Beginner • • 15 min read

Korean Verb Conjugation: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Learn how to conjugate Korean verbs in present, past, and future tense. Master formal and informal speech levels with clear examples and practice exercises.

Understanding Korean Verbs

Korean verbs are always conjugated and never appear in their dictionary form in actual speech. The conjugation depends on:

  • Tense (past, present, future)
  • Formality level
  • Whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or consonant

Basic Verb Types

In Korean, there are two types of action words:

  1. Verbs (동사) - Action words like “eat” (먹다), “go” (가다)
  2. Adjectives (형용사) - Description words like “big” (크다), “small” (작다)

Both types conjugate similarly but have some important differences.

Present Tense (-아/어요)

The basic polite present tense ending is -아요 or -어요, chosen based on vowel harmony:

Vowel Harmony Rules:

  • If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ → use -아요
  • For all other vowels → use -어요

Examples:

가다 (to go) → 가 + 아요 = 가요
먹다 (to eat) → 먹 + 어요 = 먹어요
보다 (to see) → 보 + 아요 = 봐요

Present Tense Practice

1. Conjugate 하다 (to do) in present tense

2. Conjugate 읽다 (to read) in present tense

3. Which ending should be used with 자다 (to sleep)?

Past Tense (-았/었어요)

Past tense is formed by adding -았어요 or -었어요 to the verb stem:

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

Key Rules:

  1. Follow vowel harmony (-았어요 for ㅏ,ㅗ; -었어요 for others)
  2. Contract when possible (봤어요 instead of 보았어요)

Past Tense Practice

1. Conjugate 하다 (to do) in past tense

2. Conjugate 읽다 (to read) in past tense

3. What's the past tense of 자다 (to sleep)?

Future Tense (-을/를 거예요)

Future tense uses the construction -(으)ㄹ 거예요:

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

When to add 으:

  • Add 으 after consonants (먹다 → 먹을 거예요)
  • Don’t add after vowels (가다 → 갈 거예요)

Future Tense Practice

1. How do you say 'will do' (하다)?

2. Conjugate 읽다 (to read) in future tense

3. What's the future tense of 오다 (to come)?

Formal vs. Informal Speech

Formal Polite (-ㅂ니다/습니다)

Used in formal situations:

가다 → 갑니다
먹다 → 먹습니다
보다 → 봅니다

Informal Polite (-아/어요)

Used in everyday situations:

가다 → 가요
먹다 → 먹어요
보다 → 봐요

Casual (-아/어)

Used with close friends:

가다 → 가
먹다 → 먹어
보다 → 봐

Speech Levels Practice

1. Convert '먹어요' to formal polite style

2. Convert '봅니다' to informal polite style

3. Which style would you use with your professor?

Negative Forms

There are two ways to make verbs negative:

1. 안 + Verb

가다 → 안 가요 (don't go)
먹다 → 안 먹어요 (don't eat)

2. Verb + -지 않다

가다 → 가지 않아요 (don't go)
먹다 → 먹지 않아요 (don't eat)

Negative Form Practice

1. Make '보다' (to see) negative using 안

2. Make '먹다' negative using -지 않다

3. Which is correct for 'don't sleep'?

Common Conjugation Patterns

Here’s a quick reference for common verbs:

VerbPresentPastFuture
하다해요했어요할 거예요
가다가요갔어요갈 거예요
먹다먹어요먹었어요먹을 거예요
보다봐요봤어요볼 거예요
오다와요왔어요올 거예요

Practice What You’ve Learned

Comprehensive Verb Practice

1. Conjugate 공부하다 (to study) in present tense

2. What's the past tense of 듣다 (to listen)?

3. Make '일하다' (to work) future tense

4. Convert '먹다' to formal polite present tense

5. Make '자다' negative using either method

Next Steps

After mastering basic conjugation:

  1. Learn irregular verb patterns
  2. Study honorific forms
  3. Practice with more complex tenses

Remember: Regular practice with these patterns will help them become natural. Start with the polite informal (-아/어요) form as it’s the most commonly used in everyday Korean.