-(으)ㄹ걸 in Korean: “I should have, probably”

-(으)ㄹ걸 (-(eu)lgeol) has two meanings: "I should have..." when you regret something, and "probably..." or "I bet..." when you make a guess. Regret is usually said to yourself with a falling tone, while the guess is often said as -(으)ㄹ걸요 with a lifting tone at the end.

How to form it

How to use it

Regret: attached to a verb, it means "I should have done that" (and didn't). It is like a sigh to yourself, so it normally has no 요: 우산 가져올걸. To say it politely to someone, Koreans add 그랬어요: 가져올 걸 그랬어요.

Guess: with verbs, adjectives, nouns, or past tense, it means "probably" or "I think". Add 요 to be polite: 지금쯤 도착했을걸요. This guess often gently goes against what the other person expects, like "Actually, I think...".

Your tone tells people which meaning you want. A falling, sighing tone sounds like regret. A light tone that rises a little at the end sounds like a guess.

Examples

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Don’t mix it up with

-았/었어야 했는데: This also means "I should have", but it is stronger and more serious. -(으)ㄹ걸 is a lighter sigh of regret.

-(으)ㄹ 거예요: Both can guess, but -(으)ㄹ 거예요 is neutral. -(으)ㄹ걸요 sounds more like "I bet" and can hint you disagree.

-(으)ㄹ 텐데: -(으)ㄹ 텐데 is a guess that leads into something else, like advice or worry. -(으)ㄹ걸 ends the thought.

Common mistakes

Adding 요 to a regret: 살걸요 sounds like a guess ("probably"), not a regret. For polite regret, say 살 걸 그랬어요.