Verbs - Polite [Present, Past]

Polite Form 

This lesson is about the polite form of verbs, in addition to the informal form which we learned in the previous lesson. Let's go over again the differences between the informal and polite forms.

• Informal - Generally speaking, the informal form is used among people of the same age or to people who are younger by older people. It is also used by people who are closely related such as such family members and relatives. People who are close friends would use this form depending on the familiarity and acceptability.

• Polite - The polite form is used when speaking to people who are older than you or of a higher rank than you such as in the company, army and other institutions. However, people generally use the polite form in many social settings regardless of one's age. Initially, it would be best to stick to the polite form when learning Korean, as this would be the predominant form of speaking to people in many social environments. However, if you attend school or other similar institutions where you'd make friends and the environment is more casual, it might be more appropriate to use the informal form.

Note: The words in bold indicate which of the two negatives are more commonly used in each case, i.e. 먹지 않습니다 is more commonly used than 안 먹습니다 in the written form, and 안 먹어요 is more commonly used than 먹지 않아요 in the spoken form.

Polite Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	먹습니다	먹었습니다
Negative	먹지 않습니다 안 먹습니다	먹지 않았습니다 안 먹었습니다

Polite Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	먹어요	먹었어요
Negative	먹지 않아요 안 먹어요	먹지 않았어요 안 먹었어요

Conjugation Rules

I) Informal Plain → Polite Present (Written)

First of all, take 다 off the plain form of verbs, and then:

1. For verbs whose final character has no final consonant, add ㅂ 니다.

E.g.

• 하다 → 합니다 = do
• 가다 → 갑니다 = go
• 오다 → 옵니다 = come
• 쓰다 → 씁니다 = write 
• 말하다 → 말합니다 = speak
• 바라다 → 바랍니다 = hope 
• 자라다 → 자랍니다 = grow
  

2. For verbs whose final character has a final consonant, add 습니다.

E.g.

• 먹다 → 먹습니다 = eat
  
• 걷다 → 걷습니다 = walk
  
• 듣다 → 듣습니다 = listen
• 읽다 → 읽습니다 = read
• 입다 → 입습니다 = wear

Note: The rule 3 overrides the rule 2.

3. For verbs whose last character has ㄹ as a final consonant, change it to ㅂ and add 니다.
 
E.g. 

• 살다 → 삽니다 = live
• 놀다 → 놉니다 = play (have fun)
• 알다 → 압니다 = know
• 날다 → 납니다 = fly
• 걸다 → 겁니다 = hang (up)
  
• 말다 → 맙니다 = roll (up) 
• 밀다 → 밉니다 = push

II) Informal Past → Polite Past (Written)

Take 다 off the informal past form of verbs, and then add 습니다.

• 했다 → 했습니다 = did
• 갔다 → 갔습니다 = went
• 왔다 → 왔습니다 = came
• 봤다 → 봤습니다 = watched 
• 먹었다 → 먹었습니다 = ate
  
• 달렸다 → 달렸습니다 = ran
  
• 만났다 → 만났습니다 = met

III) Informal → Polite (Spoken)

Just add 요 to the informal spoken forms.

• 해 → 해요 = do
• 가 → 가요 = go 
• 와 → 와요 = come

• 안해 → 안해요 = not do
• 안봐 → 안봐요 = not watch
• 안사 → 안사요 = not buy
• 안자 → 안자요 = not sleep

• 먹었어 → 먹었어요 = ate
• 걸었어 → 걸었어요 = walked
• 만났어 → 만났어요 = met

• 안했어 → 안했어요 = didn't do
• 안갔어 → 안갔어요 = didn't go
• 안먹었어 → 안먹었어요 = didn't eat
• 안빌렸어 → 안빌렸어요 = didn't borrow

A brief revision of the differences between the written and spoken forms

• The written form is used in literature such as books, newspapers and any form of writing that is not 'conversational.' The written form, in essence, is literary, factual and declarative. It is rarely used in normal everyday conversations. However, the news on TV uses this written form of Korean. It is also used in public speeches. The reason is probably due to the fact that the news and public announcements or speeches are usually all declarative and/or factual.

• The spoken form is the usual way in which people speak and have a conversation. It is used in all types of spoken Korean such as normal conversations, dramas, and movies, with the possible exceptions of news, documentaries and other factual, formal types of programs on TV and radio.

Verbs - Descriptive Form II

Verbs - Descriptive Form II

The descriptive form II of verbs takes the meaning of "~ed." (ie. past tense) or is used as a past tense clause involving "who, which, that etc.".

Written Form	Plain	Descriptive II
Positive	달리다	달린
Negative	달리지 않다	달리지 않은

 
The Table of Common Verbs and Their Descriptive Forms II

Written Form	Plain	Descriptive II
Run	달리다	달린
Eat	먹다	먹은
Go	가다	간
Stand	서다	선
Come	오다	온
Sit	앉다	앉은
Buy	사다	산
Sell	팔다	판
Grow	자라다	자란
Throw	던지다	던진
Borrow	빌리다	빌린
Lend	빌려주다	빌려준
Play	놀다	논
Write	쓰다	쓴
Read	읽다	읽은
Listen to	듣다	들은
Live	살다	산
Die	죽다	죽은

 
Verbs can be used in front of nouns to describe them, and form a past tense clause involving "who, which, that" of English. For example, the descriptive form II of 떠나다 is 떠난 and 떠난 기차 means a "train which left". Literally, 떠난 means "left" therefore 떠난 기차 = a left train

● Rules 

First, take 다 off a verb and then, 

1. For verbs with a final consonant, add 은

Eg.

• 먹다 → 먹은 = ate
• 사과 먹은 난쟁이 → a dwarf who ate an apple

• 죽다 → 죽은 = died/dead
• 죽은 병사 → a dead soldier (= a soldier who died)

• 믿다 → 믿지 않은 = disbelieved
  
• 믿지 않은 토마스 → Thomas who disbelieved

• 읽다 → 읽은 = read (past tense)
  
• 읽은 기사 → an article that I read 

2. For verbs without a final consonant and verbs with ㄹ as a final consonant, replace it with ㄴ as a final consonant.

Eg.

