Korean version because grammatically it officially isn’t a question. However, it is often pronounced in a way that makes it sound like the speaker is asking a question.
Below are many more examples:
Again, forgive my translations. It’s very difficult to translate the nuance of ~ㄹ/을걸(요). At this point, you’re probably not relying on English translations anyways. Regardless, I think you will benefit from seeing ~ㄹ/을걸(요) used many times, even if the translations are a bit lame.
1) Situations where somebody is responding to a question:
이 소스가 뭐일까?
겨자소스일걸
= What is this sauce?
= It is probably mustard
Conversation Audio
이 꽃은 뭐예요?
잘 모르겠지만 백합일걸요
= What is this flower?
= I don’t know, but it is probably a lily
Conversation Audio
내가 그 선생님의 수업을 대신하면 별도 수당을 받겠지?
안 줄걸
= If I fill in for that teacher’s class, I will get overtime pay, right?
= They probably won’t give it to you
Conversation Audio
빨래가 다 말랐나?
아직 축축할걸
= Is the laundry all dry?
= It’s probably still a bit wet
Conversation Audio
양가 사이가 별로 안 좋지만 상견례가 중요해서 하겠지?
안 할걸
= Even though the two families don’t get along, the 상견례is important, so they’ll do it, right?
= They probably won’t
Conversation Audio
저 철조망이 허술해 보이는데 구멍을 만들어서 통과할 수 있을까?
못할걸. 저기 철조망이 철사로 매우 촘촘하게 만들어져서 힘들 거야
= That barbed wire looks a little weak/poorly made, do you think we could go through it if we make a hole?
= We probably won’t be able to. Barbed wire is made out of really dense metal, so it will be difficult
Conversation Audio
2) Situations where somebody is disagreeing or refuting a statement.
우리는 지금 안 가면 늦을 거야
안 늦을걸
= If we don’t go now, we will be late
= We probably won’t be late
Conversation Audio
그 사람은 한국어를 엄청 잘하네
한국어가 모국어일걸
= That person is really good at Korean
= Korean is probably his mother tongue
Conversation Audio
포도는 건강에 엄청 안 좋은 거야
진짜? 포도에는 포도당이 많아서 운동하고 먹으면 좋을걸
= Grapes are really not good for you (one’s health)
= Really? There is a lot of glucose in grapes, so it is probably good to eat them after exercise
Conversation Audio
저기 누군가가 산불을 냈나 봐. 연기가 많이 나는데
자연산불일걸. 이 시기에 나무가 건조해서 산불이 자주 나
= It seems like somebody started a forest fire over there. There is a lot of smoke coming up.
= It is probably just a natural forest fire. At this time (of year), the trees are dry so forest fires often come up
Conversation Audio
—————
It is also possible for a speaker to guess that something happened in the past using ~았/었 before ~ㄹ/을걸. For example:
1) Situations where somebody is responding to a question:
배가 출발했나?
선장님한테 연락이 없어서 아직 출발 안 했을걸
= Did the boat leave?
= No word from the captain yet, so it probably hasn’t left yet
Conversation Audio
올림픽에서 마라톤 경주를 우승한 사람은 누구였을까?
기억은 잘 안 나는데 케냐 선수였을걸
= Who do you think was the person who won the marathon (race) at the Olympics?
= I don’t remember, but it was probably a Kenyan athlete
Conversation Audio
어떤 사람이 술에 취해서 길에 주저앉아있는데 경찰을 부를까?
이미 누군가가 경찰을 불렀을걸
= There is a drunk man just plopped on the street, should we call the police?
= Somebody probably already called the police
Conversation Audio
2) Situations where somebody is disagreeing or refuting a statement.
아빠가 돈을 다 썼나 봐
조금 남았을걸
= It seems like dad spent all of the money
= There is probably a little left
Conversation Audio
사람들이 다 그 한식당에 갈 거야
오늘은 추석이라서 식당이 안 열었을걸
= Today everybody will probably go to that Korean restaurant
= It is Chuseok today so that restaurant is probably not open
Conversation Audio
—————
I always like to provide a little bit of insight wherever I can. That often means I like to give you some words that a specific grammatical principle is often used with. ~ㄹ/을걸(요) is very commonly attached to 아니다. For example:
1) Situations where somebody is responding to a question:
그 아저씨가 바닷에서 맨날 배를 타고 있는데 어부일까?
아닐걸
= That man is always in the ocean on a boat, do you think he is a fisherman?
= Probably not
Conversation Audio
그 사람이 되게 의심스러워 보여. 혹시 경찰관들이 찾는 사람이 아니야?
아닐걸
= That person looks very suspicious. Is he not the man the police are searching for?
= Probably not
Conversation Audio
은박지에 고기를 구워도 몸에 나쁘지 않겠지?
아닐걸. 그렇게 하면 은박지에서 해로운 물질이 나올걸
= Cooking meat in tinfoil can’t be bad for one’s health, right?
= It’s probably not good. If you do it like that, some substances not good (for one’s health) will probably come out (of the tinfoil)
Conversation Audio
넘어져서 무릎이 엄청 아픈데 수술을 해야 되나요?
아닐걸요. 의사선생님은 단순한 찰과상이라고 할걸요
= You fell and hurt your knee bad, do you think you need to get surgery?
= Probably not. The doctor will probably say that it is just a simple abrasion.
Conversation Audio
2) Situations where somebody is disagreeing or refuting a statement.
그게 엄청 힘들 거야
아닐걸
= That will be really difficult
= It probably won’t be
Conversation Audio
이 산의 정점에 도착하면 고도가 높아서 두통이 생길 수도 있을 것 같아
아닐걸. 괜찮을걸. 우리가 출발 전에 약을 먹었으니
= When you get to the summit of this mountain, the altitude is so high that you might get a headache
= No, we probably won’t. We’ll probably be okay. We took some medicine before we left.
Conversation Audio
That’s it for this lesson!