I Think It Might Be -거 아닐까 하다

You are discussing whether public transport should be cheaper. One expression states your judgement clearly; another presents it as a possibility for discussion. The difference lies in how firmly you put your view forward.

State Your Judgement

Use the same statement shapes as reported speech, followed by 생각하다: 간다고 생각해요, 좋다고 생각해요, 학생이라고 생각해요. Past and future claims can use -았/었다고 and -(으)ㄹ 거라고.

Offer a Possibility for Consideration

Use -는 거 아닐까 하다 with present actions, -(으)ㄴ 거 아닐까 하다 with present adjectives or completed actions, and -인 거 아닐까 하다 with nouns. 거 is a spoken form of 것. You can include the subject particle as 게 (= 것이), as in 좋은 게 아닐까 해요. The expression softens a positive possibility rather than simply denying it.

Vocabulary