Hello, language learners! Welcome back to our journey of mastering Korean.
Today, we’re going to learn about Korean verbs past tense conjugations, how to form and use the past tense in Korean! It’s a very simple and easy process. This essential skill will help you express yourself more accurately and fully in Korean, allowing you to better communicate your thoughts and experiences.
Let’s dive in!
Part 1,
Let’s grasp the concept of grammar
Let’s recall the present tense grammar rule. Do you remember? We have to find certain vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ ), and depending on those vowels, we conjugate with either 아요 or 어요, right? The past tense follows the same rule!
We will find these two vowels, ㅏ or ㅗ, in the verb stem, and then conjugate with either 았어요 or 었어요.
If there’s “ㅏ or ㅗ” in the verb stem, we conjugate with 았어요
For other vowels, we conjugate with 었어요
For verbs ending in 하다, we conjugate with 했어요
For instance,
(1) 놀다 (to hang out), the verb stem part (놀) has the vowel ㅗ. In this case, we’ll conjugate with 았어요.
놀았어요: hung out.
Informally, you can simply drop the last “요” part. 놀았어(informal)
(2) 먹다(to eat), the verb stem part(먹) has the vowel of ㅓ, we will conjugate with 었어요.
먹었어요: ate.
Informally, you can simply drop the last “요” part. 먹었어(informal)
(3) 전화하다(to call), the verb ends in 하다, so we change it to 했어요.
전화했어요: called.
Informally, you can simply drop the last “요” part. 전화했어(informal)
Let’s take a look at more examples!
가다 (to go) → 갔어요 (went)
가 + 았어요 = 갔어요
*Since the verb stem(가) is ㅏ, we conjugate with 았어요.
There are double “ㅏ” sounds, we omit one!
보다 (to see) → 봤어요 (saw)
보 + 았어요 = 봤어요
*Since the verb stem(보) is ㅗ, we conjugate with 았어요.
We combine two vowels, ㅗ + ㅏ becomes ㅘ!
일어나다 (to wake up) → 일어났어요 (woke up)
일어나 + 았어요 = 일어났어요
*Since the verb stem(나) is ㅏ, we conjugate with 았어요.
There are double “ㅏ” sounds, we omit one!
주다 (to give) → 줬어요 (gave)
주 + 었어요 = 줬어요
*Since the verb stem(주) is ㅜ, we conjugate with 었어요.
We combine two vowels, ㅜ + ㅓ becomes ㅝ!
기다리다 (to wait) → 기다렸어요 (waited)
기다리 + 었어요 = 기다렸어요
*Since the verb stem(리) is ㅣ, we conjugate with 었어요.
Do you remember “ㅣ” contraction? ㅣ + ㅓ becomes ㅕ. 리었 -> 렸!
춤추다 (to dance) → 춤췄어요 (danced)
춤추 + 었어요 = 춤췄어요
*Since the verb stem(추) is ㅜ, we conjugate with 었어요.
We combine two vowels, ㅜ + ㅓ becomes ㅝ!
듣다 (to listen) → 들었어요 (listened) irregular
듣 + 었어요 = 들었어요
*Since the verb stem(듣) is ㅡ, we conjugate with 었어요.
듣다 is one of the ㄷ irregular verbs. ㄷ changes to ㄹ. 들었어요.
If you don’t remember these irregular verbs, check out here!
쓰다 (to write/use) → 썼어요 (wrote) irregular
쓰 + 었어요 = 썼어요
* 쓰다 is ㅡ irregular verbs. We drop ㅡ, and since there’s no prior vowel, we conjugate with 었어요.
If you don’t remember these irregular verbs, check out here!
요리하다 (to cook) → 요리했어요 (cooked)
* For 하다-ending verbs, we simply switch 하다 to 했어요!
여행하다 (to travel) → 여행했어요 (traveled)
* For 하다-ending verbs, we simply switch 하다 to 했어요!
이다 (to be, am/are/is) → 였어요 (was, were)
* “이다” has the vowel ㅣ, so we add 었어요. It becomes 이었어요. Then, we contract ㅣ + 어 to become 였, following the “ㅣ” contraction rule.
You often hear Koreans saying 요리했었어요 (cooked) or 먹었었어요 (ate), where the past tense marker -었- is add or repeated. This repetition, categorized as “past perfect” in grammar, is used to indicate that something happened further in the past or to emphasize past actions. However, this form is also commonly used as a standard past tense in everyday speech.
You will commonly hear these forms (갔었어요, 놀았었어요, 읽었었어요, 공부했었어요).
But don’t worry, many times they are used simply as regular past tense forms!
Now, let’s learn how to form the past continuous tense in Korean. Do you remember the “-ing” grammar points? We have two: -고 있다 and -는 중이다. We can conjugate these to express a past ongoing state, such as “I was swimming” and “I was sleeping.”
We will conjugate the last ending 있다 and 이다 part, which change to 있었어요 and 였어요.
I was swimming : 수영하고 있었어요. 수영하는 중이였어요.
I was running: 달리고 있었어요. 달리는 중이였어요.
