Middle School - Grade 8
Lesson 17: "I guess I should..."
-아/어야겠어요
Combining Grammar!
This grammar point is a direct combination of two forms you've already learned. It's used to express a thought about an action you've just realized is necessary.
-(아/어)야 하다
"must / should"
-겠어요
"I guess..."
-아/어야겠어요
"I guess I should..." / "I suppose I must..."
The Conjugation Rules
The rule follows the familiar vowel harmony you used for the present tense (`-아요/어요`) and past tense (`-았/었어요`).
Rule 1: Last vowel is 아 or 오
Stem's last vowel is 아 or 오.
... + 아야겠어요
가다 가야겠어요
"I guess I should go"
오다 와야겠어요 (오 + 아 = 와)
"I guess I should come"
Rule 2: All other vowels
Stem's last vowel is anything else.
... + 어야겠어요
먹다 먹어야겠어요
"I guess I should eat"
읽다 읽어야겠어요
"I guess I should read"
Rule 3: 하다 verbs
All 하다 verbs.
... + 해야겠어요
공부하다 공부해야겠어요
"I guess I should study"
Examples in Action
SITUATION: It's getting late.
벌써 12시예요. 이제 집에 가야겠어요.
It's already 12 o'clock. I guess I should go home now.
SITUATION: You have an exam tomorrow.
내일 시험이 있어서 오늘밤에 공부해야겠어요.
I have an exam tomorrow, so I suppose I must study tonight.
SITUATION: You are hungry.
배고파요. 뭐 좀 먹어야겠어요.
I'm hungry. I guess I should eat something.
Coming Up Next...
This was our last lesson for Grade 8! Next, we'll move on to Grade 10 to learn an extremely versatile connector: `-(으)ㄴ/는데`, which is used to provide background information.