Korean grammar
The polite present tense: 아요/어요 and 해요
The 해요 form is the everyday polite way to speak Korean, and it is the first verb ending the course teaches. Drop 다 from the dictionary form and add 아요 or 어요, depending on the last vowel of the stem. A few sound rules (해요, the ㅡ drop, vowel merges) cover most of what looks irregular.
Examples are written in Hangul. New to it? Start with the hangul chart.
In short
- Every dictionary form ends in 다; the stem is what is left.
- Last stem vowel ㅏ or ㅗ → 아요, anything else → 어요.
- 하다 → 해요, and noun + 하다 verbs follow: 공부해요.
- Stems ending in ㅡ drop it: 크다 → 커요.
Verbs end in 다
Every Korean verb's dictionary form ends in 다. 가다 (to go), 오다 (to come), 먹다 (to eat), 마시다 (to drink), 보다 (to see/watch), 하다 (to do). You'll never SAY the 다 form by itself — it's the entry you'd find in a dictionary. Next lesson you'll make it polite.
마시다
to drink
Drop 다, add 아요 / 어요
To speak politely, drop the 다 and add an ending. If the stem's last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아요: 가다 → 가요, 보다 → 봐요. Otherwise add 어요: 먹다 → 먹어요, 마시다 → 마셔요. This polite present also covers the future — 가요 = 'I go' OR 'I'll go'.
Sound-blend shortcuts
Some forms blend: 오다 → 와요 (o + a = wa), 보다 → 봐요, 마시다 → 마셔요 (i + eo = yeo). Learn these as whole words for now — the pattern clicks with practice.
가요
gayo
go / will go (polite)
와요
wayo
come / will come (polite)
먹어요
meogeoyo
eat / will eat (polite)
마셔요
masyeoyo
drink / will drink (polite)
봐요
bwayo
see / watch (polite)
하다 → 해요
하다 ('to do') becomes 해요. Its real power: stick 하다 onto a noun to make a verb. 공부 (study) + 하다 → 공부하다 → 공부해요 ('I study'). Hundreds of Korean verbs work this way, so 해요 is one of the highest-value forms you'll learn.
해요
haeyo
do / will do (polite)
공부해요
(I) study
ㅡ disappears before 아/어
When a stem's last vowel is ㅡ, the ㅡ drops out and the previous vowel decides 아 or 어. 크다 → 커요 (big). 예쁘다 → 예뻐요 (pretty). Don't say 크어요 or 예쁘어요 — the ㅡ is gone. Learn these as whole forms.
커요
keoyo
is big
예뻐요
yeppeoyo
is pretty
가방이 커요
The bag is big.
Spoken shortcuts — 는 → ㄴ, 를 → ㄹ
After a word ending in a vowel, speech squeezes the particle onto it. 는 shrinks to ㄴ: 저는 → 전, 나는 → 난, 이거는 → 이건 (from 이것은). 를 shrinks to ㄹ: 뭐를 → 뭘 (from 무엇을). Same meaning, just shorter — you'll hear the short forms far more than the long ones.
것 → 거 → 게 / 걸
것 ('thing') is 거 in speech — m4's 이거 is 이것. Add a particle and it squeezes again: 것이 → 거 + 이 → 게, and 것을 → 거 + ㄹ → 걸. With m8's describing words: 작은 게 예뻐요 = 'the small one is pretty'; 큰 걸 주세요 = 'the big one, please'. 게 is the subject, 걸 the object.
Vowel merge — why it's 와요, not 오아요
The 아요/어요 ending blends into the stem's last vowel. 가 + 아요 → 가요 (ㅏ + ㅏ: one drops). 오 + 아요 → 와요 (ㅗ + ㅏ = ㅘ). 주 + 어요 → 줘요 (ㅜ + ㅓ = ㅝ). 되 + 어요 → 돼요 (ㅚ + ㅓ = ㅙ). 하다 is special: 하 + 여요 → 해요. You've said 가요, 와요, 봐요 and 해요 since m7 — this is the rule behind them.
뭘 마셔요?
What do you drink?
뭘 먹어요?
What are you eating?
작은 게 예뻐요
The small one is pretty.
친구가 와요
My friend is coming.
여기서 뭘 먹어요?
What do you eat here?
전 빵을 먹어요
I eat bread
Check yourself
Questions from the course. Open each one to see the answer.
1. Which verb means 'to eat'?
- 가다
- 보다
- 마시다
- 먹다
Show answer
먹다
먹다 = to eat. 가다 = go, 보다 = see, 마시다 = drink.
2. Which verb means 'to go'?
- 오다
- 하다
- 가다
- 먹다
Show answer
가다
가다 = go. 오다 = come — easy to mix up, opposite directions.
3. Make 먹다 polite ('I eat'):
- 먹아요
- 먹요
- 먹어요
- 먹다요
Show answer
먹어요
먹 has no ㅏ/ㅗ → add 어요. 먹어요.
4. Make 가다 polite ('I go'):
- 가어요
- 가요
- 가아요
- 가다요
Show answer
가요
가 ends in ㅏ → 아요, which merges to 가요 (not 가아요).
5. How do you say 'I study'?
- 공부하요
- 공부어요
- 공부해요
- 공부다요
Show answer
공부해요
공부 + 하다 → 공부해요. 하다 always becomes 해요.
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