Everything about 것 같아요 grammar (I think)

Hello, everyone!

Today, we will learn one of the most common grammar points: 것 같아요!
I personally use this conjugation almost every minute… haha!
It means “I think,” “looks like,” or “seems like”. It’s a must-use conjugation in daily conversations!!

Now, let’s conquer the concept of 것 같아요!

I will explain each point step by step to facilitate understanding.

So just follow along with me!

Part 1,
Let’s grasp the concept of grammar

것 같다: I think, It looks like, It seems

Different formality and conjugations:

Original form: 것 같다
Most common formality: 것 같아요 (fairly formal)
Extremely formal: 것 같습니다
Informal: 것 같아


Let’s take a closer look how to form this!


How to Form “것 같아요”


So depends on the tense, we can conjugate it differently.

Let’s learn the present tense first!


The present tense form is : “는 것 같아요” for verbs.

Simply drop the “다” part from the original verb, and add 는 것 같아요.

e.g.) I think he sleeps : 자는 것 같아요. (자다(to sleep) -> 자는 것 같아요)
I think she reads everyday: 매일 책 읽는 것 같아요. (읽다(to read) -> 읽는 것 같아요)
It looks like it’s raining: 비 오는 것 같아요. (오다 (to come) -> 오는 것 같아요)

Very simple, right? No need to conjugate, simply add 는 것 같아요 to the verb stem! 😊



The past tense form is : “ㄴ/은 것 같아요“ for verbs. And this is the present form of adjectives as well.

When the adjectives or verbs end in a vowel, we add ㄴ and 것 같아요.
For those ending in a consonant, we add 은 and 것 같아요.

I know it sounds confusing, let’s take a look at examples!

*Verbs in past tense”
e.g.) I think he came: 온 것 같아요
* 오다(to come) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ and 것 같아요, 온 것 같아요(came)

I seems like it’s closed: 닫은 것 같아요
* 닫다(to close) -> since it ends in a batchim(ㄷ), we add 은 and 것 같아요, 닫은 것 같아요(closed)

*For adjectives, present tense*
I think it’s okay: 괜찮은 것 같아요
* 괜찮다(to be okay) -> since it ends in a batchim(ㄶ), we add 은 and 것 같아요, 괜찮은 것 같아요(seems okay)

It seems pretty: 이쁜 것 같아요
* 이쁘다(to be pretty) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄴ and 것 같아요, 이쁜 것 같아요(seems pretty)


Additionally, this is a different way to conjugate the past tense of both verbs and adjectives!

First, conjugate the verb/adjective to the past tense.
For example, 먹다 becomes 먹었어요 (past tense). Then, we drop “어요” and add “던,” making it 먹었던.
Finally, we add 것 같아요 to get 먹었던 것 같아요! (I think I ate).

It applies to adjectives as well!

To say “I think she was smart.”

First, conjugate the adjective 똑똑하다(to be smart) to the past tense, 똑똑했어요.
Then, drop 어요 and add “던”, making it 똑똑했던.
Finally, we add 것 같아요 to get 똑똑했던 것 같아요! (I think she was smart).

던 것 같아요 has a bit more nuance of assumption and guessing.
Therefore, if you are not too sure, it’s better to use 던 것 같아요 rather than ㄴ/은 것 같아요.


More examples:

어제 비가 많이 왔던 것 같아요 (It seems like it rained a lot yesterday.)
배가 많이 고팠던 것 같아요 (I think I was very hungry.)
설거지를 이미 했던 것 같아요 (I think I already did the dishes.)
영화 재미 없었던 것 같아요 (The movie didn’t seem interesting.)

The future tense form is : “ㄹ/을 것 같아요” for both verbs and adjectives.

When the adjectives or verbs end in a vowel, we add ㄹ and 것 같아요.
For those ending in a consonant, we add 을 and 것 같아요.

e.g.)

