In Korean, the past tense is generally expressed using the endings -았- and -었-. These endings are added to the verb stem and vary based on the vowel present in the stem. Additionally, there are certain irregular verbs that require special conjugation rules. Below, we will explore both regular and irregular verbs in the past tense, including detailed explanations and examples for each type.
1. Regular Verbs in the Past Tense
1.1. -았- Ending
Verbs whose stems contain ㅏ or ㅗ take the -았- ending to form the past tense.
Formation: Verb stem + -았- + final ending
Examples:
-
살다 (to live) → 살았다 ("lived")
- 나는 서울에서 살았다. ("I lived in Seoul.")
-
가다 (to go) → 갔다 ("went")
- 우리는 제주도에 갔다. ("We went to Jeju Island.")
-
보다 (to see) → 보았다 ("saw")
- 그는 영화를 보았다. ("He watched a movie.")
-
자다 (to sleep) → 잤다 ("slept")
- 어젯밤에 잘 잤다. ("I slept well last night.")
-
닫다 (to close) → 닫았다 ("closed")
- 문을 닫았다. ("I closed the door.")
-
웃다 (to laugh) → 웃었다 ("laughed")
- 우리는 많이 웃었다. ("We laughed a lot.")
-
앉다 (to sit) → 앉았다 ("sat")
- 그는 의자에 앉았다. ("He sat on the chair.")
-
찾다 (to find) → 찾았다 ("found")
- 나는 열쇠를 찾았다. ("I found the key.")
-
걷다 (to walk) → 걸었다 ("walked")
- 우리는 공원에서 걸었다. ("We walked in the park.")
- 만나다(to meet) → 만났다 ("met")
- 어제 친구를 만났다. ("I met a friend yesterday")
1.2. -었- Ending
Verbs whose stems contain vowels ㅓ, ㅜ, or other vowels take the -었- ending for past tense.
Formation: Verb stem + -었- + final ending
Examples:
-
먹다 (to eat) → 먹었다 ("ate")
- 나는 점심을 먹었다. ("I ate lunch.")
-
입다 (to wear) → 입었다 ("wore")
- 그녀는 새 옷을 입었다. ("She wore new clothes.")
-
읽다 (to read) → 읽었다 ("read")
- 나는 그 책을 읽었다. ("I read the book.")
-
배우다 (to learn) → 배웠다 ("learned")
- 우리는 한국어를 배웠다. ("We learned Korean.")
-
쉬다 (to rest) → 쉬었다 ("rested")
- 나는 주말에 쉬었다. ("I rested over the weekend.")
-
기다리다 (to wait) → 기다렸다 ("waited")
- 우리는 버스를 기다렸다. ("We waited for the bus.")
-
쓰다 (to write) → 썼다 ("wrote")
- 나는 편지를 썼다. ("I wrote a letter.")
-
마시다 (to drink) → 마셨다 ("drank")
- 그가 물을 마셨다. ("He drank water.")
-
있다 (to exist) → 있었다 ("existed")
- 그는 집에 있었다. ("He was at home.")
-
주다 (to give) → 주었다 ("gave")
- 나는 선물을 주었다. ("I gave a gift.")
2. Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense
Korean has several irregular verb types that require special conjugations when forming the past tense. These irregularities affect the final consonant of the verb stem.
2.1. ㅂ Irregular Verbs
For verbs whose stems end in ㅂ, the ㅂ changes to 우 before the past tense ending is added.
Formation: Verb stem (with ㅂ → 우) + -었-
Examples:
-
돕다 (to help) → 도왔다 ("helped")
- 그는 친구를 도왔다. ("He helped his friend.")
-
춥다 (to be cold) → 추웠다 ("was cold")
- 어제 날씨가 추웠다. ("The weather was cold yesterday.")
-
곱다 (to be beautiful) → 고왔다 ("was beautiful")
- 그녀의 미소가 고왔다. ("Her smile was beautiful.")
-
눕다 (to lie down) → 누웠다 ("lay down")
- 나는 침대에 누웠다. ("I lay down on the bed.")
-
굽다 (to bake) → 구웠다 ("baked")
- 우리는 빵을 구웠다. ("We baked bread.")
