If you’ve ever felt confused by Korean verb endings, tenses, or all those changing forms, you’re not alone. Korean verbs conjugations can seem intimidating at first—but the good news is that they follow clear patterns you can learn. And once you understand those patterns, the whole language becomes much easier.
In this guide, you’ll get the essential tips you need right from the start so you can quickly feel more confident using Korean verbs in real conversations. Stick with me—by the end, you’ll understand the basics, know what to focus on, and have practical strategies you can use immediately.
Table of Contents
Understanding Korean Verbs Conjugation
Like most languages, Korean verbs change their form according to tense, politeness level, and context. Korean grammar for beginners can seem complex at first, but once you understand the patterns, conjugating Korean verbs becomes much easier.
Key points to remember:
- Korean has six basic tenses: present, past, future, present continuous, past continuous, and future continuous
- Each tense has four politeness levels: informal, polite, formal, and honorific
- Korean politeness levels are crucial in social interactions
Basic Conjugation Rules
Korean verbs in their dictionary form end in 다 (da) or 이다 (ida). To conjugate Korean verbs, you need to:
- Remove the 다 or 이다 ending to find the verb stem
- Add the appropriate ending based on tense and politeness level
Example: 가다 (ga-da, “to go”) → 가 (ga) is the stem
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Present Tense
The present tense is one of the most commonly used Korean verb tenses. Here’s how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense:
Informal: -아/-어/-여
- 가다 → 가 (ga) – “go”
- 먹다 → 먹어 (meo-geo) – “eat”
- 일하다 → 일해 (il-hae) – “work”
Example sentence: 나는 학교에 가. (I go to school.)
Polite: -아/-어/-여요
- 가다 → 가요 (ga-yo) – “go”
- 먹다 → 먹어요 (meo-geo-yo) – “eat”
- 일하다 → 일해요 (il-hae-yo) – “work”
Example sentence: 저는 밥을 먹어요. (I eat rice.)
Formal: -습니다/-ㅂ니다
- 가다 → 갑니다 (gam-ni-da) – “go”
- 먹다 → 먹습니다 (meok-seum-ni-da) – “eat”
- 일하다 → 일합니다 (il-ham-ni-da) – “work”
Example sentence: 저는 회사에서 일합니다. (I work at a company.)
Honorific: -십니다
- 가다 → 가십니다 (ga-sim-ni-da) – “go”
- 먹다 → 드십니다 (deu-sim-ni-da) – “eat”
- 일하다 → 하십니다 (ha-sim-ni-da) – “work”
Example sentence: 선생님께서 학교에 가십니다. (The teacher goes to school.)
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Past Tense
To conjugate Korean verbs in the past tense, you add past tense markers to the verb stem.
Informal: -았어/-었어
- 가다 → 갔어 (ga-sseo) – “went”
- 먹다 → 먹었어 (meo-geo-sseo) – “ate”
- 일하다 → 일했어 (il-hae-sseo) – “worked”
Example sentence: 나는 어제 집에 갔어. (I went home yesterday.)
Polite: -았어요/-었어요
- 가다 → 갔어요 (ga-sseo-yo) – “went”
- 먹다 → 먹었어요 (meo-geo-sseo-yo) – “ate”
- 일하다 → 일했어요 (il-hae-sseo-yo) – “worked”
Example sentence: 어제 친구를 만났어요. (I met a friend yesterday.)
Formal: -았습니다/-었습니다
- 가다 → 갔습니다 (ga-sseum-ni-da) – “went”
- 먹다 → 먹었습니다 (meo-geo-sseum-ni-da) – “ate”
- 일하다 → 일했습니다 (il-hae-sseum-ni-da) – “worked”
Example sentence: 저는 한국에 갔습니다. (I went to Korea.)
Honorific: -셨습니다
- 가다 → 가셨습니다 (ga-syeo-sseum-ni-da) – “went”
- 먹다 → 드셨습니다 (deu-syeo-sseum-ni-da) – “ate”
- 일하다 → 하셨습니다 (ha-syeo-sseum-ni-da) – “worked”
Example sentence: 할머니께서 진지를 드셨습니다. (Grandmother ate a meal.)