I think I will snow: 눈 올 것 같아요.
* 오다(to come) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄹ and 것 같아요, 올 것 같아요(will snow)

I think I‘ll be hungry: 배고플 것 같아요.
* 배고프다(to be hungry) -> since it ends in a vowel, we add ㄹ and 것 같아요, 배고플 것 같아요(will be hungry)

I think I’ll wear a dress: 원피스 입을 것 같아요.
* 입다(to wear) -> since it ends in a batchim(ㅂ), we add 을 and 것 같아요, 입을 것 같아요(will wear)

I think the store will open: 가게가 열 것 같아요.
* 열다(to open), already has the batchim “ㄹ”, we will simply add 것 같아요, 열 것 같아요(will open)

I think it will be cold tomorrow: 내일 추울 것 같아요.
*춥다 (to be cold) is a ‘ㅂ’ irregular verb. The present tense is 추워요 and the simple future tense is 추울 거 예요. One way to remember this conjugation is to recall the future tense form and change the ending from 거 예요 to 것 같아요.




For the present continuous tense, similar to “be-ing” in English, you can combine them together.

– “I think she is eating” can be expressed as
먹고 있는 것 같아요 (먹고 있다 + 는 것 같아요) or 먹는 중인 것 같아요 (먹고 있는 중이다 + ㄴ 것 같아요).

Then, how would it be “I think my mom is cooking”? (to cook: 요리하다)

Try it on your own first!

The answer is…

– 우리 엄마는 요리 하고 있는 것 같아요/ 요리하는 중인 것 같아요.

⭐⭐⭐Remember this concept ⭐⭐⭐

“는” for the present tense
“ㄴ/은” or “던” for the past tense
“ㄹ/을” for the future tense.

🌟 It is very important since this will be used repeatedly for more grammar points. 🌟

Irregularities and combining with different conjugations


‘ㅂ’ irregular:
굽다(to grill) -> 굽는 것 같아요 (present) / 구운/구웠던 것 같아요 (past) / 구울 것 같아요 (future)
돕다 (to help) -> 돕는 것 같아요 (present) / 도운/도왔던 것 같아요 (past) / 도울 것 같아요 (future)

덥다(to be hot, adjective) -> 더운 것 같아요 (present)/ 더웠던 것 같아요(past) / 더울 것 같아요(future)
어렵다(to be difficult, adjective) -> 어려운 것 같아요(present) / 어려웠던 것 같아요(past)/ 어려울 것 같아요(future)


‘ㄷ’ irregular verbs:
듣다(to listen) -> 듣는 것 같아요 (present) / 들은/들었던 것 같아요 (past) / 들을 것 같아요 (future)
걷다(to walk) -> 걷는 것 같아요 (present) / 걸은/걸었던 것 같아요 (past) / 걸을 것 같아요 (future)


‘ㅅ’irregular verbs:
짓다(to build) -> 짓는 것 같아요 (present) / 지은/지었던 것 같아요 (past) / 지을 것 같아요 (future)


‘고 싶어요'(want to):
I think I want to go home : 집에 가고 싶은 것 같아요 (present tense, when subjects are ‘I’ or ‘you’, we use 은)
I think She wants to go home: (그 여자는) 집에 가고 싶어 하는 것 같아요.
(present tense, when the subject is a third party, we say 하는 것 같아요!)
I think I wanted to go home: 집에 가고 싶었던 것 같아요(past tense)
I think I will want to go home: 집에 가고 싶을 것 같아요(future tense)


‘수 있어요'(can):
I think you can do it: 할 수 있을 것 같아요 (We commonly conjugate to the future tense since it hasn’t happened yet.)
I don’t think I can do it: 할 수 없을 것 같아요
I think we can go now: 지금 갈 수 있는 것 같아요(present tense sounds natural in this case)


‘야 해요/돼요'(have to):
I think we have to go: 가야 할 것 같아요(We commonly conjugate to the future tense since it hasn’t happened yet.)
I think we need to leave now: 지금 가야하는 것 같아요(present tense sounds natural in this case)


with 는데 (but, background info):
I think It is coming now, but let’s wait a bit more.
지금 오는 것 같은데, 조금만 더 기다리자. (같아요 + 는데 -> It always becomes 같은데)


with 아/어/해서 (and, because):
It seems like it’ll rain soon, so I’ll go first.
비가 올 것 같아서, 내가 먼저 갈게. (같아요 + 아/어/해서 -> It always becomes 같아서)

I know it can be a little overwhelming and complicated, but this same concept will appear repeatedly, so eventually, you will get used to it! I tried to explain as much detail as possible on my end, and now let’s put this into real practice so that you can get accustomed to this grammar as well.

