What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb stem 하- (to do) and the grammatical ending -ㄹ게요, which expresses a promise or intention to the listener.
Which one should you use?
Unlike 할 거예요 (will do), which expresses a simple future fact or plan, 할게요 emphasizes the speaker's personal commitment or promise to the person they are speaking to.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 할게요 is in the polite style, making it suitable for use with colleagues, acquaintances or people older than you. For more formal situations, you can use 할 것입니다 or 할 겁니다. In informal conversations, you can use 할 거야 or the casual version 할게, which is used with close friends or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending -ㄹ게요 is used specifically when the speaker is making a promise or stating an intention that affects the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
halgeyo
Did you know?
- If you use 할게요 when you are actually just describing a weather forecast or an objective future fact, it will sound as if you are making a personal promise to the weather. This specific grammatical ending is strictly for the speaker's will and not for certainties of the natural world.
- If you want to say 'I will do it' to yourself while thinking out loud, you should not use 할게요. Because the ending is designed to communicate an intention to a listener, using it while alone can sound unnaturally as if you are talking to an invisible person.
- Because 할게요 is used to express a promise, if you use it and then fail to perform the action, the social awkwardness is much higher than if you had used the simple future 할 거예요. The latter is a failed prediction, but the former is a broken promise.
Examples in context
- 회의에 참석할 겁니다.I will attend the meeting.
- 내일 여행 갈 거야.I will go on a trip tomorrow.
- 내일 일찍 일어날 거야.I will wake up early tomorrow.
- 저녁 식사는 제가 할게.I will take care of dinner.
- 운동하러 갈게.I will go exercise.
- 집 청소는 내가 할게.I will clean the house.
- 제가 먼저 할게요.jega meonjeo halgeyo.I will do it first.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Jihun are deciding who will clean the table.
- 서연 Seo-yeon누가 테이블을 닦을까요?nuga teibeureul dakkalkkayo?Who will wipe the table?
- 지훈 Ji-hun제가 할게요.jega halgeyo.I will do it.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말요? 고마워요, 지훈 씨.jeongmalyo? gomawoyo, Jihun ssi.Really? Thank you, Jihun.
- 지훈 Ji-hun아니에요. 금방 할게요.anieyo. geumbang halgeyo.No problem. I will do it quickly.