I was sleeping: 자고 있었어요. 자는 중이였어요.
I was playing games: 게임하고 있었어요. 게임하는 중이였어요.
Now, let’s practice making sentences together using the past tense.
Let’s get started!
1. Yesterday I slept at 11.
(yesterday:어제/ sleep: 자다)
2. I was in Japan in 2008 with my family.
(to be:있다 / Japan:일본/ family: 가족)
3. I traveled to Korea for 3 weeks. It was amazing.
(travel:여행하다/ for:동안 / week: 주 / amazing: 대박이다)
4. I made 3 friends at my friend’s birthday party.
(make:만들다/ birthday party:생일파티)
5. My dad studied Japanese and Chinese last year.
(study:공부하다 / Japanese:일본어/ Chinese:중국어 / last year: 작년)
6. I liked you for 5 years.
(like:좋아하다 / for: 동안)
7. I was really busy at work yesterday, I went home at 9.
(be busy: 바쁘다 / really: 정말/ work: 회사(company) / yesterday: 어제 / go: 가다)
8. It was really cold last year, It snowed a lot too.
(cold:춥다 / last year:작년 / snow: 눈(이) 오다/ a lot: 많이)
9. I was bored last weekend. I watched a lot of Netflix.
(bored: 심심하다 / last weekend:지난 주말 / watch:보다 / a lot: 많이)
10. That book was fun, but the movie was boring.
(book: 책 / fun:재밌다 / but:근데/ movie:영화 / boring: 지루하다)
11. It was raining yesterday, I couldn’t go outside.
(rain: 비(가) 오다 / yesterday: 어제 / go out: 나가다 / outside: 밖에)
12. My cat didn’t eat anything. I was worried.
(cat: 고양이 / eat:먹다 / anything:아무것도 / worried:걱정되다)
13. My friend and I were running in the park.
(run: 달리다 / park:공원)
14. I couldn’t drive well, so I practiced a lot.
(drive: 운전하다/ well: 잘 / so:그래서/ practice: 연습하다/ a lot:많이)
15. I didn’t go shopping last week, I was at home.
(go shopping: 쇼핑하다/ last week: 지난주)
Thy these on your own first, before checking the answers!
These are the answers:
1. Yesterday I slept at 11
(yesterday: 어제 / sleep: 자다)
어제 열한시에 잤어요.
* We don’t put “에” after today, yesterday, tomorrow.
* For hours, we use native numbers, and “에” to indicate the specific time.
* 자다 + 았어요 ->자았어요(double ㅏ sound) -> 잤어요.
2. I was in Japan in 2008 with my family
(to be: 있다 / Japan: 일본 / family: 가족)
이천팔년에 일본에 가족이랑 있었어요.
* To indicate dates, we use Sino-Korean numbers. Don’t forget to use “에” to indicate the time, which is similar to “in” in English.
* When referring to a location like “in Japan,” you can use either 에 or 에서. However, since the verb is static, we will use 에.
* Do you remember there are three ways to express “with, and”? They are 이랑/랑, 하고, and 와/과. I mostly use 이랑/랑 when talking about people. Since 가족 ends in a batchim (ㄱ), I’ll use 이랑. You can also say 가족하고 or 가족과.
* 있다 + 었어요 -> 있었어요.
* You can change the order as long as 있었어요 stays at the end.
3. I traveled to Korea for 3 weeks. It was amazing.
(travel: 여행하다 / for: 동안 / week: 주 / amazing: 대박이다)
삼주 동안 한국 여행했어요. 대박이였어요
* For the date and days, sino numbers! 삼주(3weeks)
* You might have used “에” after 한국 to indicate the location or destination, but when talking about “traveling to a certain place,” we simply say the place + 여행하다.
* “대박” is a commonly used word to express amazement and excitement! You can simply say “대박” without adding the verb “이다.”
4. I made 3 friends at my friend’s birthday party
(make: 만들다 / birthday party: 생일파티)
친구 생일파티에서 친구 세 명(을) 만들었어요.
* We use “에서” to indicate the location, since the verb is “만들다(action verb)”.
* Do you remember the counting unit for people? We use 명. If you don’t remember check out here!
* I’ve mentioned this before, in English, we use “‘s” to express possession, such as in “friend’s party” or “your house.” In Korean, we have the particle “의” to indicate possession. However, in casual conversation, it is often omitted, and possession is understood from the context. For example: Friend’s party: 친구(의) 파티 / Your house: 너(의) 집 / My dad’s car: 우리 아빠(의) 차. In each of these examples, “의” can be included for clarity, but it’s common to leave it out in everyday speech.
* “을” for the object particle. it’s optional!
* 만들다 + 었어요 -> 만들었어요.
5. My dad studied Japanese and Chinese last year.
(study: 공부하다 / Japanese: 일본어 / Chinese: 중국어 / last year: 작년)
작년에 우리 아빠는 일본어하고 중국어(를) 공부했어요.
* We use “에” to indicate the specific time. “작년에!”
* For “Japanese and Chinese”, you can say “일본어랑 중국어” or “일본어와 중국어” as well.
