Learn Hardcore Korean: ama oneul sueobi eobseoyo. - There is probably no class today.

아마 expresses the speaker’s guess and is closest to “probably.” So 아마 오늘 수업이 없어요 ≈ “There’s probably no class today.” It signals uncertainty but leans more confident than English “maybe.”

Where can 아마 go in the sentence? Are other word orders okay?

Most natural: 아마 오늘 수업이 없어요.
Also fine: 오늘 아마 수업이 없어요.
To contrast “today”: 아마 오늘은 수업이 없어요.
Less natural: 수업이 아마 없어요. (understood but adverbs like 아마 typically come early)
Avoid: 아마 수업이 오늘 없어요 (odd unless you add contrast with 오늘은: 수업이 오늘은 없어요)

Why is it 수업이 and not 수업은? What’s the difference between 이/가 and 은/는?

이/가 marks the grammatical subject. 수업이 없어요 neutrally states “class does not exist (today).”
은/는 is a topic/contrast marker. 수업은 없어요 implies contrast: “As for class, there isn’t any (but there might be something else).”
Form choice depends on nuance. Also, 수업 ends in a consonant, so use 이 (after vowels, use 가).

Can I drop the subject marker 이 here?

Yes in casual speech: 아마 오늘 수업 없어요 is natural. In careful writing or when clarity matters, keep 이.

Why not say 수업이 안 있어요?

Negating 있다 (“to exist/have”) is done with 없다. So use 없어요, not 안 있어요. Say 수업이 없어요, not 수업이 안 있어요.

Is there a difference between 아마, 아마도, 혹시, and 어쩌면?

아마 ≈ probably.
아마도 is a stylistic variant of 아마; slightly more emphatic or formal-feeling, but meaning is the same in most contexts.
혹시 ≈ “by any chance,” mainly used in questions/requests: 혹시 오늘 수업이 없어요?
어쩌면 ≈ maybe/perhaps (often lower likelihood), commonly paired with hedges: 어쩌면 오늘 수업이 없을지도 몰라요.

What nuance does 오늘은 add compared to 오늘?

오늘 수업이 없어요: neutral “There’s no class today.”
오늘은 수업이 없어요: “Today, (as opposed to other days,) there’s no class.” The 은 adds contrast/topic emphasis.

What politeness level is 없어요? How would this change in formal or casual speech?

Polite informal (standard): 없어요 — 아마 오늘 수업이 없어요.
Formal polite: 없습니다 — 아마 오늘 수업이 없습니다.
Casual: 없어 — 아마 오늘 수업 없어.

How do I say this with more hedging/softening?

Use conjecture patterns:

아마 오늘 수업이 없을 것 같아요. (I think there probably isn’t class.)
어쩌면 오늘 수업이 없을 수도 있어요. (There might not be class.)

How do I express clear future or past with this idea?

Past: 어제 수업이 없었어요. (There wasn’t class yesterday.)
Future: 내일 수업이 없을 거예요. (There will be no class tomorrow.)
With probability: 아마 내일 수업이 없을 거예요.

Can I use 겠 for conjecture, like 없겠어요?

Yes. 없겠어요 conveys an inference/guess: 오늘 수업이 없겠어요 ≈ “It seems there won’t be class today.” You can combine with 아마 (optional): 아마 오늘 수업이 없겠어요. This can sound a touch firmer or more reasoned.

Is it natural to say 우리는/저는 오늘 수업이 없어요?

Yes, if you need to specify who doesn’t have class:

저는 오늘 수업이 없어요. (I don’t have class today.)
우리는/저희는 오늘 수업이 없어요. (We don’t have class today.) Often Korean omits the person and uses the existential: 오늘 수업이 없어요.

What if I want the positive version: “There is class today”?

Use 있다:

오늘 수업이 있어요.
Contrastive: 오늘은 수업이 있어요.

What’s the difference between 수업, 강의, and 클래스?

수업: general “class/lesson” (school, academy, private lesson).
강의: “lecture,” especially at university.
클래스: loanword; used in certain contexts (workshops, gyms, apps), more casual/marketing-y. In school/university, 수업/강의 is safer.

Is there any situation where honorific 없으세요 would be used?

Honorific 없으세요 applies when the respected subject is a person lacking something: 선생님은 오늘 시간이 없으세요. With 수업 as the subject you don’t honorify it, but you can say: 선생님은 오늘 수업이 없으세요 (the honored subject is 선생님).

If I’m certain, should I drop 아마?

Yes. For certainty, say simply: 오늘 수업이 없어요. Adding 아마 always implies uncertainty.