• 빌리다 → 빌린 = borrowed
• 빌린 책 → a book which I borrowed (Lit. a borrowed book)

• 쓰다 →쓴 = wrote
• 성루까가 쓴 복음 = the gospel which St. Luke wrote
  

• 멈추다 → 멈춘 = stopped
• 버스가 멈춘 곳 = a place where the bus stopped

Sentences: Negatives

• 기다리다 → 기다리지 않은 = didn't wait
• 주님을 기다리지 않은 하인 → a servant who didn't wait for the Lord

• 먹다 → 먹지않은 = didn't eat
• 음식을 먹지 않은 개 = a dog who didn't eat food

• 포기하다 → 포기하지 않은 = didn't give up
• 끝까지 포기하지 않은 욥 = Job who didn't give up till the end

Verbs - Contiunous

Continuous Form [~고 있다]

In this lesson, we'll learn about the 'continuous' form. It would be similar to the '-ing' form in English.

Informal Written Form	Plain Form	Present Continuous
Positive	하다	하고 있다
Negative	하지 않다 안 하다	하지 않고 있다 안 하고 있다

• 하다 = do
• 하지 않다/안 하다 = not do
• 하고 있다 = is doing
• 하지 않고 있다/안 하고 있다 = is not doing

Note: The bold letters indicate which of the two alternatives in the negative form is more commonly used in the written form, i.e.:

• 하지 않다 is more commonly used than 안 하다 in written Korean.

Informal Written Form	Past	Past Continuous
Positive	했다	하고 있었다
Negative	하지 않았다 안 했다	하지 않고 있었다 안 하고 있었다

• 했다 = did
• 하지 않았다/안 했다 = didn't do
• 하고 있었다 = was doing
• 하지 않고 있었다/안 하고 있었다 = wasn't doing

Conjugation Rules

Take 다 off the plain form of verbs, and then add 고 있(었)다 for their positive form and 지 않고 있(었)다 for their negative form.

E.g.

• 쓰다 → 쓰고 있다 = is writing
• 피터는 편지를 쓰고 있다 = Peter is writing a letter.

• 나눠주다 → 나눠 주고 있다 = is serving/distributing
• 보영은 아이들에게 학교급식을 나눠주고 있다 = Bo-young is serving school meals to children.

• 듣다 → 듣고 있었다 = was listening
• 폴은 팀 켈러의 메세지를 듣고 있었다 = Paul was listening to a Tim Keller's message. 

• 자다 → 자지 않고 있었다 = was not sleeping
• 아기는 자지 않고 있었다 = The baby was not sleeping

• 서다 → 서고 있었다 = was standing
• 영근 근위병은 버킹엄 궁전앞에서 계속 서고 있었다 = The English guardsman was standing continuously in front of the Buckingham Palace.

Spoken Form

Informal Spoken Form	Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Positive	하고 있어	하고 있었어
Negative	하지 않고 있어 안 하고 있어	하지 않고 있었어 안 하고 있었어

• 하고 있어 = is doing
• 하지 않고 있어/안 하고 있어 = is not doing
• 하고 있었어 = was doing
• 하지 않고 있었어/안 하고 있었어 = was not doing

The conjugation rule is the same as the written form except 다 at the end of sentences changes to 어.

• 점심 먹고 있어 = I am eating lunch
  
• 줄리아는 안 달리고 있어 = Julia is not running

• 현우는 산을 올라가고 있어 = Hyun-woo is climbing a mountain.
• 민주는 과일 샐러드와 연어 조림을 만들고 있어 = Min-ju is making a fruit salad and fried salmon. 

• 아까부터 고슴도치가 안 움직이고 있었어 = Since a while ago, the hedgehog was not moving.

Polite Form

While the informal form in the examples above is used by people who are of the same age and/or close, or when older people are talking to younger people in informal situations, the polite form is commonly used by younger people addressing older people, and in any formal situations.

Polite Written Form	Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Positive	하고 있습니다	하고 있었습니다
Negative	하지 않고 있습니다 안 하고 있습니다	하지 않고 있었습니다 안 하고 있었습니다

• 하고 있습니다 = is doing
• 하지 않고 있습니다/안 하고 있습니다 = is not doing
• 하고 있었습니다 = was doing
• 하지 않고 있었습니다/안 하고 있었습니다 = was not doing

Polite Spoken Form	Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Positive	하고 있어요	하고 있었어요
Negative	하지 않고 있어요 안 하고 있어요	하지 않고 있었어요 안 하고 있었어요

• 하고 있어요 = is doing
• 하지 않고 있어요/안 하고 있어요 = is not doing
• 하고 있었어요 = was doing
• 하지 않고 있었어요/안 하고 있었어요 = was not doing

Conjugation rules

I) Informal → Polite (Written) 

 Simply 다 at the end of the informal written 'continuous' forms changes to 습니다 

• 하고 있다 → 하고 있습니다 = is doing
• 가고 있다 → 가고 있습니다 = is going
• 오고 있다 → 오고 있습니다 = is coming
• 걷고 있다 → 걷고 있습니다 = is walking
• 만들고 있다 → 만들고 있습니다 = is making

II) Informal → Polite (Spoken)

Simply add 요 at the end of the sentences of the informal 'continuous' spoken form.

• 지혜는 학교 가고 있어요 = Ji-hye is going to school
• 영수는 수영 하고 있어요 = Young-su is swimming

• 철민이는 영화 보고 있었어요 = Chul-min was watching a movie.
• 정수는 조금 전까지 거실에 있었어요 = Jung-su was in the living room until a short while ago.

• 10분전쯤까지 버킹엄 궁전 앞에 아무도 안 서고 있었어요 = Until about 10 minutes ago, there was no one standing in front of the Buckingham Palace.