Don’t skip the practice part; it is the most crucial step in learning Korean with me. The more sentences you make, the easier it will be for you to put words together and speak fluently.

😊

Part 2,
Practice making sentences

1. I don’t think I will be able to work out today, because I feel dizzy. (literally, I think I won’t be able to)
(feel dizzy: 어지럽다)

2. I think my dog always wants to take a walk around 8 pm.
(dog: 강아지 / always: 항상/ take a walk: 산책하다 / around: 쯤/ pm: 오후)

3. I think inequality is getting worse, so I’m sad.
(inequality: 불평등 / to get worse: 더 나빠지다 / sad: 슬프다)

4. I think I studied Korean enough. I don’t want to study anymore. (casually!)
(enough:충분히 / anymore: 더이상)

5. My coworker seems smart, but he’s bad at his job.
(coworker: 동료 / smart: 똑똑하다 / “bad at his job”, try to translate: he can’t work)

6. It looks like it’s snowing. Should we build a snowman?
(snow: 눈이 오다 / build : 만들다 / snowman: 눈사람(snowperson!))

7. It looks like that restaurant is closed today. Do you want to eat at home?
(be closed=close: 닫다 / Japanese restaurant : 일식당 )

8. I think my brother will love this book. He’s always been interested in historical novels.
(love: 진짜 좋아하다(really like)/ always:항상/ historical novels: 역사 소설/ be interested in: 관심(이) 많다 )

9. It looks like the weather will be perfect this weekend. Let’s do something! (casually!)
(the weather: 날씨 / perfect: 완벽하다 / weekend: 주말 / do something: 뭐라도 하다)

10. It looks like we are running out of time. We need to speed up.
(run out: 부족하다(=lack) / speed up: 빨리 하다(do fast))

11. I feel like there are too many people on the morning subway. It’s really suffocating.
(morning: 아침 / subway: 지하철 / suffocating: 숨 막히다)
*To express “I feel like”, you can use the 것 같아요 grammar 🙂

12. I think my friend forgot about our gathering. She hasn’t come yet.
(forget about: 잊어버리다/ gathering: 모임/ yet: 아직)

13. I think candidate number one will fit in well in this position.
(candidate: 후보자 / number one : 1번 / fit in : 맞다 / position: 포지션 / well: 잘)

14. I think tomorrow will be a bit busy, so how about next month instead? (casually!)
(a bit: 조금/ how about : 어때요 / instead: 대신 )

15. It looks like we’re out of milk; I’ll need to buy some tomorrow.
(be out of : 없다 / milk: 우유 / some: 몇 개)

Thy these on your own first, before checking the answers!

These are the answers:

1. I don’t think I will be able to work out today, because I feel dizzy.
(feel dizzy: 어지럽다)

어지러워서, 오늘 같이 운동 못 할 것 같아요.

* First, let’s look at the verb 운동하다 (to work out). Since it ends in a vowel (하), we add ㄹ and 것 같아요 to form 운동할 것 같아요, meaning “I think I will work out.” To express the idea of “not being able to,” we can simply use 못.
Thus, 운동 못 할 것 같아요 means “I think I won’t be able to work out.”
You might wonder if we can use 할 수 없어요 instead, as we studied last time. Indeed, we can also say 운동 할 수 없을 것 같아요, which sounds just a bit more formal. 😁

* Because 어지럽다 (to be dizzy) is a ㅂ irregular verb, it changes to 어지러워요 in the present tense. Then, we add 서 to convey the meaning of “because.” So, it becomes 어지러워서.

2. I think my dog always wants to take a walk around 8 pm.
(dog: 강아지 / always: 항상/ take a walk: 산책하다 / around: 쯤/ pm: 오후)

우리 강아지는 항상 여덟시쯤에 산책가고 싶어 하는 것 같아요.

* 산책 가고 싶어 해요(The dog wants to take a walk) -> 산책 가고 싶어 하는 것 같아요
* To say “around,” you can use 정도 instead of 쯤. They are interchangeable and both are commonly used!
* You can use 가 instead 는 as well!