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Future Tense
The future tense in Korean uses the marker -(으)ㄹ 거예요 to express future actions and intentions.
Informal: -(으)ㄹ 거야
- 가다 → 갈 거야 (gal geo-ya) – “will go”
- 먹다 → 먹을 거야 (meo-geul geo-ya) – “will eat”
- 보다 → 볼 거야 (bol geo-ya) – “will see”
Example sentence: 나는 내일 학교에 갈 거야. (I will go to school tomorrow.)
Polite: -(으)ㄹ 거예요
- 가다 → 갈 거예요 (gal geo-ye-yo) – “will go”
- 먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (meo-geul geo-ye-yo) – “will eat”
- 보다 → 볼 거예요 (bol geo-ye-yo) – “will see”
Example sentence: 저는 영화를 볼 거예요. (I will watch a movie.)
Formal: -(으)ㄹ 겁니다
- 가다 → 갈 겁니다 (gal geom-ni-da) – “will go”
- 먹다 → 먹을 겁니다 (meo-geul geom-ni-da) – “will eat”
- 보다 → 볼 겁니다 (bol geom-ni-da) – “will see”
Example sentence: 우리는 서울에 갈 겁니다. (We will go to Seoul.)
Honorific: -시겠습니다
- 가다 → 가시겠습니다 (ga-si-ge-sseum-ni-da) – “will go”
- 먹다 → 드시겠습니다 (deu-si-ge-sseum-ni-da) – “will eat”
- 보다 → 보시겠습니다 (bo-si-ge-sseum-ni-da) – “will see”
Example sentence: 사장님께서 회의에 오시겠습니다. (The president will come to the meeting.)
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Present Continuous Tense
The present continuous tense describes actions happening right now. It’s formed by adding -고 있다 to the verb stem.
Informal: -고 있어
- 먹다 → 먹고 있어 (meok-go i-sseo) – “am eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있어 (ga-go i-sseo) – “am going”
Example sentence: 나는 지금 공부하고 있어. (I am studying now.)
Polite: -고 있어요
- 먹다 → 먹고 있어요 (meok-go i-sseo-yo) – “am eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있어요 (ga-go i-sseo-yo) – “am going”
Example sentence: 저는 밥을 먹고 있어요. (I am eating rice.)
Formal: -고 있습니다
- 먹다 → 먹고 있습니다 (meok-go i-sseum-ni-da) – “am eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있습니다 (ga-go i-sseum-ni-da) – “am going”
Example sentence: 저는 한국어를 배우고 있습니다. (I am learning Korean.)
Honorific: -고 계십니다
- 먹다 → 먹고 계십니다 (meok-go gye-sim-ni-da) – “is eating”
- 가다 → 가고 계십니다 (ga-go gye-sim-ni-da) – “is going”
Example sentence: 선생님께서 수업을 하고 계십니다. (The teacher is teaching.)
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Past Continuous Tense
The past continuous tense describes actions that were in progress in the past. It combines -고 있었다 with the verb stem.
Informal: -고 있었어
- 먹다 → 먹고 있었어 (meok-go i-sseo-sseo) – “was eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있었어 (ga-go i-sseo-sseo) – “was going”
Example sentence: 나는 어제 이 시간에 자고 있었어. (I was sleeping at this time yesterday.)
Polite: -고 있었어요
- 먹다 → 먹고 있었어요 (meok-go i-sseo-sseo-yo) – “was eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있었어요 (ga-go i-sseo-sseo-yo) – “was going”
Example sentence: 저는 그때 영화를 보고 있었어요. (I was watching a movie then.)
Formal: -고 있었습니다
- 먹다 → 먹고 있었습니다 (meok-go i-sseo-sseum-ni-da) – “was eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있었습니다 (ga-go i-sseo-sseum-ni-da) – “was going”
Example sentence: 저는 도서관에서 공부하고 있었습니다. (I was studying at the library.)