     

Verbs - Descriptive Form I

Verbs - Descriptive Form I

The descriptive form I of verbs takes the meaning of "~ing." (ie. Continuous), or is used as a present tense clause involving "which, that, who etc.".

Written Form	Plain	Descriptive I
Positive	달리다	달리는
Negative	달리지 않다	달리지 않는

The Table of Common Verbs and Their Descriptive Forms I

Written Form	Plain	Descriptive I
Run	달리다	달리는
Eat	먹다	먹는
Go	가다	가는
Stand	서다	서는
Come	오다	오는
Sit	앉다	앉는
Buy	사다	사는
Sell	팔다	파는
Grow	자라다	자라는
Throw	던지다	던지는
Borrow	빌리다	빌리는
Lend	빌려주다	빌려주는
Play	놀다	노는
Write	쓰다	쓰는
Read	읽다	읽는
Listen to	듣다	듣는
Live	살다	사는
Die	죽다	죽는

These descriptive forms I are used in front of nouns to describe them, and form a present tense clause involving "who, which, that" of English. For example, the descriptive form I of 가다 is 가는 and 가는 기차 means a "train which goes". Literally, 가는 means "going" therefore 가는 기차 = a going train.

● Rules 

First, take 다 off a verb and then, 

1. add 는

Eg.

• 먹다 → 먹는 = eating
• 사과 먹는 난쟁이 → a dwarf who eats an apple (= Lit. an apple-eating dwarf)
  

• 잠자다 → 잠자는 = sleeping
• 잠자는 공주 → a princess who sleeps (= Lit. A sleeping princess)

• 죽다 → 죽는 = dying
  
• 죽는 병사 → a soldier who is dying (= Lit. a dying soldier)
  

• 믿다 → 믿지 않는 = not believing/unbelieving
• 믿지 않는 토마스 → Thomas who does not believe (= Lit. unbelieving Thomas)
  

2. Take ㄹ off a verb with a final consonant, ㄹ and add 는.

Eg.

• 팔다 → 파는 = selling
  
• 골동품 파는 가게 → A shop which sells antiques (= Lit. An antique-selling shop)
  

• 살다 → 사는
• 사는 곳 → A place where I'm living (= Lit. A living place)

More examples

• 사막에서 자라는 선인장 = A cactus which grows in the desert (= Lit. A desert-growing cactus)
  
• 내가 읽는 책은 다 유익하다. = All the books that I read are informative.

Verbs - Future [Will]

We're going to learn how to form a future tense of verbs in this lesson.

Please have a look at the table below.

Informal	will do	won't do
Written Form	할 거다	하지 않을 거다 안 할 거다
Spoken Form	할 거야	하지 않을 거야 안 할 거야

Note: The bold letters indicate which of the two alternatives in the negative form is more commonly used in each of the written and spoken forms, i.e.:

• 하지 않을 거다 is more commonly used than 안 할 거다 in written Korean.
• 안 할 거야 is more commonly used than 하지 않을 거야 in spoken Korean.

Conjugation rules

First of all, take 다 off the plain form of verbs and then:

I) Will

1. For verbs whose final character has no final consonant, attach ㄹ 거다 to them.

E.g.

• 하다 → 할 거다 = will do
• 가다 → 갈 거다 = will go
• 오다 → 올 거다 = will come
• 만나다 → 만날거다 = will meet
• 자라다 → 자랄거다 = will grow

2. For verbs whose final character has a final consonant, attach 을 거다 to them.

E.g.

• 먹다 → 먹을 거다 = will eat
• 앉다 → 앉을 거다 = will sit 
• 읽다 → 읽을 거다 = will read
• 입다 → 입을 거다 = will wear
• 잡다 → 잡을 거다 = will catch

Note: The rule 3 overrides the rule 2.


3. For verbs whose final character has ㄹ as a final consonant, just attach 거다 to them.

E.g.

• 밀다 → 밀거다 = will push
• 날다 → 날거다 = will fly
• 살다 → 살거다 = will live

Irregular form

• 듣다 → 들을 거다 = will listen

II) Won't

Simply attach 지 않을 거다 to verbs.

E.g. 

• 하다 → 하지 않을 거다 = won't do
• 가다 → 가지 않을 거다 = won't go
• 오다 → 오지 않을 거다 = won't come
• 사다 → 사지 않을 거다 = won't buy

• 먹다 → 먹지 않을 거다 = won't eat
• 입다 → 입지 않을 거다 = won't wear
• 앉다 → 앉지 않을 거다 = won't sit
• 밀다 → 밀지 않을 거다 = won't push

Example sentences

• 집에 갈 거야? = Will you go home?
• 사라는 수영 할 거야 = Sarah will swim
• 다윗은 골리앗 이길 거야 = David will beat Goliath
• 난 방에서 기타 칠 거야 = I will play the guitar in my room
• 존은 박물관에 들어갈 거야 = John will enter the museum

집 = home
존 = John
들어가다 = enter
기타 = guitar
치다 = play (the instrument)
사라 = Sarah
수영 = swim
다윗 = David
골리앗 = Goliath


Question Form

Raise the tone of your voice at the last syllable to turn it into a question form.

• 축구 할 거야? = Will you do(play) soccer?
• 벌써 갈 거야? = Will you go(leave) already? 
• 씻을 거야? = Will you wash? (Will you take a shower?/Will you take a bath?)
• 올림픽 볼 거야? = Will you watch the Olympics?

• 학교 안 갈 거야? = Won't you go to school?
• 점심 안 먹을 거야? = Won't you have lunch?
• 이 책 안 읽을 거야? = Won't you read this book?

Polite Form

Let's briefly go over the differences between the informal and polite forms again.

While the informal form in the examples above is used by people who are of the same age and/or close, or when older people are talking to younger people in informal situations, the polite form is commonly used by younger people addressing older people, and in any formal situations.