3. I think inequality is getting worse, so I’m sad.
(inequality: 불평등 / to get worse: 더 나빠지다 / sad: 슬프다)

불평등이 더 나빠지고 있는 것 같아서, 슬퍼요.

* 나빠지고 있어요(getting worse, be -ing form) + 것 같아요 -> 나빠지고 있는 것 같아요. + 아서(so)!
* You can say “나빠지고 있는 중인 것 같아서” as well!
* 나빠지다 means “to become bad.” By adding 더 (more), it conveys the meaning of “getting worse.”

4. I think I studied Korean enough. I don’t want to study anymore. (casually!)
(enough:충분히 / anymore: 더이상)

한국어 공부(를) 충분히 한 것 같아. 더이상 공부하고 싶지 않아.

* 공부하다 -> 공부한 것 같아 or 했던 것 같아 (past tense, casual).
* Instead of “공부하고 싶지 않아”, “안 공부하고 싶어” is also correct!

5. My coworker seems smart, but he’s bad at his job.
(coworker: 동료 / smart: 똑똑하다 / “bad at his job”, try to translate: he can’t work)

내 동료(는) 똑똑한 것 같은데, 일(을) 못 해요.

* 똑똑하다 (smart) is an adjective, so for the present tense, we add ㄴ to form 똑똑한 것 같아요.

* To say “bad/good at something”, we commonly use “못” and “잘(well).”
– I’m bad at singing: 노래 못 해요.
– I’m bad at cooking: 요리 못 해요.
– I’m not good at taking a picture: 사진 잘 못 찍어요.
– I’m good at swimming: 수영 잘 해요.




6. It looks like it’s snowing. Should we build a snowman?
(snow: 눈이 오다 / build : 만들다 / snowman: 눈사람(snowperson!))

눈(이) 오고 있는 것 같은데, 눈사람(을) 만들까요?

* ‘눈이 오는 것 같은데(simple present tense)’, ‘눈이 오는 중 인 것 같은데’ are also correct!
* Remember “Should we” grammar right!? If you don’t remember, check it out here!

7. It looks like that restaurant is closed today. Do you want to eat at home?
(be closed=close: 닫다 / Japanese restaurant : 일식당)

오늘 그 식당(이) 문(을) 닫은 것 같은데, 집에서 먹을래요?

* 닫다 (to close), when conjugated to the past tense, can be 닫은 것 같아요 or 닫았던 것 같아요.
* I would use the “는데” grammar here, since I’m providing background information and leading to a suggestion.
* You can say “집에서 먹고싶어요?” as well, but 먹을래요 is a bit more causal and more commonly used!

8. I think my brother will love this book. He’s always been interested in historical novels.
(love: 진짜 좋아하다(really like)/ always:항상/ historical novels: 역사 소설/ be interested in: 관심(이) 많다)

내 남동생(이) 이 책(을) 진짜 좋아할 것 같아요. 항상 역사 소설에 관심이 많았어요.

* 좋아하다(to like) ends in a vowel, we add ㄹ and 것 같아요 to form the future tense, 좋아할 것 같아요.

* To say “be interested in,” you can use the phrase 관심이 많다. 관심 means “interest (noun),” so 관심이 많다 literally means “to have a lot of interest.” And we use the particle “에” together to express “in.”
For “has been,” such as in “has studied” or other present perfect constructions, we commonly use the past tense in Korean. So, we use 많았어요 instead of 많아요.

9. It looks like the weather will be perfect this weekend. Let’s do something! (casually!)
(the weather: 날씨 / perfect: 완벽하다 / weekend: 주말 / do something: 뭐라도 하다)

이번 주말에 날씨(가) 완벽할 것 같은데, 뭐라도 하자!

* 완벽하다 (to be perfect). To express it in the future tense, add ㄹ and 것 같아요. So, it becomes 완벽할 것 같아요!
* 뭐라도 is commonly used to express “something.” It’s a bit informal, so use it with friends!
– Eat something! : 뭐라도 먹어
– Just order something! : 뭐라도 시켜!
* We use “자” to express “Let’s”!
* Using the 는데 grammar here sounds perfectly natural, since I’m providing background information and suggesting something.




