KoreaTOPIKCenter
Lv 4Grammar expressionSeen on past TOPIK papersIntermediate · TOPIK II

-었을 것이다

must have ~ed / probably ~ed

Attaches to a verb or adjective stem with -었- to express the speaker's confident guess about a past event they did not witness directly.

Examples

  • 그때는 다들 많이 놀랐을 것이다.

    Everyone must have been very surprised at that time.

  • 준비하는 데 시간이 꽤 걸렸을 것이다.

    It probably took quite a while to prepare.

  • 어릴 때는 이 골목이 훨씬 넓었을 것이다.

    This alley was probably much wider when I was little.

Examples written by Korea TOPIK Center.

Quick check

  1. 1. What does ‘-었을 것이다’ mean?

  2. 2. Which form means “must have ~ed / probably ~ed”?