-
씹다 (to chew) → 씹었다 ("chewed")
- 그는 음식을 씹었다. ("He chewed the food.")
-
입다 (to wear) → 입었다 ("wore")
- 나는 새 옷을 입었다. ("I wore new clothes.")
-
잡다 (to catch) → 잡았다 ("caught")
- 나는 물고기를 잡았다. ("I caught a fish.")
-
씹다 (to chew) → 씹었다 ("chewed")
- 그는 껌을 씹었다. ("He chewed gum.")
- 짚다 (to lean on) → 짚었다 ("leaned on")
- 그는 지팡이를 짚었다. ("He leaned on the cane.")
2.2. 르 Irregular Verbs
For verbs ending in 르, an additional ㄹ is added before the past tense ending.
Formation: Verb stem (with additional ㄹ) + -었-
Examples:
-
모르다 (to not know) → 몰랐다 ("did not know")
- 나는 그 사실을 몰랐다. ("I did not know that fact.")
-
다르다 (to be different) → 달랐다 ("was different")
- 그들의 생각이 달랐다. ("Their thoughts were different.")
-
부르다 (to call) → 불렀다 ("called")
- 그녀가 나를 불렀다. ("She called me.")
-
이르다 (to reach) → 이르렀다 ("reached")
- 우리는 목적지에 이르렀다. ("We reached the destination.")
-
누르다 (to press) → 눌렀다 ("pressed")
- 그는 버튼을 눌렀다. ("He pressed the button.")
-
오르다 (to rise) → 올랐다 ("rose")
- 온도가 올랐다. ("The temperature rose.")
-
빠르다 (to be fast) → 빨랐다 ("was fast")
- 그는 매우 빨랐다. ("He was very fast.")
-
자르다 (to cut) → 잘랐다 ("cut")
- 나는 머리를 잘랐다. ("I cut my hair.")
-
흐르다 (to flow) → 흘렀다 ("flowed")
- 강물이 흘렀다. ("The river flowed.")
-
바르다 (to apply) → 발랐다 ("applied")
- 나는 약을 발랐다. ("I applied medicine.")
2.3. ㄷ Irregular Verbs
For verbs ending in ㄷ, the ㄷ changes to ㄹ before the vowel.
Formation: Verb stem (with ㄷ → ㄹ) + -었-
Examples:
-
걷다 (to walk) → 걸었다 ("walked")
- 우리는 오래 걸었다. ("We walked for a long time.")
-
듣다 (to listen) → 들었다 ("listened")
- 나는 음악을 들었다. ("I listened to music.")
-
묻다 (to ask) → 물었다 ("asked")
- 나는 질문을 물었다. ("I asked a question.")
-
싣다 (to load) → 실었다 ("loaded")
- 우리는 짐을 차에 실었다. ("We loaded the luggage into the car.")
-
걷다 (to collect) → 걸었다 ("collected")
- 나는 돈을 모아서 걸었다. ("I collected money.")
-
닫다 (to close) → 닫았다 ("closed")
- 문을 닫았다. ("I closed the door.")
-
긷다 (to draw water) → 길었다 ("drew water")
- 나는 우물에서 물을 길었다. ("I drew water from the well.")
-
받다 (to receive) → 받았다 ("received")
- 그는 선물을 받았다. ("He received a gift.")
-
쏟다 (to spill) → 쏟았다 ("spilled")
- 나는 물을 쏟았다. ("I spilled water.")
-
묻다 (to bury) → 묻었다 ("buried")
- 그들은 보물을 묻었다. ("They buried the treasure.")
Conclusion
The Korean past tense is generally straightforward when using -았- and -었-. However, certain verbs follow irregular conjugation patterns that require special attention, such as ㅂ irregular verbs, 르 irregular verbs, and ㄷ irregular verbs. By understanding and practicing both the regular and irregular forms, you can express past actions accurately and confidently.
Learning Tips:
- Practice with regular verbs first and then focus on mastering the irregular verbs.
- Create sentences using the past tense for both common and irregular verbs to solidify your understanding.
- Pay attention to the nuances of irregular verbs as they can significantly change the structure of the sentence.
With consistent practice, these past tense forms will become more natural and intuitive as you continue to develop your Korean language skills.
If you want more tips on Korean verb past tense, click here to learn more!