Polite Written Form	Will do	Won't do
	할 겁니다	하지 않을 겁니다 안 할 겁니다

Polite Spoken Form	Will do	Won't do
	할 거예요	하지 않을 거예요 안 할 거예요

Note: The bold letters indicate which of the two alternatives in the negative form is more commonly used in each of the written and spoken forms, i.e.:

• 하지 않을 겁니다 is more commonly used than 안 할 겁니다 in written Korean.
• 안 할 거예요 is more commonly used than 하지 않을 거예요 in spoken Korean.

Conjugations rules

I) Informal → Polite (Written)

Simply change 거다 to 겁니다.
 
E.g.

• 할 거다 → 할 겁니다 = will do
• 갈 거다 → 갈 겁니다 = will go
  
• 먹을 거다 → 먹을 겁니다 = will eat

• 마시지 않을 거다 → 마시지 않을 겁니다 = won't drink
• 달리지 않을 거다 → 달리지 않을 겁니다 = won't run

II) Informal → Polite (Spoken)

Simply change 야 to 예요.

E.g.

• 할 거야 → 할 거예요 = will do 
• 올 거야 → 올 거예요 = will come
• 들어갈 거야 → 들어갈 거예요 = will enter (go in)

• 안 볼 거야 → 안 볼 거예요 = won't see/watch
• 안 달릴 거야 → 안 달릴 거예요 = won't run

Example sentences
 

• 집에 갈 거예요? = Will you go home?
• 사라는 수영 할 거예요. = Sarah will swim.
• 다윗은 골리앗 이길 거예요. = David will beat Goliath.
• 존은 박물관에 들어갈 거예요. = John will enter the museum. 
• 저는 거실에서 기타 칠 거예요. = I will play the guitar in the living room.

• 씻을 거예요? = Will you wash? (Will you take a shower?/Will you take a bath?)
• 벌써 갈 거예요? = Will you go(leave) already? 
• 축구 할 거예요? = Will you do(play) soccer?
• 월드컵 볼 거예요? = Will you watch the World Cup? 

• 학교 안 갈 거예요? = Won't you go to school?
• 점심 안 먹을 거예요? = Won't you have lunch?
• 이 책 안 읽을 거예요? = Won't you read this book?

Verbs - Can

Can do [할 수 있다]

In this lesson, we'll learn about how to conjugate verbs to form 'can' and 'cannot'.

Informal	Can do	Could do
Written	할 수 있다	할 수 있었다
Spoken	할 수 있어	할 수 있었어

Informal	Can't do	Couldn't do
Written	할 수 없다 못 한다	할 수 없었다 못 했다
Spoken	할 수 없어 못 해	할 수 없었어 못 했어

Note: 할 수 없다 and 할 수 없었다 is more commnly used than 못 한다 and 못 했다 in written Korean. Similarly, 못 해 and 못 했어 is more commonly used than 할 수 없어 and 할 수 없었어 in spoken Korean. 

Conjugation rules 

<Written Form>

First of all, take 다 off the plain form of verbs. 

1.  For verbs whose last character has no final consonant, attach ㄹ 수 있다 to them, and for verbs whose last character has ㄹ as a final consonant, attach 수 있다 to them.

E.g. 

• 하다 → 할 수 있다 = can do
• 가다 → 갈 수 있다 = can go
• 보다 → 볼 수 있다 = can see
• 자다 → 잘 수 있다 = can sleep
• 마시다 → 마실 수 있다 = can drink
• 달리다 → 달릴 수 있다 = can run

• 놀다 → 놀 수 있다 = can play
• 살다 → 살 수 있다 = can live
• 날다 → 날 수 있다 = can fly

Informal Spoken Form

Repalce 다 with 어.

• 하다 → 할 수 있어 = can do
• 가다 → 갈 수 있어 = can go
• 보다 → 볼 수 있어 = can see
• 자다 → 잘 수 있어 = can sleep
• 마시다 → 마실 수 있어 = can drink
• 달리다 → 달릴 수 있어 = can run

• 놀다 → 놀 수 있어 = can play
• 살다 → 살 수 있어 = can live
• 날다 → 날 수 있어 = can fly

2. For verbs whose last character has a final consonant, attach 을 수 있다 to them. 

E.g.

• 먹다 → 먹을 수 있다 = can eat
• 입다 → 입을 수 있다 = can wear
• 앉다 → 앉을 수 있다 = can sit
• 잡다 → 잡을 수 있다 = can catch

Irregular forms

• 듣다 → 들을 수 있다 (can hear)
• 걷다 → 걸을 수 있다 (can walk) 

<Spoken Form>

Add 못 in front of the spoken form of positive verbs to express 'can't do' and 'couldn't do.'

E.g.

• 해 → 못 해 = can't do
• 와 → 못 와 = can't come
• 봐 → 못 봐 = can't see
• 가 → 못 가 = can't go

• 들어 → 못 들어 = can't hear
• 먹어 → 못 먹어 = can't eat
• 갔어 → 못 갔어 = couldn't go

• 들었어 → 못 들었어 = couldn't hear
• 먹었어 → 못 먹었어 = couldn't eat

Example Sentences

• 치타는 빨리 달릴 수 있다 = A cheetah can run fast.
• 종달새는 하늘을 날 수 있다 = A lark can fly in the sky.
• 솔로몬은 어려운 수수께끼를 풀 수 있다 = Solomon can solve a difficult riddle. 
• 애완동물은 박물관에 들어갈 수 없다. = A pet cannot enter the museum.

 

• 기타 칠 수 있어 = I can play the guitar.
• 존은 해물은 못 먹어 = John can't eat seafood.
• 사라는 아파서 학교에 못 갔어 = Because Sarah was sick, she couldn't go to school.

치타 = cheetah
빨리 = fast, quickly
종달새 = lark
날다 = fly
솔로몬 = Solomon
어려운 = difficult
수수께끼 = riddle
풀다 = solve
애완동물 = a pet
박물관 = museum
들어가다 = enter
기타 = guitar
치다 = play (the instrument)
존 = John
해물 = seafood
사라 = Sarah
아프다 = sick

Polite Form 

While the informal form in the examples above is used by people who are of the same age and/or close, or when older people are talking to younger people in informal situations, the polite form is commonly used by younger people addressing older people, and in any formal situations.

