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Grammar Advanced TOPIK II · Level 5–6 Advanced Korean 1 · expression

-을 법하다

-을 법하다: Likely To… — A Reasonable Prediction

Auxiliary 법하다 「001」 after -(으)ㄹ: the situation is likely to be / happen.

Before this, make sure you know: -는 법이다 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When Form Example
Verb / adjective + -(으)ㄹ 법하다 -(으)ㄹ 법하다 올 법하다 / 알 법하다 / 비쌀 법하다

-을 법하다 means likely to… — a reasonable prediction.

Why this is hard

It sits near -을 것 같다 and -을 만하다. Learners mix ‘worth’ and ‘likely.’ 법하다 here is conjecture from how things usually go, not moral law.

What it does

You predict what seems reasonable to expect.

비가 올 법해요.
알고 있을 법해요.
늦을 법해요.
그 말이 맞을 법해요.

Forms

Prospective -을 + 법하다.

When not to use it

Do not use it as ‘worth doing’. Do not treat 법 as only courtroom law. Do not assert it as hard certainty.

Neighbours — and why they differ

FormWhy it is not this slot
-을 만하다Worth / decent — evaluation.
-을 것 같다Seems — broader soft guess.
-을 테다Will for sure — stronger expectation.

Weather, habits, and character guesses fit. Soften when you might be wrong.

Classroom examples should keep the meaning concrete: one clear scene beats three vague glosses. If a neighbour form already says the same thing more lightly, prefer the lighter tool unless register demands this one.

Keep the prediction modest when evidence is thin.

Ask: am I saying it’s reasonable to expect X? If yes, -을 법하다. If you mean worth doing, use -을 만하다.

Keep one concrete scene in examples; do not pad with conjugation lists or translation filler.

Do not confuse it with

-는 법이다

it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go

-을 테다

will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows

-을 것 같다

I think, it seems — the hedge Koreans put on almost everything

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -자기에 because one decides to… — contracted -자고 하기에 (청유 인용 + 이유), pair of -는다기에 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -기에 앞서(서) before doing… — prior to the step you name -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another -으려나 보다 I guess they mean to… — reading someone's likely intention 를 가지고 with, using — taking that as the means or topic -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition 에도 불구하고 despite — in spite of that noun situation -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged -는데도 불구하고 even so — despite the whole preceding clause

Words used above

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-(으)ㄹ 법하다-(eu)l beophadalikely to…
오다odato come
알다aldato know
비싸다bissadato be expensive
비birain

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. You read the sky and judge that rain follows reasonably from what you see. Which line reports that judgement?

2. A learner meets 뿌린 대로 거두는 법이다 and assumes it is the same pattern. What separates the two?

3. Which adnominal does the forms table put in front of 법하다?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 법하다 「001」: in -(으)ㄹ 법하다 — likely that the named situation is or will happen.

Vs -는 법이다?

법이다 = ‘that’s how it goes’. 법하다 = ‘it seems likely’.

Vs -을 테다?

-(으)ㄹ 테다 often feels stronger speaker expectation/will. 법하다 is cooler likelihood.

Vs -을 것 같다?

Same soft-predict family; 법하다 can feel a bit more ‘reasonable to expect’.