The 'going to / probably will' future
Korean's everyday future is -(으)ㄹ 거예요. Attach -ㄹ 거예요 to verbs whose stem ends in a vowel and -을 거예요 to stems ending in a consonant. It covers both plans ('I'm going to…') and predictions ('it'll probably…'). The closely related -겠어요 is more formal/written and tilts toward volition ('I will, I intend to') or immediate prediction ('I bet…').
Formation: vowel vs consonant stem
Find the verb stem (dictionary form minus -다). If it ends in a vowel, add -ㄹ 거예요 (the ㄹ becomes the 받침 of the stem syllable). If it ends in a consonant, add -을 거예요. Examples: 가다 (vowel) → 갈 거예요. 오다 (vowel) → 올 거예요. 하다 (vowel) → 할 거예요. 먹다 (consonant ㄱ) → 먹을 거예요. 읽다 (consonant ㄺ) → 읽을 거예요.
Plans vs. predictions — same form, two readings
내일 친구를 만날 거예요 = 'I'm going to meet a friend tomorrow' (a plan). 비가 올 거예요 = 'It will probably rain' (a prediction about something the speaker doesn't control). Context tells you which. With first-person subjects you usually mean a plan; with weather, sports outcomes, or third-person subjects, you usually mean a prediction.
Spelling tip: the spacing
Notice the space before 거예요. The -(으)ㄹ part is a verb ending; 거 is short for 것 ('thing/fact') and 예요 is the polite copula. So 갈 거예요 literally parses as 'going-thing is' = 'is going to go'. Don't write it solid; 갈거예요 is a typo, even though you'll see it casually.
Question and negative
Question: just rising intonation + ?: 갈 거예요? = 'Are you going to go?' Negative: put 안 before the verb, same form: 안 갈 거예요 = 'I'm not going to go.' Past tense doesn't combine here — to talk about the past, use -았/었어요 from the previous lesson.
Compare: -겠어요 (volition / immediate prediction)
-겠어요 is older and more formal, common in announcements, news, and polite offers: 제가 하겠습니다 ('I'll do it' — strong volition), 비가 오겠어요 ('it looks like it'll rain' — immediate prediction from evidence), 맛있겠어요! ('that looks delicious!' — judgment from sight). It does not generally express casual plans the way -(으)ㄹ 거예요 does. Rule of thumb: 'I'm going to…' = -(으)ㄹ 거예요; 'I will / let me / I bet (right now)' = -겠어요.