Formal	Can do	Could do
Written	할 수 있습니다	할 수 있었습니다
Spoken	할 수 있어요	할 수 있었어요

Formal	Can't do	Couldn't do
Written	할 수 없습니다 못 합니다	할 수 없었습니다 못 했습니다
Spoken	할 수 없어요 못 해요	할 수 없었어요 못 했어요

Note: The ones in bold characters are more commonly used alternative of the two in each box.

Conjugation rules 

1. Informal → Polite (Written) 

Replace 다 with 습니다.

• 할 수 있다 → 할 수 있습니다 = can do
• 갈 수 있다 → 갈 수 있습니다 = can go
• 말할 수 있다 → 말할 수 있습니다 = can speak

• 올 수 있었다 → 올 수 있었습니다 = could come
• 일어설 수 있었다 → 일어설 수 있었습니다 = could stand

2. Informal → Polite (Spoken)

Attach 요 at the end of sentences.

• 할 수 있어 → 할 수 있어요 = can do
• 갈 수 있어 → 갈 수 있어요 = can go
• 줄 수 있어 → 줄 수 있어요 = can give

• 받을 수 있었어 → 받을 수 있었어요 = could receive
• 올라갈 수 있었어 → 올라갈 수 있었어요 = could go up

Example Sentences

• 치타는 빨리 달릴 수 있습니다 = A cheetah can run fast.
• 종달새는 하늘을 날 수 있습니다 = A lark can fly in the sky.
• 솔로몬은 어려운 수수께끼를 풀 수 있습니다 = Solomon can solve a difficult riddle. 
• 애완동물은 박물관에 들어갈 수 없습니다. = A pet cannot enter the museum.

• 기타 칠 수 있어요 = I can play the guitar.
• 존은 해물은 못 먹어요 = John can't eat seafood.
• 사라는 아파서 학교에 못 갔어요 = Because Sarah was sick, she couldn't go to school.

Verbs - Have

Have (있다) / Don't have (없다)

This lesson covers how the verb, 'have', is used. It can be expressed in two ways:

• 있다 = there is/are (Lit. is present)
• 가지고 있다 = have, possess

• 없다 = there isn't/aren't (Lit. is not present)
• 가지고 있지 않다 = do not have/possess

Informal Written Form	Have	Don't have
	있다	없다
	가지고 있다	가지고 있지 않다 안 가지고 있다

Informal Spoken Form	Have	Don't have
	있어	없어
	가지고 있어	가지고 있지 않아 안 가지고 있어

Note: The words in bold letters are the more commonly used of the two alternatives in each of the Written and Spoken forms.

Have (있다)

있다 means 'there is/are', for example:

• 정원에 강아지가 있다 = There is a puppy in the garden.
• 책상 위에 개미가 있다 = There's an ant on the desk.

However, 있다 can also mean 'have'. It is used more frequently than the alternative, '가지고 있다', which is more cumbersome to pronounce.

• Written form → 있다, 가지고 있다

• Spoken form → 있어, 가지고 있어

Example Sentences

Written Form

• 책이 있다. = I have a book. (Lit. There is a book)
• 시계가 있다. = I have a watch.
• 핸드폰이 있다. = I have a mobile phone.

• 책을 가지고 있다. = I have a book.
• 핸드폰을 가지고 있다. = I have a mobile phone.

Spoken Form

• 책(이) 있어.
• 핸드폰(이) 있어.
• 시계(가) 있어.

• 책(을) 가지고 있어.
• 핸드폰(을) 가지고 있어.

Note: 1. Use 이/가 with "있다" and 을/를 with "가지고 있다".
          2. The particles are usually omitted in spoken Korean.


When you say, 'I have a brother or sister', 가지고 있다 CANNOT be used because it implies ownership. Only 있다 can be used in relation to people. 

For example,

Written Form

• 남동생이 있다. = I have a younger brother.
• 여동생이 있다. = I have a younger sister.

Spoken Form

• 형(이) 있어. = I have an older brother.
• 누나(가) 있어. = I have an older sister.
• 남동생(이) 있어. = I have a younger brother.
• 여동생(이) 있어. = I have a younger sister.

Don't have (없다)

없다 literally means 'there isn't/aren't'. However, it can also mean 'don't have'

For example,

Written Form

• 없다 = don't have (Lit. there isn't/aren't)

• 가지고 있지 않다/안 가지고 있다 = don't have (Lit. don't own/possess)

Spoken Form

• 없어 = don't have (Lit. there isn't/aren't)

• 가지고 있지 않아/안 가지고 있어 = don't have (Lit. don't own/possess)

Note: For the negatives, the words in bold letters are the more commonly used of the two alternatives in each of the Written and Spoken forms.


Example Sentences

Written Form

• 책이 없다. = I don't have a book.
• 시계가 없다. = I don't have a watch.
• 핸드폰이 없다. = I don't have a mobile phone.

• 책을 가지고 있지 않다. = I don't have/own a book.
• 핸드폰을 가지고 있지 않다. = I don't have/own a mobile phone.

Spoken Form

• 책(이) 없어.
• 시계(가) 없어. 
• 핸드폰(이) 없어.

• 책(을) 안 가지고 있어.
• 핸드폰(을) 안 가지고 있어. 
  

Question Form

In spoken Korean, in order to change a sentence into a question, you simply need to raise your tone at the last letter.

To see how it's done, it'd be probably best to watch a native Korean do it for you. However, as I figure most of you would not have that kind of luxury, having a native speaker do it for you whenever you want, I encourage you to listen to the Korean audios or recordings online or watch Korean dramas or movies and familiarize yourself with the intonation of questions. For excellent free audio and video resources, please try 'Talk To Me In Korean' (http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/).

