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Korean Verb Conjugation Quick Reference [Printable]
Level
A2
Type
Grammar
Theme
Daily Life
작성자
Y
작성시각
Resource File
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Korean Verb Conjugation Quick Reference [Printable]
Korean verb conjugation can feel like a mountain of endings. 어요, 았어요, ㄹ 거예요, 겠어요, 습니다, 을까요... the list seems to go on forever.
But here's the good news: Korean conjugation follows patterns. Once you learn the patterns, you can conjugate almost any verb. And unlike languages like French or Spanish, Korean verbs don't change based on who's doing the action—"I eat," "you eat," "she eats" all use the same conjugation. No "I am, you are, he is" nonsense.
This printable reference card gives you the most common conjugation patterns in one place. Print it small, keep it in your wallet or next to your study desk, and use it until you don't need it anymore.
The Foundation: How Korean Verbs Work
Every Korean verb has two parts:
Part | What it is | Example (먹다 = to eat) |
Stem | The core meaning | 먹 |
Ending | Changes based on tense, politeness, etc. | -어요, -었어요, -을 거예요... |
To conjugate: drop 다 from the dictionary form, then add the ending.
먹다 → 먹 + 어요 → 먹어요 (eat/eating)
The tricky part? Which ending to add depends on the last vowel of the stem. This is called vowel harmony.
The Vowel Harmony Rule (Learn This Once)
Last vowel of stem | Ending family | Why |
ㅏ (a) or ㅗ (o) | -아 family | These are "bright" vowels |
Any other vowel | -어 family | These are "dark" vowels |
하다 verbs | -해 family | 하 always becomes 해 |
This one rule applies to present tense, past tense, and many other conjugations. Master it and you've unlocked Korean conjugation.
Present Tense (Polite: -아요/-어요/-해요)
This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in conversation.
Verb | Stem | Last vowel | Conjugation | Meaning |
가다 | 가 | ㅏ | 가요 | go/going |
오다 | 오 | ㅗ | 와요 | come/coming |
먹다 | 먹 | ㅓ | 먹어요 | eat/eating |
마시다 | 마시 | ㅣ | 마셔요 | drink/drinking |
보다 | 보 | ㅗ | 봐요 | see/watching |
하다 | 하 | — | 해요 | do/doing |
공부하다 | 공부하 | — | 공부해요 | study/studying |
읽다 | 읽 | ㅣ | 읽어요 | read/reading |
쓰다 | 쓰 | ㅡ | 써요 | write/writing |
듣다 | 듣→들 | ㅡ | 들어요 | listen/listening |
Notice 가+아요 contracts to 가요 (not 가아요), and 오+아요 contracts to 와요 (not 오아요). These contractions happen naturally—your mouth just finds the shortcut.
Also notice 듣다 → 들어요. The ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel. This is an irregular verb (ㄷ irregular). There are a few irregular patterns, which I'll cover below.
Past Tense (Polite: -았어요/-었어요/-했어요)
Same vowel harmony rule, just with 았/었/했 added:
Verb | Stem | Conjugation | Meaning |
가다 | 가 | 갔어요 | went |
오다 | 오 | 왔어요 | came |
먹다 | 먹 | 먹었어요 | ate |
마시다 | 마시 | 마셨어요 | drank |
보다 | 보 | 봤어요 | saw/watched |
하다 | 하 | 했어요 | did |
읽다 | 읽 | 읽었어요 | read (past) |
쓰다 | 쓰 | 썼어요 | wrote |
듣다 | 듣→들 | 들었어요 | listened |
만나다 | 만나 | 만났어요 | met |
Future Tense (Polite: -(으)ㄹ 거예요)
This one is simpler—no vowel harmony. Just check if the stem ends in a vowel or consonant:
Stem ends in | Add | Example |
Vowel | -ㄹ 거예요 | 가다 → 갈 거예요 (will go) |
Consonant | -을 거예요 | 먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (will eat) |
Verb | Conjugation | Meaning |
가다 | 갈 거예요 | will go |
오다 | 올 거예요 | will come |
먹다 | 먹을 거예요 | will eat |
보다 | 볼 거예요 | will watch |
하다 | 할 거예요 | will do |
만나다 | 만날 거예요 | will meet |
읽다 | 읽을 거예요 | will read |
쓰다 | 쓸 거예요 | will write |
Formal Polite (-ㅂ니다/-습니다)
For formal situations—presentations, news, speeches, job interviews:
Stem ends in | Add | Example |
Vowel | -ㅂ니다 | 가다 → 갑니다 (go) |
Consonant | -습니다 | 먹다 → 먹습니다 (eat) |
Verb | Formal present | Formal past |
가다 | 갑니다 | 갔습니다 |
먹다 | 먹습니다 | 먹었습니다 |
하다 | 합니다 | 했습니다 |
보다 | 봅니다 | 봤습니다 |
Casual (반말, banmal)
For close friends and people younger than you. Just drop the 요:
Polite | Casual |
가요 | 가 |
먹어요 | 먹어 |
했어요 | 했어 |
갈 거예요 | 갈 거야 |
봐요 | 봐 |
Real moment: Understanding formality levels is crucial in Korean. A student once used casual form (반말) with a Korean colleague she'd just met, thinking it was friendly. The colleague was polite about it but clearly uncomfortable. I explained that in Korean culture, you should always default to polite form (-요) unless someone is clearly younger AND you've established a casual relationship. When in doubt: use -요. Always safe, never rude.
Useful Extra Conjugations
Beyond the basic tenses, these forms come up constantly:
Want to: -고 싶다
Verb | "Want to" form | Meaning |
가다 | 가고 싶어요 | want to go |
먹다 | 먹고 싶어요 | want to eat |
보다 | 보고 싶어요 | want to see |
하다 | 하고 싶어요 | want to do |
Fun fact: 보고 싶어요 (I want to see you) is how Koreans say "I miss you."
Can/Can't: -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다
Verb | "Can" form | "Can't" form |
가다 | 갈 수 있어요 | 갈 수 없어요 |
먹다 | 먹을 수 있어요 | 먹을 수 없어요 |
하다 | 할 수 있어요 | 할 수 없어요 |
Shall we: -(으)ㄹ까요?
Verb | "Shall we?" form |
가다 | 갈까요? |
먹다 | 먹을까요? |
보다 | 볼까요? |
하다 |