Honorific: -고 계셨습니다
- 먹다 → 먹고 계셨습니다 (meok-go gye-syeo-sseum-ni-da) – “was eating”
- 가다 → 가고 계셨습니다 (ga-go gye-syeo-sseum-ni-da) – “was going”
Example sentence: 할아버지께서 신문을 읽고 계셨습니다. (Grandfather was reading the newspaper.)
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Future Continuous Tense
The future continuous tense expresses actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
Informal: -고 있을 거야
- 먹다 → 먹고 있을 거야 (meok-go i-sseul geo-ya) – “will be eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있을 거야 (ga-go i-sseul geo-ya) – “will be going”
Example sentence: 내일 이 시간에 나는 공부하고 있을 거야. (I will be studying at this time tomorrow.)
Polite: -고 있을 거예요
- 먹다 → 먹고 있을 거예요 (meok-go i-sseul geo-ye-yo) – “will be eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있을 거예요 (ga-go i-sseul geo-ye-yo) – “will be going”
Example sentence: 내일 저는 일하고 있을 거예요. (I will be working tomorrow.)
Formal: -고 있을 겁니다
- 먹다 → 먹고 있을 겁니다 (meok-go i-sseul geom-ni-da) – “will be eating”
- 가다 → 가고 있을 겁니다 (ga-go i-sseul geom-ni-da) – “will be going”
Example sentence: 우리는 회의하고 있을 겁니다. (We will be in a meeting.)
Honorific: -고 계시겠습니다
- 먹다 → 먹고 계시겠습니다 (meok-go gye-si-ge-sseum-ni-da) – “will be eating”
- 가다 → 가고 계시겠습니다 (ga-go gye-si-ge-sseum-ni-da) – “will be going”
Example sentence: 선생님께서 강의하고 계시겠습니다. (The teacher will be lecturing.)
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Tips for Mastering Korean Verbs Conjugation
1. Learn Basic Verb Endings
Start by memorizing the most common endings for each Korean verb tense and politeness level. This foundation will make learning more complex patterns easier.
2. Practice Regularly
Consistent practice is key to mastering how to conjugate Korean verbs. Use language learning apps, textbooks, or online resources daily.
3. Pay Attention to Context
Korean grammar for beginners requires understanding context. The subject, formality of the situation, and relationship between speakers all affect which conjugation to use.
4. Use Proper Korean Politeness Levels
Korean politeness levels reflect social hierarchy and cultural norms. Using the appropriate level shows respect and cultural understanding.
5. Study with Example Sentences
Don’t just memorize conjugation patterns—learn them in context through real Korean sentences.
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FAQs (What You Might Still Wonder About)
What is the most challenging aspect of Korean verbs conjugation?
The most challenging aspect is memorizing the different verb endings for each Korean verb tense and politeness level. However, with consistent practice, the patterns become natural.
Can I use the same verb ending for all tenses and politeness levels?
No, each tense and politeness level has different endings. Using the wrong ending can change the meaning or be considered impolite in Korean culture.
How can I practice Korean verbs conjugation?
Use language learning apps, online conjugation exercises, Korean textbooks, and practice speaking with native speakers or language exchange partners.
What is the best way to memorize Korean verb endings?
Practice regularly, read Korean stories and content to see conjugations in context, create flashcards, and use the verbs in your own sentences.
Why is politeness level important in Korean verbs conjugation?
Korean politeness levels reflect social hierarchy and respect in Korean culture. Using the appropriate level shows cultural awareness and respect for others.
Final words
Mastering Korean verbs conjugation is essential for effective communication in Korean. While learning Korean verb tenses and Korean politeness levels can seem overwhelming at first, understanding these patterns is a crucial part of Korean grammar for beginners.
Remember to:
- Start with the most common verbs and tenses
- Practice how to conjugate Korean verbs daily
- Pay attention to Korean politeness levels in different contexts
- Be patient with yourself—fluency takes time
With consistent practice and dedication, you’ll become confident in using all Korean verb tenses naturally. Keep practicing, and you’ll see steady improvement in your Korean language skills!
