Learn Hardcore Korean: eojjeomyeon baekhwajeome sarami manheul geoyeyo. - Maybe there will be many people at the department store.

어쩌면 means “perhaps” or “maybe.” It expresses the speaker’s speculation or uncertainty. Compared to a simple 아마, 어쩌면 often feels a bit more tentative—as if the speaker is thinking, “It could turn out this way, but I’m not sure.”

Why is 백화점에 used here instead of 백화점에서?

The particle -에 marks a location where something exists or a state holds. In 백화점에 사람이 많다, you’re describing the existence of people at the department store.

백화점에서 would emphasize an action taking place there (e.g., shopping or selling).

What does the ending -을 거예요 indicate in 많을 거예요?

-을 거예요 attaches to the adjective stem (많-) to express future tense or the speaker’s conjecture. Here, 많다 + -을 거예요 ⇒ 많을 거예요 means “there will probably be many.” It’s a polite (해요체) way to make a prediction.

Why isn’t there a verb like 있다 after 많다?

많다 itself is a descriptive adjective meaning “to be many.” You don’t need 있다 because 사람이 많다 already conveys “there exist many people.” If you wanted, you could say 사람이 많이 있을 거예요 (“there will be a lot of people”), but it’s slightly more wordy.

Could you replace the sentence with 사람이 많이 있을 거예요? What’s the difference?

Yes—you can.

사람이 많을 거예요 is more concise and descriptive (“there will be many people”).
사람이 많이 있을 거예요 literally spells out 많이 있다 (“exist a lot”), putting extra focus on the existence or presence of the people. Both are correct; the first sounds more natural in everyday speech.

Is it okay to drop the subject marker 이 in 사람이 많을 거예요?

In casual spoken Korean, particles sometimes get dropped if context is clear. However, in standard polite speech, keeping 사람이 with its subject marker 이 sounds more grammatical and natural. Omitting it might make the sentence feel incomplete in formal settings.

What politeness level does -거예요 represent? How does it compare to -거야 or -겠어요?

-거예요 is polite informal (해요체), suitable for everyday conversation with acquaintances or strangers.
-거야 is informal (반말), used only with close friends or younger people.
-겠어요 can also express speculation politely but often sounds more formal and carries a stronger nuance of assumption or intention.

How do you pronounce 많을 거예요? Are there any sound changes?

Yes. 많을 is pronounced [마늘] because the ㅎ in 많- is dropped before the liquid consonant ㄹ. So you say:
마늘 거예요 [마늘거예요]
This assimilation makes the phrase flow more naturally in speech.