Korean grammar · Elementary (A2)
Irregular verbs: ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅅ, 르, ㅎ (and ㅡ, ㄹ stems)
The five irregular patterns (돕다 → 도와요, 듣다 → 들어요, 낫다 → 나아요, 모르다 → 몰라요, 어떻다 → 어때요), their regular look-alikes, and ㅡ and ㄹ stems.
ㅂ verbs: 덥다 → 더워요
Most Korean verbs are regular, and even the irregular ones follow a few clear patterns. They change only before endings that start with a vowel, such as -아요 / -어요, the past -았- / -었-, -(으)면 (if) and -(으)ㄴ (before a noun). Before endings that start with a consonant, such as -고, -지만 or -지 않아요, nothing changes. (hada) and all its compounds, which become (haeyo), are irregular too; see the page on the present tense.
In many verbs whose stem ends in ㅂ, the ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel: (deopda, to be hot) → (deowoyo), (deoumyeon), (deoun nalssi), hot weather. Most of them are descriptive verbs: (chupda, cold), (maepda, spicy), (gakkapda, near), (eoryeopda, difficult), (swipda, easy). Only (dopda, to help) and (gopda, to be fine, lovely) take 와: (dowayo).
Look-alikes such as (ipda, to wear), (jopda, to be narrow) and (japda, to catch) are regular: (ibeoyo).
| Verb | Present | If | With -고 (no change) |
|---|---|---|---|
| (deopda) to be hot | (deowoyo) | (deoumyeon) | (deopgo) |
| (chupda) to be cold | (chuwoyo) | (chuumyeon) | (chupgo) |
| (maepda) to be spicy | (maewoyo) | (maeumyeon) | (maepgo) |
| (gakkapda) to be near | (gakkawoyo) | (gakkaumyeon) | (gakkapgo) |
| (dopda) to help | (dowayo) | (doumyeon) | (dopgo) |
| (ipda) to wear, regular | (ibeoyo) | (ibeumyeon) | (ipgo) |
| (jopda) to be narrow, regular | (jobayo) | (jobeumyeon) | (jopgo) |
- 오늘 정말 더워요.Oneul jeongmal deowoyo.It's really hot today.
- 이 김치는 좀 매워요.I gimchineun jom maewoyo.This kimchi is a bit spicy.
- 역이 가까워요?Yeogi gakkawoyo?Is the station close?
- 좀 도와주세요.Jom dowajuseyo.Please help me.
ㄷ and ㅅ verbs: 듣다 → 들어요, 낫다 → 나아요
In some verbs whose stem ends in ㄷ, the ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel: (deutda, to listen) → (deureoyo), (geotda, to walk) → (georeoyo), (mutda, to ask) → (mureoyo). But (batda, to receive), (datda, to close) and (mitda, to believe) are regular.
In some verbs whose stem ends in ㅅ, the ㅅ simply disappears before a vowel, and the vowels don't merge: (natda, to get better) → (naayo), (jitda, to build) → (jieoyo). (ppalli naeuseyo) means “get well soon”. (ssitda, to wash), (utda, to laugh) and (beotda, to take off) are regular.
There's no way to tell from the dictionary form; learn each verb with its present form.
| Verb | Present | If | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| (deutda) to listen | (deureoyo) | (deureumyeon) | ㄷ → ㄹ |
| (geotda) to walk | (georeoyo) | (georeumyeon) | ㄷ → ㄹ |
| (mutda) to ask | (mureoyo) | (mureumyeon) | ㄷ → ㄹ |
| (batda) to receive | (badayo) | (badeumyeon) | regular |
| (datda) to close | (dadayo) | (dadeumyeon) | regular |
| (natda) to get better | (naayo) | (naeumyeon) | ㅅ drops |
| (jitda) to build | (jieoyo) | (jieumyeon) | ㅅ drops |
| (ssitda) to wash | (ssiseoyo) | (ssiseumyeon) | regular |
| (utda) to laugh | (useoyo) | (useumyeon) | regular |
- 저는 매일 음악을 들어요.Jeoneun maeil eumageul deureoyo.I listen to music every day.
- 회사까지 걸어서 십 분 걸려요.Hoesakkaji georeoseo sip bun geollyeoyo.It's a ten-minute walk to the office.
- 감기가 다 나았어요.Gamgiga da naasseoyo.My cold is completely gone.
- 빨리 나으세요.Ppalli naeuseyo.Get well soon.
르 verbs: 모르다 → 몰라요
Almost all verbs ending in 르다 follow one pattern before -아요 / -어요 and the past: the ㅡ drops and an extra ㄹ appears, so 르 becomes ㄹ라 or ㄹ러. (moreuda, not to know) → (mollayo), (bureuda, to sing, to call) → (bulleoyo). The ㅏ / ㅗ rule decides between 라 and 러, using the vowel before 르.
Before other endings, including -(으)면, nothing changes: (moreumyeon), if you don't know. Two common exceptions: (ttareuda, to follow, to pour) → (ttarayo), and (deulleuda, to drop by) → (deulleoyo).
| Verb | Present | Past | If |
|---|---|---|---|
| (moreuda) to not know | (mollayo) | (mollasseoyo) | (moreumyeon) |
| (dareuda) to be different | (dallayo) | (dallasseoyo) | (dareumyeon) |
| (ppareuda) to be fast | (ppallayo) | (ppallasseoyo) | (ppareumyeon) |
| (bureuda) to sing, to call | (bulleoyo) | (bulleosseoyo) | (bureumyeon) |
| (goreuda) to choose | (gollayo) | (gollasseoyo) | (goreumyeon) |
| (jareuda) to cut | (jallayo) | (jallasseoyo) | (jareumyeon) |
- 잘 모르겠어요.Jal moreugesseoyo.I'm not sure.
