So far, we’ve seen verbs in their dictionary form being conjugated into forms that are used in daily speech. Take this sentence:
I am Mina
We learned this sentence when learning how to introduce ourselves. 예요 comes from the dictionary verb 이다, meaning “to be”. Here are some more examples of dictionary verbs and their conjugations:
So using 좋아하다 from the above, we can write a sentence like this:
I like kimchi
So how do we take a verb from the dictionary and conjugate it?
There are general rules in place, and they’re based on the verb stem. The verb stem is what comes before the “다” (in Korean, every verb in the dictionary ends with 다):
Once you have the verb stem, follow these steps to conjugate it:
- Attach “아” if the last vowel in the verb stem is “ㅏ” or “ㅗ”. Attach “어” after any other vowel.
- Attach “요”.
먹 does not have ㅏ or ㅗ, so attach 어
Attach 요
앉 has ㅏ in it, so attach 아
Attach 요
Not all verbs follow the simple rules above. There are a few exceptions depending on the verb stem, but don’t worry. There aren’t many, and they only serve to make pronounciation easier:
If the verb stem ends with a vowel, the 아 or 어 will merge with said vowel.
For example, under the rules above, the verb 가다 would conjugate into 가아요. However, since 가 ends in a vowel, we combine the 아 into the 가, and they simply merge into 가.
저는 가요 (I go)
Similarly, the verb 보다, which would normally conjugate to 보아요, simply becomes 봐요 because 보 ends with the vowel ㅗ.
저는 영화를 봐요 (I watch a movie)
If the verb stem ends with the vowel ㅐ, simply add 요 to the verb stem and you’re done!
저는 메세지를 보내요 (I send a message)
If the verb stems ends with the vowel ㅡ, we first remove the ㅡ. Then, we look at the second to last syllable of the stem. Attach ㅏ or ㅓ to the stem based on the standard rules.
However, if the verb stem only has one syllable, simply attach 어.
Finally, attach 요.
저는 펜을 써요 (I use a pen)
- First, remove ㅡ from 쁘
- The second to last syllable is 바, so we attach ㅏ
- Attach 요
저는 바빠요 (I am busy)
If the verb stem ends with 르, we first remove the _. Then, we attach another ㄹ to the bottom of the 2nd to last syllable in the verb stem. Then, we attach ㅏ or ㅓ to the stem based on the second to last syllable.
Finally, attach 요.
- First, remove ㅡ from 르
- Attach ㄹ to the bottom of 부
- The second to last syllable is 부, so we attach ㅓ to the stem
- Attach 요
저는 노래를 불러요 (I sing a song)
If the verb stem ends with ㅎ, we first remove the ㅎ. Then, we attach ㅐ and combine it with the final syllable. Then, 요.
- First, remove ㅎ
- Attach ㅐ to 러 to form 래
- Attach 요
그래요? (Is that so?/Really?)
The verb 하다, meaning “to do”, is special. It simply conjugates to 해요.
If the verb stem ends with ㅂ, we first remove the ㅂ. Then, attach 우. Then, attach ㅓ and combine with 우. Then, 요.
- First, remove ㅂ
- Attach 우 and ㅓ to get 워
- Attach 요
김치는 매워요 (Kimchi is spicy)
These rules do not cover every case! There are still verbs out there that don’t follow any standard rule, like 이다, which we’ve already covered.
When such verbs come up in the future, I will make sure to mention them. For now, pat yourself on the back! That was a lot to take in.
Good job. See you in the next one!
We are only conjugating verbs into their present tense informal form. Informal as in you want to be polite, but you’re not in a formal situation (e.g. giving a speech).
There are many other ways to conjugate verbs, which we’ll cover later.
For example, take the verb 먹다:
The casual form is something we have covered in the past. It’s used with close friends or people close to you who are the same age or younger.
Usually, adding or removing 요 is the difference between the informal and casual forms.