Korean Verb Conjugation for Beginners: Present, Past & Future

Korean verb conjugation looks intimidating at first, but it's far more regular than English. Almost everything follows a simple recipe: take the dictionary form, find the stem, and add an ending for the tense and politeness level you want. Master that one move and you can produce present, past, and future for the great majority of Korean verbs. This guide covers the everyday polite style (the -요 forms) you'll use in nearly every conversation, plus a key insight that unlocks half the grammar: Korean adjectives conjugate exactly like verbs.

The dictionary form ends in -다

Every Korean verb is listed in its dictionary form, and that form always ends in -다 (da). To conjugate, you drop the 다 and add an ending to the remaining stem.

• 가다gada

  to go

  Drop 다 → stem 가-.

• 먹다meokda

  to eat

  Drop 다 → stem 먹-.

• 하다hada

  to do

  Drop 다 → stem 하-. Hundreds of verbs are built on 하다.

Polite present: -아요 / -어요 / 해요

The polite present (the standard -요 style) is your workhorse. Which ending you attach depends on vowel harmony — specifically the last vowel of the stem.

• If the stem's last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ → add -아요.
• For any other vowel → add -어요.
• If the verb is built on 하다 → it becomes 해요.

• 먹다 → 먹어요meokda → meogeoyo

  to eat → eat(s)

  Stem vowel is ㅓ (not ㅏ/ㅗ) → -어요.

• 읽다 → 읽어요ilkda → ilgeoyo

  to read → read(s)

  Stem vowel is ㅣ → -어요.

• 좋다 → 좋아요jota → joayo

  to be good → is good

  Stem vowel is ㅗ → -아요.

• 공부하다 → 공부해요gongbuhada → gongbuhaeyo

  to study → study/studies

  하다 verb → 해요.

When the stem ends in a vowel, the ending often contracts so it's easier to say. These contractions are predictable and worth memorizing as set forms.

• 가다 → 가요gada → gayo

  to go → go(es)

  가 + 아요 contracts to 가요 (the identical vowels merge).

• 오다 → 와요oda → wayo

  to come → come(s)

  오 + 아요 → 와요.

• 마시다 → 마셔요masida → masyeoyo

  to drink → drink(s)

  마시 + 어요 → 마셔요 (이 + 어 → 여).

Past tense: -았어요 / -었어요 / 했어요

The past tense uses the same vowel-harmony split. Where the present adds -아요/-어요, the past adds -았어요/-었어요 (and 하다 verbs become 했어요). In practice, conjugate the present first, then swap the final -요 area for -ㅆ어요 — the contractions you already learned carry straight over.

• 먹다 → 먹었어요meokda → meogeosseoyo

  to eat → ate / have eaten

  ㅓ stem → -었어요.

• 가다 → 갔어요gada → gasseoyo

  to go → went

  가 + 았어요 contracts to 갔어요.

• 하다 → 했어요hada → haesseoyo

  to do → did

  하다 → 했어요.

Future: -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (and a note on -겠-)

The most common everyday future uses -(으)ㄹ 거예요. After a vowel stem you add -ㄹ 거예요; after a consonant stem you add -을 거예요. It expresses plans and expectations ('will / am going to').

• 가다 → 갈 거예요gada → gal geoyeyo

  to go → will go

  Vowel stem → -ㄹ 거예요.

• 먹다 → 먹을 거예요meokda → meogeul geoyeyo

  to eat → will eat

  Consonant stem → -을 거예요.

You'll also hear -겠- inserted before the ending to signal intention or a confident guess — 하겠어요 ('I will do it' / 'I intend to'). For now, just recognize it; -(으)ㄹ 거예요 covers most of your real-life future needs.

The key insight: adjectives conjugate like verbs

Here's the single most useful thing a beginner can learn about Korean grammar: adjectives are 'descriptive verbs'. They end in -다 in the dictionary and take the exact same endings as action verbs. There's no separate 'to be' verb propping them up — the adjective itself becomes the predicate and carries the tense and politeness.

• 예쁘다 → 예뻐요yeppeuda → yeppeoyo

  to be pretty → is pretty

  ㅡ drops before the ending (see irregulars below).

• 크다 → 커요keuda → keoyo

  to be big → is big

  ㅡ drops; remaining ㅋ takes -어요 → 커요.

• 좋다 → 좋아요jota → joayo

  to be good → is good

  Same -아요 ending an action verb would take.

Once this clicks, a huge chunk of Korean opens up: describing things ('it's pretty', 'it was big', 'it'll be good') uses the same conjugation machinery you already know for actions.

A few common irregular stems

Most verbs are regular, but a handful of stem types change shape before -아요/-어요. Here are the high-frequency ones, with forms you can rely on. Learn these as fixed examples rather than rules at first.

• 춥다 → 추워요chupda → chuwoyo

  to be cold → is cold

  ㅂ-irregular: ㅂ becomes a 우 sound before the ending.

• 듣다 → 들어요deutda → deureoyo

  to listen → listen(s)

  ㄷ-irregular: ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel ending.

• 바쁘다 → 바빠요bappeuda → bappayo

  to be busy → is busy

  ㅡ-drop: ㅡ disappears; previous vowel ㅏ → -아요.

• 쓰다 → 써요sseuda → sseoyo

  to write → write(s)

  ㅡ-drop with no preceding vowel → defaults to -어요.

• 빠르다 → 빨라요ppareuda → ppallayo

  to be fast → is fast

  르-irregular: 르 → ㄹ라 before -아요.

How to make conjugation automatic

Conjugation becomes effortless through reps — you stop computing endings and start feeling them. The fastest path is to drill a small set of high-frequency verbs across all three tenses, then expand. A structured course sequences this so you meet the regular patterns before the irregulars and never feel lost. Explore our Korean courses for a guided grammar progression. It also pairs naturally with our guide to Korean particles, since particles mark the nouns your conjugated verb acts on, and our guide to self-studying Korean shows how to fit daily conjugation drills into a realistic routine.