10. It looks like we will run out of time. We need to speed up.
(run out: 부족하다(=lack) / speed up: 빨리 하다(do fast))

우리 시간(이) 부족할 것 같아요. 빨리 해야 해요

* 부족하다 (to run out). To express it in the future tense, add ㄹ and 것 같아요. So, it becomes 부족할 것 같아요!

* Using 는데 grammar sounds natural here as well, 시간이 부족할 것 같은데, 빨리 해야 해요! (When you are suggesting)

* 빨리 해야 돼요 is also correct!

11. I feel like there are too many people on the morning subway. It’s really suffocating.
(morning: 아침 / subway: 지하철 / suffocating: 숨 막히다)

아침 지하철에 사람이 너무 많은 것 같아요. 진짜 숨 막혀요😫

* 많다 (to be a lot) is an adjective, so to conjugate, we add “은” and “것 같아요.” So, it becomes 많은 것 같아요!
* We use 에 instead of 에서 since the verb is not an action verb!
* Seoul’s morning subway is really crowded. I hated it so much when I commuted there. We even call it 지옥철, which is a combination of 지옥 (hell) and 지하철 (subway).🤣




12. I think my friend forgot about our gathering. She hasn’t come yet.
(forget about: 잊어버리다/ gathering: 모임/ yet: 아직)

내 친구가 모임(을) 잊어 버린 것 같아요. 아직 안 왔어요.

* To conjugate 잊어버리다 to the past tense, we add ㄴ and 것 같아요, so it becomes 잊어버린 것 같아요.
잊어버렸던 것 같아요 is also correct, but in this context, I’d use 잊어버린 것 같아요, since she hasn’t come yet and it’s clear that she has forgotten the gathering.
* Remember the “hasn’t come” tense? We will use the past tense in Korean, so it’s 왔어요.




13. I think candidate number one will fit in well in this position.
(candidate: 후보자 / number one : 1번 / fit in : 맞다 / position: 포지션 / well: 잘)

후보자 일번이 이 포지션에 잘 맞을 것 같아요.

* 맞다 (to fit). To express it in the future tense, add 을 and 것 같아요. So, it becomes 맞을 것 같아요!
맞다 is a very versatile verb. It also means “to be correct” or “to be right.”
– 나 다 맞았어! (I got everything correct)
– 아, 네가 맞아 (Ah, you are right)
* I’ll use “에” to mean as “to fit in”, “in” part.

* Too (너무) can go after 음식 as well, like in 음식이 너무 많이. It means the same thing!




14. I think tomorrow will be a bit busy, so how about next month instead? (casually!)
(a bit: 조금/ how about : 어때요 / instead: 대신)

내일은 조금 바쁠 것 같은데, 대신 다음달은 어때?

* 바쁘다 (to be busy). To express it in the future tense, add ㄹ and 것 같아요. So, it becomes 바쁠 것 같아요!
* 조금 is often contracted to 좀! You will hear this word very often in daily Korean conversations.
* Since I’m providing background information and making a suggestion, I’ll use the 는데 grammar here to connect the two sentences.

* How about is “어때요”, casually 어때. Very useful!
– How about this : 이거 어때요?
– How about you? 너는 어때?

* In Korean, the particle 은/는 is often used after a time expression to emphasize or contrast it. In this sentence, 은 is used after 내일 and 다음달 to emphasize these time expressions and to contrast them with each other. The use of 은/는 helps to set up this contrast clearly.




15. It looks like we’re out of milk; I’ll need to buy some tomorrow.
(be out of : 없다 / milk: 우유 / some: 몇 개)

우유가 없는 것 같은데, 내일 몇 개 사올게요.

* 없다 (to be out of, don’t have). To express it in the present tense, add 는 것 같아요. So, it becomes 없는 것 같아요!

* Using 는데 grammar here sounds very natural, as the background information.

* I’m using ㄹ/을게요 grammar because this sentence sounds like you are talking to someone. Of course, I know you can self-talk, like “Oh! There’s no milk. I’ll buy it tomorrow!” In this case, it’s natural to use “을 거예요.” But if you are talking/responding to someone, using 게요 sounds more natural here!
If you don’t remember this grammar point, check it out here.

Great job!
You’ve been doing an excellent job—keep up the good work!

To book a lesson with me, click here!
To improve your listening skills, check it out here!
Come visit my Youtube channel as well!