* “를” for the object particle. it’s optional! (sounds a bit more formal with it)
* 공부하다 -> 하다 ending verbs, simply switch 하다 to 했어요.
6. I liked you for 5 years.
(like:좋아하다 / for: 동안)
오년동안 너(를) 좋아했어.
* “너 (you)” is informal, so I matched the verb ending informally as well.
* Formally, you can say “오년 동안 그 쪽을 좋아했어요.” “당신” is another formal way to say “you,” but it can sometimes sound bookish!
7. I was really busy at work yesterday, I went home at 9
(be busy: 바쁘다 / really: 정말/ work: 회사(company) / yesterday: 어제 / go: 가다)
어제 회사에서 정말 바빴어요. 아홉시에 집에 갔어요.
* To say “at work”, we usually say “at a company” 회사에서!
* 바쁘다 is an “ㅡ” irregular verb. We drop the ㅡ, and since the preceding vowel is ㅏ, we conjugate it with 았어요. So, it becomes 바빴어요!
* When saying “go home” or “go to a certain place,” we mainly use “에 가다.”
8. It was really cold last year, It snowed a lot too
(cold: 춥다 / last year: 작년 / snow: 눈(이) 오다 / a lot: 많이)
작년에 정말 추웠어요. 눈도 많이 왔어요.
* 춥다 is an “ㅂ” irregular verb. ㅂ changes to 우, so we conjugate with 었어요. 추우었어요 -> 추웠어요.
* Do you remember the usage of “too”? We can use “도” here! If you don’t remember, check here!
* 눈(snow) + 도(too) + 많이 (a lot) + 왔어요 (to come, 오다 in past tense) < keep in mind the order!
9. I was bored last weekend. I watched a lot of Netflix.
(bored: 심심하다 / last weekend: 지난 주말 / watch: 보다 / a lot: 많이)
지난 주말에 심심했어요. 넷플릭스(를) 많이 봤어요.
* There are two ways to say “boring” or “bored” in Korean. When someone is feeling bored because there’s nothing to do, we use 심심하다. However, when something is really boring, we use 지루하다. So, we don’t use 심심하다 for things or objects. For example, “That movie is boring” – 그 영화는 지루해요. We can only use 지루하다, not 심심하다.
* 보다 + 았어요. 보았어요 becomes 봤어요!
10. That book was fun, but the movie was boring.
(book: 책 / fun: 재밌다 / but:근데/ movie: 영화 / boring: 지루하다)
그 책은 재밌었어요. 근데 그 영화는 지루했어요.
* 재밌다 has the vowel of (ㅣ), we conjugate with 었어요. 재밌+었어요.
* In Korean, there isn’t a specific particle equivalent to “the” or “a” as in English. you can use “그(that) or 이(this)” to indicate a specific object or concept.
* When comparing two different subjects, we use 은/는 particles!
11. It was raining yesterday, I couldn’t go outside.
(rain: 비(가) 오다 / yesterday: 어제 / go out: 나가다 / outside: 밖에)
어제 비가 오고 있었어요. 밖에 못 나갔어요.
* To say “it rained” in simple past tense, you can say: 비가 왔어요.
* You can say “비가 오는 중이였어요” as well!
* I’ll use “못” to mean “can’t,” and when combined with a past tense verb, it indicates “couldn’t.”
12. My cat didn’t eat anything. I was worried.
(cat: 고양이 / eat: 먹다 / anything: 아무것도 / worried: 걱정되다)
우리 고양이 아무것도 안 먹었어요. 걱정됐어요.
* We can use “안” to make a negative sentence! Formally, it can be “먹지 않았어요“
* 걱정되다 + 었어요. -> 걱정되었어요. (this is also correct!) -> 걱정됐어요. (shorter, more commonly used!)
13. My friend and I were running in the park.
(run: 달리다 / park: 공원)
친구랑 나는 공원에서 달렸어요.
* “친구하고 나” or “친구와 나” are also correct!
* We use “에서” since the verb is 달리다(action verb)
* 달리다 + 었어요 -> 달리었어요 -> 달렸어요 ( l contraction!)
14. I couldn’t drive well, so I practiced a lot.
(drive: 운전하다 / well: 잘 / so: 그래서 / practice: 연습하다 / a lot: 많이)
운전(을) 잘 못 했어요, 그래서 연습 많이 했어요.
* We have 2 하다 ending verbs. And adverbs, 안, 못 go between the noun and 하다, so it’s important to pay attention to the order!
* It’s very natural to add object particles (을, 를) between 하다 verbs as well. Grammar advises against using them often, but many native Koreans do so. This usage doesn’t change or add any meaning to the sentence.
* “그래서 많이 연습했어요” sounds also natural, but I recommend putting 잘 (well) and 못 (can’t) between the noun and the 하다 verb.
15. I didn’t go shopping last week, I was at home.
(go shopping: 쇼핑하다 / last week: 지난주)
지난주에 쇼핑(을) 안 했어요. 집에 있었어요.
* Make sure to put “안” in between!
Great job!
You’ve been doing an excellent job—keep up the good work!
