A Practical Approach To Korean Verb Conjugation
Author
Korean verb conjugation is much more straightforward than many learners realize.
You don’t need to change the verb based on who is doing the action.
Whether the subject is “I”, “you”, “we”, or “they”, the Korean verb stays exactly the same.
The only things that change a Korean verb are the tense and the politeness level.
This guide will show you a practical way to conjugate Korean verbs in everyday polite speech.
Table of Contents:
The basic anatomy of a Korean verb
Every Korean verb in its dictionary form ends with the syllable 다 (da).
The part of the word that comes right before 다 is called the verb stem.
To conjugate any Korean verb, you simply drop the 다 and attach a new ending to the verb stem.
Understanding the verb stem is essential for Korean grammar.
| Dictionary Form | Verb Stem | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 (gada) | 가 (ga) | to go |
| 먹다 (meokda) | 먹 (meok) | to eat |
| 마시다 (masida) | 마시 (masi) | to drink |
| 하다 (hada) | 하 (ha) | to do |
Present tense conjugation
We’ll focus entirely on the informal polite level, which ends in 요 (yo).
This is the most common and practical politeness level to use in everyday life in Korea.
To conjugate a verb to the present tense, you must look at the last vowel in the verb stem.
If the last vowel in the stem is ㅏ (a) or ㅗ (o), you add 아요 (ayo).
If the last vowel is anything else, you add 어요 (eoyo).
If the verb ends in 하다 (hada), it changes completely to 해요 (haeyo).
| Dictionary Form | Last Vowel | Added Ending | Conjugated Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 살다 (salda - to live) | ㅏ (a) | 아요 | 살아요 (sarayo) |
| 먹다 (meokda - to eat) | ㅓ (eo) | 어요 | 먹어요 (meogeoyo) |
| 공부하다 (gongbuhada - to study) | N/A (하다 verb) | 해요 | 공부해요 (gongbuhaeyo) |
When a verb stem ends in a vowel without a final consonant, the vowels often merge together to make pronunciation easier.
For example, 가다 (gada) becomes 가요 (gayo) instead of 가아요.
나는 사과를 먹어요.
Past tense conjugation
The past tense follows the exact same vowel rules as the present tense.
Instead of adding 아요 or 어요, you simply add 았어요 (asseoyo) or 었어요 (eosseoyo).
Verbs ending in 하다 always become 했어요 (haesseoyo).
| Dictionary Form | Past Tense Ending | Conjugated Verb |
|---|---|---|
| 살다 (salda - to live) | 았어요 | 살았어요 (sarasseoyo) |
| 먹다 (meokda - to eat) | 었어요 | 먹었어요 (meogeosseoyo) |
| 하다 (hada - to do) | 했어요 | 했어요 (haesseoyo) |
Just like in the present tense, vowels merge if the stem ends in a vowel.
For example, 가다 (gada) in the past tense becomes 갔어요 (gasseoyo).
나는 사과를 먹었어요.
Future tense conjugation
The future tense doesn’t depend on the last vowel of the stem.
Instead, you look at whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or a consonant.
If the stem ends in a vowel, you add ㄹ 거예요 (l geoyeyo) directly to the bottom of the stem block.
If the stem ends in a consonant, you add 을 거예요 (eul geoyeyo).
| Dictionary Form | Stem Ends In | Conjugated Verb |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 (gada - to go) | Vowel | 갈 거예요 (gal geoyeyo) |
| 먹다 (meokda - to eat) | Consonant | 먹을 거예요 (meogeul geoyeyo) |
| 하다 (hada - to do) | Vowel | 할 거예요 (hal geoyeyo) |
This simple rule applies to almost every standard verb in the Korean language.
나는 사과를 먹을 거예요.
Common irregular verbs
Some Korean verbs don’t follow the exact rules listed above.
The most common exception you’ll encounter is the ㅂ (bieup) irregular.
When a verb stem ends in the consonant ㅂ, you remove the ㅂ and add 워요 (woyo) for the present tense.
A common example is 맵다 (maeptta), which translates to “to be spicy”.
| Dictionary Form | Present Tense | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|
| 맵다 (maeptta - to be spicy) | 매워요 (maewoyo) | 매웠어요 (maewosseoyo) |
| 춥다 (chuptta - to be cold) | 추워요 (chuwoyo) | 추웠어요 (chuwosseoyo) |
| 어렵다 (eoryeoptta - to be difficult) | 어려워요 (eoryeowoyo) | 어려웠어요 (eoryeowosseoyo) |
Not all verbs ending in ㅂ are irregular, but many descriptive verbs (adjectives) follow this pattern.
김치가 매워요.