• 형(이) 있어? = Do you have an older brother?
• 누나(가) 있어? = Do you have an older sister?
• 남동생(이) 있어? = Do you have a younger brother?
• 여동생(이) 있어? = Do you have a younger sister?

• 책(이) 없어? = Don't you have a book?
• 시계(가) 없어? = Don't you have a watch?
• 핸드폰(이) 없어? = Don't you have a mobile phone?

Polite Form

While the informal form in the examples above is used by people who are of the same age and/or close, or when older people are talking to younger people in informal situations, the polite form is commonly used by younger people addressing older people, and in any formal situations.

Polite Written Form	Have	Don't have
	있습니다	없습니다
	가지고 있습니다	가지고 있지 않습니다 안 가지고 있습니다

Polite Spoken Form	Have	Don't have
	있어요	없어요
	가지고 있어요	가지고 있지 않아요 안 가지고 있어요

I) Informal → Polite (Spoken)

Just add 요 at the end of a sentence.

• 형 있어요? = Do you have an older brother?
• 누나 있어요? = Do you have an older sister?
• 남동생 있어요? = Do you have a younger brother?
• 여동생 있어요? = Do you have a younger sister?

• 책 없어요? = Don't you have a book?
• 시계 없어요? = Don't you have a watch?
• 핸드폰 없어요? = Don't you have a mobile phone?

II) Informal → Polite (Written)

Replace 다 with 습니다.

• 책이 있습니다. = I have a book. 
• 시계가 있습니다. = I have a watch.
• 핸드폰이 있습니다. = I have a mobile phone. 

• 책을 가지고 있지 않다. = I don't have/own a book.
• 핸드폰을 가지고 있지 않다. = I don't have/own a mobile phone.

Verbs - Want

Verbs - Want [~고 싶다]

Informal Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	하고 싶다	하고 싶었다
Negative	하고 싶지 않다 하기 싫다	하고 싶지 않았다 하기 싫었다

Informal Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	하고 싶어	하고 싶었어
Negative	하고 싶지 않아 하기 싫어	하고 싶지 않았어 하기 싫었어

Note: 하고 싶지 않다 and 하기 싫다 both mean "I don't want to do." However, In written Korean, 하고 싶지 않다 is more commonly used whereas in spoken Korean, 하기 싫어 is more commonly used. 하기 싫어 literally means "I hate to do."

The bold letters indicate which one is more commonly used.

Rule

Take 다 off a plain form of verbs and attach 고 싶다/고 싶었다/기 싫다/기 싫었다/고 싶어/고 싶었어 etc.

Examples (Written Form)

• 하다 → 하고 싶다 = I want to do.
• 먹다 → 먹고 싶다 = I want to eat.
• 날다 → 날고 싶었다 = I wanted to fly.
• 놀다 → 놀고 싶지 않았다 = I did't want to play. 
• 마시다 → 마시고 싶지 않았다 = I didn't want to drink.

• 바나나가 먹고 싶지 않았다 = I didn't want to eat a banana.
• 하늘에서 날고 싶지 않았다 = I didn't want to fly in the sky.

Examples (Spoken Form)

• 하다 → 하고 싶어 = I want to do.
• 먹다 → 먹고 싶어 = I want to eat.
• 날다 → 날고 싶었어 = I wanted to fly.
• 놀다 → 놀기 싫어 = I don't want to play.
• 마시다 → 마시기 싫었어 = I didn't want to drink.

• 바나나 먹기 싫어 = I don't want to eat a banana.
• 하늘 날기 싫었어 = I didn't want to fly in the sky.

Questions (Spoken Form)

• 자고 싶어? = Do you want to sleep?
  
• 어. 자고 싶어. = Yes, I want to sleep.

• 뭐 먹고 싶어? = What do you want to eat?
• 라면 먹고 싶어. = I want to eat noodles. 

• 어디 가고 싶어? = Where do you want to go?
• 공원에 가고 싶어. = I want to go to a park.

Formal Form

Formal Written Form	Present	Past
Positive	하고 싶습니다	하고 싶었습니다
Negative	하고 싶지 않습니다 하기 싫습니다	하고 싶지 않았습니다 하기 싫었습니다

 

Formal Spoken Form	Present	Past
Positive	하고 싶어요	하고 싶었어요
Negative	하고 싶지 않아요 하기 싫어요	하고 싶지 않았어요 하기 싫었어요

Note: The informal spoken form is used between close friends or when older people are talking to younger people in informal situations. The formal form is used commonly between adults, by people in formal situations or when younger people are speaking to older people.

Rules
For the formal written form, the suffix , 다, is replaced by 습니다.
For the formal spoken form, attach 요 at the end of a sentence.

Examples (Written Form)

• 하다 → 하고 싶습니다 = I want to do.
• 먹다 → 먹고 싶습니다 = I want to eat.
  
• 날다 → 날고 싶었습니다 = I wanted to fly.
• 놀다 → 놀고 싶지 않았습니다 = I did't want to play.
• 마시다 → 마시고 싶지 않았습니다 = I didn't want to drink.

Examples (Spoken form)

• 하다 → 하고 싶어요 = I want to do.
• 먹다 → 먹고 싶어요 = I want to eat.
  
• 날다 → 날고 싶었어요 = I wanted to fly.
• 놀다 → 놀기 싫었어요 = I did't want to play.
• 마시다 → 마시기 싫었어요 = I didn't want to drink.

More examples

• 자고 싶어요? = Do you want to sleep?
  
• 네. 자고 싶어요. = Yes, I want to sleep.

• 뭐 먹고 싶어요? = What do you want to eat?
• 라면 먹고 싶어요. = I want to eat noodles. 
  

• 어디 가고 싶어요? = Where do you want to go?
• 공원에 가고 싶어요. = I want to go to a park.

In addition:
When talking about a third person, '고 싶어 한다' is used instead of 고 싶다, and '고 싶어해' instead of 고 싶어.

