Verb Conjugation Basics
Learn how to conjugate Korean verbs into polite present tense (아/어요).
Korean verb conjugation looks intimidating at first, but the polite present tense -아요/어요/여요 follows a small set of patterns once you identify the verb stem. Strip the dictionary form ending -다, and you have the stem. Then apply the vowel-harmony rule: if the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, attach -아요; otherwise attach -어요. The exception is verbs ending in 하다, which conjugate to 해요.
Examples: 먹다 → 먹어요 (eat), 가다 → 가요 (go — the ㅏ at the end fuses with -아요), 보다 → 봐요 (see — the ㅗ fuses with -아요), 공부하다 → 공부해요 (study). Note that some verbs have stem changes when -아요/어요 attaches; we'll handle those in Lesson 5-5 (irregular verbs). For now, focus on the regular pattern and the 하다 → 해요 transformation. Once you can produce -아요/어요 conjugations on reflex, your Korean output will jump significantly because almost every conversational sentence ends this way.
아/어요 Conjugation Rule
Remove 다 from the dictionary form. If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아요. Otherwise, add 어요. 하다 verbs always become 해요.
Vowel Contraction
When the stem vowel and the 아/어 ending overlap, they merge: ㅏ+아→ㅏ (가+아요→가요), ㅗ+아→ㅘ (오+아요→와요), ㅜ+어→ㅝ (주+어요→줘요), ㅣ+어→ㅕ (마시+어요→마셔요).