Irregular verbs
Stems that change: ㅡ, ㄹ, ㅂ, ㄷ, 르, ㅅ and ㅎ.
Some stems change before certain endings. Each kind changes in its own regular way, and the most common verbs include many of them, so they are worth learning as patterns.
ㅡ drops before 아/어
A stem ending in ㅡ loses it before -아/어. The vowel before it decides between 아 and 어, and a one-syllable stem takes 어.
| Dictionary | Polite | Past |
|---|---|---|
| 쓰다 to write, use | 써요 | 썼어요 |
| 크다 to be big | 커요 | 컸어요 |
| 바쁘다 to be busy | 바빠요 | 바빴어요 |
| 아프다 to hurt | 아파요 | 아팠어요 |
| 예쁘다 to be pretty | 예뻐요 | 예뻤어요 |
ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ
A stem ending in ㄹ loses it before an ending starting with ㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ, and never takes the extra 으:
- eodie saseyo?Where do you live?
ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel
Most stems ending in ㅂ, mostly adjectives but also verbs such as 돕다 "to help" and 굽다 "to grill", turn ㅂ into 우 before a vowel: 덥다 + 어요 → 더워요. 돕다 and 곱다 take 와 instead.
| Dictionary | Polite | Past |
|---|---|---|
| 덥다 to be hot | 더워요 | 더웠어요 |
| 춥다 to be cold | 추워요 | 추웠어요 |
| 맵다 to be spicy | 매워요 | 매웠어요 |
| 쉽다 to be easy | 쉬워요 | 쉬웠어요 |
| 어렵다 to be difficult | 어려워요 | 어려웠어요 |
| 돕다 to help | 도와요 | 도왔어요 |
Not all: 입다 "to put on", 좁다 "to be narrow" and 잡다 "to catch" keep ㅂ: 입어요, 좁아요, 잡아요.
ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel
A few verbs ending in ㄷ turn it into ㄹ before a vowel: 듣다 "to listen" → 들어요, 걷다 "to walk" → 걸어요, 묻다 "to ask" → 물어요. 받다 "to receive" and 닫다 "to close" keep ㄷ: 받아요, 닫아요.
르 becomes ㄹㄹ before 아/어
A stem ending in 르 doubles its ㄹ and drops ㅡ before 아/어:
ㅅ drops before a vowel
A few verbs lose a final ㅅ before a vowel: 낫다 "to get better" → 나아요, 짓다 "to build" → 지어요. 웃다 "to laugh" and 씻다 "to wash" keep it: 웃어요, 씻어요.
ㅎ adjectives
Adjectives ending in ㅎ, except 좋다, drop ㅎ and change their vowel to ㅐ (ㅒ after ㅑ) before 아/어: 그렇다 → 그래요 "that's right", 어떻다 → 어때요 "how is it?", 빨갛다 → 빨개요 "it's red", 하얗다 → 하얘요 "it's white".
Cards from this guide
11 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Verbs and adjectives cards.
What's the polite present of 바쁘다 (to be busy)?
바빠요 (bappayo).
What's the polite present of 크다 (to be big)?
커요 (keoyo).
What does 살다 (to live) become with -(으)세요?
사세요: 'you live' (honorific).
What's the polite present of 덥다 (to be hot)?
더워요 (deowoyo).
What's the polite present of 맵다 (to be spicy)?
매워요 (maewoyo).
What's the polite present of 돕다 (to help)?
도와요 (dowayo).
What's the polite present of 듣다 (to listen)?
들어요 (deureoyo).
What's the polite present of 모르다 (not to know)?
몰라요 (mollayo).
What's the polite present of 그렇다 (to be so)?
그래요 (geuraeyo).
What's the polite present of 입다 (to put on clothes): 입어요 or 이워요?
입어요.
What's the polite present of 낫다 (to get better)?
나아요 (naayo).