- 지하철이 버스보다 빨라요.Jihacheori beoseuboda ppallayo.The subway is faster than the bus.
- 어제 노래방에서 노래를 불렀어요.Eoje noraebangeseo noraereul bulleosseoyo.I sang at a karaoke room yesterday.
ㅎ verbs: 어떻다 → 어때요
Descriptive verbs whose stem ends in ㅎ, such as (eotteota, to be how) and the colours, lose the ㅎ before a vowel. Before -아요 / -어요 and the past, the last vowel becomes ㅐ (or ㅒ after ㅑ): (eottaeyo?), how is it?; (ppalgaeyo), it's red; (hayaeyo), it's white.
Before -(으)ㄴ and -(으)면, both the ㅎ and the 으 drop: (eotteon), what kind of; (ppalgan), red; (geureomyeon), then, in that case. Before consonants the ㅎ stays: (eotteoke), how.
(jota, to be good) and action verbs such as (nota, to put) and (neota, to put in) are regular: (joayo), (neoeoyo).
| Verb | Present | Past | Before a noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| (eotteota) to be how | (eottaeyo) | (eottaesseoyo) | (eotteon) |
| (geureota) to be so | (geuraeyo) | (geuraesseoyo) | (geureon) |
| (ireota) to be like this | (iraeyo) | (iraesseoyo) | (ireon) |
| (ppalgata) to be red | (ppalgaeyo) | (ppalgaesseoyo) | (ppalgan) |
| (parata) to be blue | (paraeyo) | (paraesseoyo) | (paran) |
| (hayata) to be white | (hayaeyo) | (hayaesseoyo) | (hayan) |
| (jota) to be good, regular | (joayo) | (joasseoyo) | (joeun) |
- 날씨가 어때요?Nalssiga eottaeyo?What's the weather like?
- 여행은 어땠어요?Yeohaengeun eottaesseoyo?How was the trip?
- 하늘이 정말 파래요.Haneuri jeongmal paraeyo.The sky is really blue.
- 빨간 가방을 찾고 있어요.Ppalgan gabangeul chatgo isseoyo.I'm looking for a red bag.
ㅡ stems: 아프다 → 아파요
These verbs are regular in Korean grammar, but they look irregular. When a stem ends in ㅡ, the ㅡ drops before -아요 / -어요 and the past. The ㅏ / ㅗ rule then looks at the vowel before it: (apeuda, to hurt) → (apayo), (yeppeuda, to be pretty) → (yeppeoyo).
If the stem has only one syllable, it always takes -어요: (keuda, to be big) → (keoyo), (sseuda, to write, to use) → (sseoyo).
| Verb | Vowel before ㅡ | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| (apeuda) to hurt, to be ill | ㅏ | (apayo) | (apasseoyo) |
| (bappeuda) to be busy | ㅏ | (bappayo) | (bappasseoyo) |
| (baegopeuda) to be hungry | ㅗ | (baegopayo) | (baegopasseoyo) |
| (yeppeuda) to be pretty | ㅖ | (yeppeoyo) | (yeppeosseoyo) |
| (seulpeuda) to be sad | ㅡ | (seulpeoyo) | (seulpeosseoyo) |
| (keuda) to be big | none | (keoyo) | (keosseoyo) |
| (sseuda) to write, to use | none | (sseoyo) | (sseosseoyo) |
- 머리가 아파요.Meoriga apayo.I have a headache.
- 요즘 너무 바빠요.Yojeum neomu bappayo.I'm really busy these days.
- 이 셔츠는 좀 커요.I syeocheuneun jom keoyo.This shirt is a bit big.
ㄹ stems: 살다 → 살아요, 사세요
Verbs whose stem ends in ㄹ are also regular in Korean grammar, and they take -아요 / -어요 normally: (salda, to live) → (sarayo). But the ㄹ drops before an ending that starts with ㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ: (saseyo), (samnida), (saneun).
They also never add the extra 으: (salmyeon), if you live, not 살으면; (mandeul su isseoyo). Because ㄹ drops, (eodi saseyo?) means “where do you live?” and can also be “please buy” from (sada); the situation makes it clear.
| Verb | Present | -(으)세요 | -ㅂ니다 | -는 | If |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (salda) to live | (sarayo) | (saseyo) | (samnida) | (saneun) | (salmyeon) |
| (alda) to know | (arayo) | (aseyo) | (amnida) | (aneun) | (almyeon) |
| (mandeulda) to make | (mandeureoyo) | (mandeuseyo) | (mandeumnida) | (mandeuneun) | (mandeulmyeon) |
| (nolda) to play, to hang out | (norayo) | (noseyo) | (nomnida) | (noneun) | (nolmyeon) |
| (yeolda) to open | (yeoreoyo) | (yeoseyo) | (yeomnida) | (yeoneun) | (yeolmyeon) |
- 어디 사세요?Eodi saseyo?Where do you live?
- 저는 부산에 살아요.Jeoneun Busane sarayo.I live in Busan.
- 혹시 이 사람 아세요?Hoksi i saram aseyo?Do you happen to know this person?