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Korean · TOPIK Band 1 · Chapter 38

제가 할게요 I’ll do it

Jega halgeyo

Talking about promises and resolutions. Vocabulary: 약속, 계획, 준비하다, 도와주다, 늦다, 일찍, 곧, 꼭, 열심히, 잊다. Key grammar: "-(으)ㄹ게요" [ㄹ께요], the speaker’s promise/will. Unlike chapter 30’s "-(으)ㄹ 거예요" (a neutral plan/prediction, any person), "-(으)ㄹ게요" is my (our) promise directed at the listener: "제가 할게요" (I’ll do it), "곧 전화할게요" (I’ll call soon), "꼭 도와줄게요" (I’ll definitely help). So the subject is always "I/we". English speakers use "-(으)ㄹ게요" for other people too: "친구가 도와줄게요" ✗ → for someone else use "친구가 도와줄 거예요" ✓ ("제가 도와줄게요" ✓). Hangul corner: "할게요" is [할께요], "먹을게요" is [머글께요].

친구가 도와줄게요 / 도와줄 거예요

  1. Jieun 마이클 씨, 내일 이사하죠? 누가 도와줘요? Michael, you’re moving tomorrow, right? Who’s helping?
  2. Michael 민수 씨가 도와줄게요. Minsu will help. (slip: "-(으)ㄹ게요" is a promise about oneself; a third person’s action is a prediction — "민수 씨가 도와줄 거예요")
  3. Jieun "-(으)ㄹ게요"는 내 약속이에요. 민수 씨 일은 예상이니까 "도와줄 거예요"라고 해요. "-(으)ㄹ게요" is my promise. Minsu’s action is a prediction, so you say "도와줄 거예요".
  4. Michael 아, 민수 씨가 도와줄 거예요. 그리고 저도 열심히 준비할게요. Ah, Minsu will help. And I’ll prepare hard too.
  5. Jieun 좋아요. 저도 갈게요. 아침 아홉 시까지 갈게요. Great. I’ll come too. I’ll be there by nine in the morning.
  6. Michael 고마워요! 그럼 내일 봐요. 약속 잊지 않을게요. Thank you! See you tomorrow then. I won’t forget the promise.

주말 계획 — Weekend plans

  1. Minsu 지은 씨, 토요일에 시간 있어요? 같이 등산 갈래요? Jieun, are you free on Saturday? Want to go hiking together?
  2. Jieun 좋아요! 그럼 제가 김밥을 준비할게요. Great! Then I’ll prepare the 김밥.
  3. Minsu 고마워요. 저는 물이랑 커피를 가져올게요. 몇 시에 만날까요? Thanks. I’ll bring water and coffee. What time shall we meet?
  4. Jieun 아침 일찍 만나요. 여덟 시에 지하철역 앞에서 기다릴게요. Let’s meet early in the morning. I’ll wait in front of the subway station at eight.
  5. Minsu 알겠어요. 늦지 않을게요. 그럼 토요일에 봐요! Got it. I won’t be late. See you on Saturday, then!
汉字PinyinPOSMeaning
약속 yaksok n. promise, appointment
계획 gyehoek n. plan
준비하다 junbihada v. to prepare
도와주다 dowajuda v. to help (someone)
늦다 neutda v. to be late
일찍 iljjik adv. early
got adv. soon
kkok adv. surely, without fail
열심히 yeolsimhi adv. hard, diligently
잊다 itda v. to forget

약속의 "-(으)ㄹ게요" Promising: "-(으)ㄹ게요" (I’ll ~)

30과에서 "-(으)ㄹ 거예요"를 배웠어요 — 중립적인 계획이나 예상이라 누구에게나 써요("내일 비가 올 거예요", "그가 올 거예요"). "-(으)ㄹ게요"는 달라요: 듣는 사람을 향한 "나(우리)의 약속·의지"예요. 받침이 없으면 "-ㄹ게요"(가다→갈게요, 하다→할게요), 받침이 있으면 "-을게요"(먹다→먹을게요, 읽다→읽을게요)를 붙이고, 소리는 [ㄹ께요]로 나요. "제가 할게요", "곧 전화할게요", "꼭 도와줄게요", "다시는 안 늦을게요". 약속은 자기 일이니까 주어는 언제나 "나/우리"예요. 3인칭에는 쓸 수 없어요. 영어권 학습자는 다른 사람에게도 써요: "친구가 도와줄게요" ✗ → 남의 일은 예상이니까 "친구가 도와줄 거예요" ✓, 내 약속이면 "제가 도와줄게요" ✓.

In chapter 30 you learned "-(으)ㄹ 거예요" — a neutral plan or prediction, so it works for anyone ("내일 비가 올 거예요" it will rain tomorrow, "그가 올 거예요" he will come). "-(으)ㄹ게요" is different: it is "my (our) promise/will" directed at the listener. No batchim → "-ㄹ게요" (가다→갈게요, 하다→할게요), with a batchim → "-을게요" (먹다→먹을게요, 읽다→읽을게요), pronounced [ㄹ께요]. "제가 할게요" (I’ll do it), "곧 전화할게요" (I’ll call soon), "꼭 도와줄게요" (I’ll definitely help), "다시는 안 늦을게요" (I won’t be late again). A promise is about yourself, so the subject is always "I/we". You cannot use it for a third person. English speakers use it for others too: "친구가 도와줄게요" ✗ → someone else’s action is a prediction, so "친구가 도와줄 거예요" ✓; if it is my promise, "제가 도와줄게요" ✓.

  • 제가 준비할게요. 걱정하지 마세요. Jega junbihalgeyo. Geokjeonghaji maseyo. I’ll prepare it. Don’t worry.
  • 내일은 일찍 올게요. 다시는 안 늦을게요. Naeireun iljjik olgeyo. Dasineun an neujeulgeyo. Tomorrow I’ll come early. I won’t be late again.
  • 이 일은 제가 도와줄게요. 친구는 못 와요. I ireun jega dowajulgeyo. Chinguneun mot wayo. I’ll help with this. My friend can’t come.
  • 약속을 잊지 않을게요. 곧 다시 연락할게요. Yaksogeul itji aneulgeyo. Got dasi yeollakhalgeyo. I won’t forget the promise. I’ll contact you again soon.

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