Irregular Verbs
Master the most common irregular verb patterns in Korean.
Korean irregular verbs are a small but high-impact category — they appear in some of the most common verbs in the language. The main irregular patterns are: ㄹ verbs (drop ㄹ before certain endings), ㅂ verbs (ㅂ changes to 우 before vowel endings), ㅅ verbs (drop ㅅ before vowel endings), ㄷ verbs (ㄷ changes to ㄹ before vowel endings), 으 verbs (drop 으 before -아/어 endings), 르 verbs (르 doubles before -아/어).
High-frequency irregular verbs you'll encounter early: 듣다 (listen, ㄷ-irregular → 들어요), 돕다 (help, ㅂ-irregular → 도와요), 짓다 (build, ㅅ-irregular → 지어요), 살다 (live, ㄹ-irregular → 살아요 but 사세요 in honorific), 모르다 (not know, 르-irregular → 몰라요). The good news: each irregular pattern is itself regular — once you know that 듣다 is ㄷ-irregular, all conjugations follow predictably. Memorise the verb class along with the dictionary form, not just the meaning.
ㄷ Irregular & ㅂ Irregular
ㄷ irregular: ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel ending. 듣다→들어요, 걷다→걸어요. ㅂ irregular: ㅂ changes to 우/오 before a vowel. 돕다→도와요, 덥다→더워요, 어렵다→어려워요.
ㅡ Drop & 르 Irregular
ㅡ drop: When ㅡ is the last vowel and 아/어 follows, ㅡ drops. 쓰다→써요, 크다→커요. 르 irregular: 르 becomes ㄹㄹ. 모르다→몰라요, 빠르다→빨라요.