Examples

• 가다 → 가고 싶어 한다
• 루크는 극장에 가고 싶어 한다 = Luke wants to go to the theatre.
• 선미는 사과주스 마시고 싶어해 = Sunmi wants to drink an apple juice.
  

Verbs - Speech (in spoken Korean)

Verbs in spoken Korean

The following dialogue between two close friends involve verbs in the informal spoken form.

잘 = well
쇼핑 = shopping
어 = yes
오전 = am
오후 = pm
먼저 갈게 = I'll go first


This dialogue should be easy to comprehend.

대화 시작 = The conversation starts
상우: 지우야, 뭐 해?
지우: 밥 먹어.
상우: 어디 가?
지우: 어. 학교 가.
상우: 언제 가?
지우: 9시에.
상우: 왜?
지우: 학교에서 공부해.
상우: 재밌어?
지우: 어. 재밌어.
상우: 어떻게 공부해?
지우: 선생님이 가르쳐 주셔.
상우: 아~ 그래?
지우: 어. 너는 뭐 해?
상우: 나는 쇼핑 가.
지우: 언제?
상우: 오후 3시에.
지우: 밥은 먹었어?
상우: 어. 먹었어. 나 먼저 갈게. 잘 있어~
지우: 잘 가~

Sang-u: Ji-u, what are you doing?
Ji-u: I'm eating.
Sang-u: Where are you going?
Ji-u: I'm going to school.
Sang-u: When are you going?
Ji-u: At 9 o'clock.
Sang-u: Why? [are you going to school?]
Ji-u: I study at school.
Sang-u: Is it fun?
Ji-u: Yes, it's fun.
Sang-u: How do you study?
Ji-u: My teacher teaches me.
Sang-u: Ahh... really?
Ji-u: Yeap. How about you?
Sang-u: I'll go shopping
Ji-u: When?
Sang-u: At 3 o'clock pm.
Ji-u: Did you have a meal?
Sang-u: Yes. I have. I'll go first then. Bye~
Ji-u: Bye~

This is a conversation between Sang-u and Ji-u. This is a type of conversation that is common between close friends, yet it is extremely simple to understand even for beginners of Korean. So pay attention to how these "spoken forms" are used.

● A list of written forms and their respective spoken forms.

Written Form - Spoken Form
[For detailed explanation, refer to (Verbs - Present, Past)]


go = 가다 - 가
come = 오다 - 와
do = 하다 - 해
eat = 먹다 - 먹어
give = 주다 - 줘
receive = 받다 - 받아
play = 놀다 - 놀아
sleep = 자다 - 자
run = 달리다 - 달려
teach = 가르치다 - 가르쳐
learn = 배우다 - 배워

These spoken forms are informal so you should only use them with very close friends.

Verbs - Present, Past

동사 [Verbs]

Now, we come to learn, possibly, the most important subject of all Korean grammar, the 'verbs.'

I have drawn up tables below to display various conjugations of verbs. But first of all, we need to pay attention to a distinct feature in Korean verbs, namely, the plain form.

The plain form is the most basic form of verbs, from which all the other conjugations of verbs are derived and produced.

However, the plain form is almost never used in both written and spoken Korean. The only instance where the plain form is used is when verbs are listed in the dictionary. Therefore, it is necessary to know the plain form if you'd like to know the meaning of certain verbs and find them in the dictionary.

Examples of the plain form of verbs

• 하다 = do
  
• 먹다 = eat
• 가다 = go 
• 달리다 = run

Informal Written Form	Plain	Present	Past
Positive	먹다	먹는다	먹었다
Negative	먹지 않다	먹지 않는다 안 먹는다	먹지 않았다 안  먹었다

Informal Spoken Form	Plain	Present	Past
Positive	먹다	먹어	먹었어
Negative	먹지 않다	먹지 않아 안 먹어	먹지 않았어 안 먹었어

Note: The words in bold indicate which of the two negatives are more commonly used in each case, i.e. 먹지 않았다 is more commonly used than 안 먹었다 in the written form, and 안 먹었어 is more commonly used than 먹지 않았어 in the spoken form.


A Table of Commonly Used Verbs
-->

		Written		Spoken
	Plain	Present	Past	Present	Past
Go	가다	간다	갔다	가	갔어
Come	오다	온다	왔다	와	왔어
Run	달리다	달린다	달렸다	달려	달렸어
Eat	먹다	먹는다	먹었다	먹어	먹었어
Stand	서다	선다	섰다	서	섰어
Sit	앉다	앉는다	앉았다	앉아	앉았어
Buy	사다	산다	샀다	사	샀어
Sell	팔다	판다	팔았다	팔아	팔았어
Grow	자라다	자란다	자랐다	자라	자랐어
Throw	던지다	던진다	던졌다	던져	던졌어
Borrow	빌리다	빌린다	빌렸다	빌려	빌렸어
Lend	빌려주다	빌려준다	빌려주었다	빌려줘	빌려주었어
Play	놀다	논다	놀았다	놀아	놀았어
Write	쓰다	쓴다	썼다	써	썼어
Read	읽다	읽는다	읽었다	읽어	읽었어
Listen	듣다	듣는다	들었다	들어	들었어
Live	살다	산다	살았다	살아	살았어
Die	죽다	죽는다	죽었다	죽어	죽었어

Conjugations Rules

I) Plain → Present (Written)

1. For verbs whose last character has a final consonant, replace 다 with 는다. 

E.g.

• 먹다 → 먹는다 = eat
• 사과를 먹는다 = eat an apple

• 걷다 → 걷는다 = walk
• 사람은 걷는다 = A human walks
  

• 믿다 → 믿는다 = believe
  
• 나는 예수님을 믿는다 = I believe Jesus

2. For verbs whose last character has no final consonant, replace 다 with ㄴ 다.

E.g.

• 잠자다 → 잠잔다 = sleep
• 지금 새들은 잠잔다 = Now birds sleep (= At the moment, the birds are sleeping)

• 가다 → 간다 = go
• 민아는 학교를 간다 = Mina goes to school

• 보다 → 본다 = watch/look/see
• 현주는 자주 밖을 본다 = Hyun-ju often looks outside

3. For verbs whose last character has ㄹ as a final consonant, replace it with ㄴ. 

E.g.

