ㄹ 것 같다

I think it will; seems likely

A guess about something not settled yet — whether you'll have to work late, whether she'll forgive you, whether the bug would be huge. It is also the standard politeness cushion: Koreans say "I think we need to reassess" instead of flatly "we must", so it appears even when the speaker is sure. Sister forms differ only by what comes before: 는 것 같다 judges something happening now, ㄴ 것 같다 and 은 것 같다 something already done, ㄹ 것 같다 and 을 것 같다 something still ahead. The spelling 을 것 같다 is the same ending after a consonant.

Register: constant in speech; softening