Beginner • • 12 min read

Korean Tenses: A Complete Guide to Past, Present, and Future

Master Korean tenses with this comprehensive guide. Learn how to express past, present, and future actions in Korean with proper conjugation and usage.

Understanding Korean Tenses

Korean has three main tenses:

  1. Present (현재)
  2. Past (과거)
  3. Future (미래)

Each tense has specific conjugation patterns and can express:

  • Simple actions
  • Continuous actions
  • Completed actions
  • Habitual actions

Present Tense

Simple Present (-아/어요)

Used for:

  • Current actions
  • General truths
  • Habitual actions
먹다 → 먹어요 (eat/eating)
가다 → 가요 (go/going)
보다 → 봐요 (see/seeing)

Present Progressive (-고 있어요)

Used for actions happening right now:

공부하다 → 공부하고 있어요 (studying)
읽다 → 읽고 있어요 (reading)
자다 → 자고 있어요 (sleeping)

Present Tense Practice

1. Make '먹다' into present progressive

2. Which means 'I am watching TV now'?

3. Transform '일하다' to simple present

Past Tense

Simple Past (-았/었어요)

Used for completed actions:

먹다 → 먹었어요 (ate)
가다 → 갔어요 (went)
보다 → 봤어요 (saw)

Past Progressive (-고 있었어요)

Used for actions that were ongoing in the past:

공부하다 → 공부하고 있었어요 (was studying)
읽다 → 읽고 있었어요 (was reading)
자다 → 자고 있었어요 (was sleeping)

Past Tense Practice

1. Make '오다' past tense

2. Express 'was watching TV'

3. Choose the correct past form of '하다'

Future Tense

Simple Future (-을/를 거예요)

Used for future plans or predictions:

먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (will eat)
가다 → 갈 거예요 (will go)
보다 → 볼 거예요 (will see)

Immediate Future (-으려고 해요)

Used for immediate plans:

공부하다 → 공부하려고 해요 (going to study)
읽다 → 읽으려고 해요 (going to read)
자다 → 자려고 해요 (going to sleep)

Future Tense Practice

1. Express 'will eat dinner'

2. Make '가다' into immediate future

3. Which expresses a definite plan?

Special Expressions

Experience (-아/어 봤어요)

Used to indicate past experience:

먹어 봤어요 (have tried eating)
가 봤어요 (have been to)
해 봤어요 (have tried doing)

Completed Action (-아/어 버렸어요)

Indicates completion, often with regret:

잊어버렸어요 (forgot)
잃어버렸어요 (lost)
먹어버렸어요 (ate it all)

Special Expression Practice

1. How do you say 'have you tried Korean food?'

2. Express 'I lost my phone'

3. What's the difference between '했어요' and '해버렸어요'?

Common Patterns

Time Expressions

Use these to clarify when actions occur:

지금 (now)
아까 (earlier)
어제 (yesterday)
내일 (tomorrow)

Tense Combinations

Multiple tenses in one sentence:

어제 공부하고 있었는데 친구가 왔어요
(I was studying yesterday when my friend came)

내일 시험이 있어서 지금 공부하고 있어요
(I have a test tomorrow so I'm studying now)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Present vs. Progressive

    • Don’t overuse progressive form
    • Simple present can indicate ongoing actions

  2. Future Tense Choice

    • -을/를 거예요 for general future
    • -으려고 해요 for immediate plans

  3. Past Tense Formation

    • Watch for irregular conjugations
    • Remember to contract when possible

Comprehensive Tense Practice

1. Create a sentence using past progressive and simple past

2. Express future plans for tomorrow

3. Make this sentence past tense: '아침을 먹고 있어요'

4. Which is correct for 'I will go to Korea'?

Next Steps

To master Korean tenses:

  1. Practice regular conjugation patterns
  2. Learn common irregular verbs
  3. Study time expressions
  4. Practice combining tenses

Remember: Korean tenses are relatively straightforward compared to English. Focus on the basic patterns and gradually add complexity with special expressions.