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Korean verb endings for beginners: present, past, future and negative

TUREFF• •0
Korean verbs change their endings to show tense and politeness, and once you see the pattern a few rules cover most of what a beginner needs. This guide uses the polite style ending in -요, which is safe with almost anyone you meet.

The dictionary form

Every verb in a dictionary ends in -다: 가다 (to go), 먹다 (to eat), 하다 (to do), 보다 (to see/watch). Take off 다 and you have the stem: 가, 먹, 하, 보. All endings attach to the stem.

Present tense: -아요 / -어요

Look at the last vowel of the stem:
  • If it is ㅏ or ㅗ, add -아요
  • Otherwise, add -어요
  • Verbs ending in 하다 become 해요
Examples:
  • 먹다 → 먹 + 어요 → 먹어요 (I eat / I am eating)
  • 앉다 → 앉 + 아요 → 앉아요 (I sit)
  • 하다 → 해요 (I do); 공부하다 → 공부해요 (I study)
When the stem ends in a vowel, the two vowels merge:
  • 가다 → 가 + 아요 → 가요 (I go)
  • 보다 → 보 + 아요 → 봐요 (I see)
  • 오다 → 오 + 아요 → 와요 (I come)
  • 마시다 → 마시 + 어요 → 마셔요 (I drink)
  • 주다 → 주 + 어요 → 줘요 (I give)
The same form is a statement or a question depending on your tone: 가요. (I go.) 가요? (Are you going?)

Past tense: -았어요 / -었어요

Same vowel rule, with ㅆ added:
  • 가다 → 갔어요 (I went)
  • 먹다 → 먹었어요 (I ate)
  • 하다 → 했어요 (I did)
  • 보다 → 봤어요 (I saw)
  • 마시다 → 마셨어요 (I drank)
A quick trick: take the present form, drop 요, and add ㅆ어요. 봐요 → 봐 → 봤어요.

Future: -(으)ㄹ 거예요

  • If the stem ends in a vowel, add -ㄹ 거예요: 가다 → 갈 거예요 (I will go), 보다 → 볼 거예요, 하다 → 할 거예요
  • If it ends in a consonant, add -을 거예요: 먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (I will eat)
This form also covers plans and guesses: 내일 비가 올 거예요 (it will probably rain tomorrow).

Negation: 안 and -지 않다

There are two ways to say "not", and they mean the same thing.
  1. Put 안 before the verb. Short and common in speech: 안 가요 (I don't go), 안 먹었어요 (I didn't eat), 안 볼 거예요 (I won't watch).
  2. Add -지 않아요 to the stem. A little more formal or careful: 가지 않아요, 먹지 않았어요.
With noun + 하다 verbs, 안 goes before 하다, not before the whole word: 공부 안 해요 (I don't study), not 안 공부해요. For "can't", use 못 the same way: 못 가요 (I can't go).

A table to practise with

  • 가다: 가요 / 갔어요 / 갈 거예요 / 안 가요
  • 먹다: 먹어요 / 먹었어요 / 먹을 거예요 / 안 먹어요
  • 하다: 해요 / 했어요 / 할 거예요 / 안 해요
  • 보다: 봐요 / 봤어요 / 볼 거예요 / 안 봐요

Irregular verbs, briefly

A handful of verbs bend these rules. 듣다 (to listen) becomes 들어요, and 돕다 (to help) becomes 도와요. Learn them as you meet them; the regular pattern covers far more verbs than the exceptions.

How to practise

  • Say three sentences a day about what you did, are doing and will do: 커피를 마셨어요. 한국어를 공부해요. 영화를 볼 거예요.
  • Listen for the endings in dramas and songs. You will start hearing -어요 and -었어요 everywhere.
Post a sentence using one of these endings in the comments, or ask about a verb that will not behave.

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