• 팔다 → 판다 = sell
• 이 가게는 과일을 판다 = This shop sells fruit

• 살다 → 산다 = live
  
• 지우는 여기에서 산다 = Ji-u lives here  

• 밀다 → 민다 = push
• 자동차를 민다 = push a car

II) Plain → Past (Written)

First of all, take 다 off a verb, and then:

1. For verbs whose last character has no final consonant, attach ㅆ as a final consonant. (exception: For the vowel, ㅜ, attach 었다.)

E.g.

• 가다: 가 + ㅆ 다 = 갔다 = went
• 사다: 사 + ㅆ 다 = 샀다 = bought
  
• 서다: 서 + ㅆ 다 = 섰다 = stood
• 자다: 자 + ㅆ 다 = 잤다 = slept
  
• 자라다: 자라 + ㅆ 다 = 자랐다 = grew
  

Exception: 

• 두다: 두 + 었다 = 두었다 = put
• 주다: 주 + 었다 = 주었다 = give

• 하다 → 했다 = did  (NOT 핬다)

Note: The following rules override the rule 1. 


2. For verbs whose last character has a final consonant, add 었 or 았. 

• For vowels, ㅏ and ㅗ, add 았. 
• For vowels, ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅡ and ㅣ, add 었.

E.g.

• 날다: 날 + 았다 = 날았다 = flew
• 살다: 살 + 았다 = 살았다 = lived
  
• 놀다: 놀 + 았다 = 놀았다 = played (had fun)
  
• 먹다: 먹 + 었다 = 먹었다 = ate
  
• 죽다: 죽 + 었다 = 죽었다 = died
• 들다: 들 + 었다 = 들었다 = lifted up
• 밀다: 밀 + 었다 = 밀었다 = pushed
  

3. For verbs whose last character has ㅣ as a vowel, and no final consonant, change ㅣ to ㅕ and attach ㅆ as the final consonant.
 
E.g. 

• 달리다: 달리 → 달렸 → 달렸다 = ran
• 빌리다: 빌리 → 빌렸 → 빌렸다 = borrowed
• 이기다: 이기 → 이겼 → 이겼다 = won
• 던지다: 던지 → 던졌 → 던졌다 = threw
  
• 다니다: 다니 → 다녔 → 다녔다 = attended

4. For verbs whose last character has ㅗ as a vowel and no consonant, change ㅗ to ㅘ and attach ㅆ as the final consonant.

E.g.

• 오다 → 왔다 = came
• 보다 → 봤다 = saw/looked/watched

5. For verbs whose last character has ㅡ as a vowel, replace it with ㅓ and then attach ㅆ as the final consonant.

E.g.

• 크다: 크 → 컸 → 컸다 = grew
  
• 쓰다: 쓰 → 썼 → 썼다 = wrote
  
• 트다: 트 → 텄 → 텄다 = sprouted 

Irregular form

E.g.

• 하다 → 했다
• 듣다 → 들었다

III) Plain → Present (Spoken)

1. For verbs whose last character has a vowel, ㅏ or ㅓ and no final consonant, just drop 다 off.

E.g.

• 가다 → 가 = go
• 서다 → 서 = stand
• 사다 → 사 = buy
• 자라다 → 자라 = grow

Exception: 하 changes to 해.

E.g.

• 하다 → 해 = do
• 원하다 → 원해 = want
• 구하다 → 구해 = save (a life)
  

2. For verbs whose last character has a vowel, ㅗ or ㅜ and no final consonant: 

• ㅗ changes to ㅘ
• ㅜ changes to ㅝ

E.g.

• 오다 → 와 = come
• 보다 → 봐 = see/watch/look
• 두다 → 둬 = place (something) on, leave (something as it is)
• 주다 → 줘 = give
• 빌려주다 → 빌려줘 = lend

3. For verbs whose last character is 르, drop it off and then attach a final consonant, ㄹ, to the character preceding 르, and then attach 라 or 러 to them.

• 라 for verbs whose character preceding 르 has a vowel, ㅏ or ㅗ. 
• 러 for verbs whose character preceding 르 has a vowel, ㅓ, ㅜ or ㅣ.

E.g.

• 가르다 → 갈라 = divide
• 자르다 → 잘라 = cut
• 오르다 → 올라 = climb

• 거르다 → 걸러 = filter, sift
• 서두르다 → 서둘러 = hurry
• 구르다 →  굴러 = roll
• 가로지르다 → 가로질러 = go cross

(Also, for verbs which have a last consonant of ㅡ, replace it with ㅓ.)

• 쓰다 → 써 = write
• 끄다 → 꺼 = extinguish (a fire)
• 뜨다 → 떠 = float

4. For verbs whose last character has ㅣ as a vowel and no final consonant, change ㅣ to ㅕ.

E.g.

• 지다 → 져 = lose
  
• 이기다 → 이겨 = win
  
• 던지다 → 던져 = throw
  

5. For verbs whose last character has a final consonant, attach: 

• 아 for characters whose vowel isㅏ or ㅗ 
• 어 for characters whose vowel is ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅡ or ㅣ.

E.g.

• 살다 → 살아 = live
• 팔다 → 팔아 = sell
• 앉다 → 앉아 = sit
• 놀다 → 놀아 = play (have fun)

• 먹다→ 먹어 = eat
• 물다 → 물어 = bite
• 늙다 → 늙어 = age 
• 읽다 → 읽어 = read

Irregular form

• 듣다 → 들어 = listen/hear
  

IV) Past (Written) → Past (Spoken)

Simply change 다 to 어. 

• 갔다 → 갔어 = went
  
• 왔다 → 왔어 = came
• 달렸다 → 달렸어 = ran
  
• 먹었다 → 먹었어 = ate
• 마셨다 → 마셨어 = drank