Verbs

Korean verbs are simpler than European verbs in one key way: they don't change based on who's speaking. "I eat", "you eat", and "she eats" all use the same verb form. However, Korean verbs do conjugate for tense (past, present, future), politeness level (formal, polite, casual), and mood. The good news: once you learn the patterns, they apply consistently across all verbs.

Dictionary form

The dictionary form (also called the infinitive) is how verbs appear in dictionaries and vocabulary lists. All Korean verbs end in 다 (da). To conjugate, you'll remove this ending and add appropriate suffixes. Learning to recognise and work with the stem is your first step:

• 먹다 (meokda) — to eat
• 가다 (gada) — to go
• 하다 (hada) — to do

Conjugating to polite form (해요체)

The polite form (해요체, haeyoche) is the level you'll use most often — appropriate for strangers, colleagues, shops, and anyone you're not close friends with. To form it, remove the 다 from the dictionary form, look at the final vowel of the stem, and add the appropriate ending. This vowel-harmony rule is central to Korean conjugation:

Final vowel	Add	Example
ㅏ or ㅗ	아요	가다 → 가요 (go)
Other	어요	먹다 → 먹어요 (eat)
하다 verbs	해요	하다 → 해요 (do)

Present tense

Korean present tense covers both habitual actions ("I eat breakfast every day") and current actions ("I'm eating now"). The three columns below show the same verb at different politeness levels. Start with the polite form (middle column) — it's your default for most situations:

Formal	Polite	Casual	Meaning
먹습니다	먹어요	먹어	eat
갑니다	가요	가	go
합니다	해요	해	do

Past tense

To form the past tense, insert 았 or 었 between the stem and the polite ending 요. The choice between 았 and 었 follows the same vowel-harmony rule as present tense: use 았 after ㅏ or ㅗ, and 었 after other vowels. 하다 verbs use 했:

Present	Past	Meaning
먹어요	먹었어요	ate
가요	갔어요	went
해요	했어요	did

Future/intention

To express future plans or intentions, add 을 거예요 (after consonants) or ㄹ 거예요 (after vowels) to the verb stem. This construction means "will" or "am going to" — it expresses both predictions and planned actions:

• 먹을 거예요 — I will eat
• 갈 거예요 — I will go

Common verbs

These are the verbs you'll use most often in daily conversation. Notice that some verbs (like 듣다 → 들어요) have irregular conjugations — the consonant changes when conjugating. Focus on memorising the polite forms directly rather than trying to derive them each time:

Dictionary	Polite	Meaning
가다	가요	go
오다	와요	come
먹다	먹어요	eat
마시다	마셔요	drink
보다	봐요	see
듣다	들어요	hear
말하다	말해요	speak
읽다	읽어요	read
쓰다	써요	write
사다	사요	buy
주다	줘요	give
있다	있어요	have/exist
없다	없어요	not have/not exist
알다	알아요	know
모르다	몰라요	not know

Want to: ~고 싶다

To express desire ("I want to..."), attach 고 싶어요 directly to the verb stem (after removing 다). This pattern is essential for expressing preferences, ordering food, and making requests. Note that 고 싶다 is only used for your own desires — for asking about others' wants, you'd use different forms:

• 먹고 싶어요 — I want to eat
• 가고 싶어요 — I want to go

Can/Cannot: ~수 있다/없다

To express ability or possibility ("can/can't"), use the pattern: verb stem + ㄹ/을 수 있다/없다. Use 을 after consonants, ㄹ after vowels. 있다 means "can" (literally "exists the way to"), 없다 means "can't" (literally "doesn't exist the way to"):

• 먹을 수 있어요 — I can eat
• 먹을 수 없어요 — I can't eat

Making requests: ~세요/주세요

To make polite requests, use 세요 (from the honorific form of the verb) or 주세요 ("please give/do for me"). 주세요 is especially useful as you can attach it to many verb stems to make requests more polite. 도와주세요 combines 돕다 (to help) with 주세요:

• 가세요 — Please go (polite command)
• 주세요 — Please give me
• 도와주세요 — Please help me

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