Verb Forms

Question 1

시제

Answer 1

Korean verbs change based on tense (past, present, future). Here’s a structured overview of Korean time forms (시제) with explanations and examples.

Question 2

Present Tense (현재 시제)

Answer 2

Used for actions happening now or habitual actions.
A) Informal Present: -아/어/해요
If the verb stem has ㅏ/ㅗ → add -아요
가다 (to go) → 가요 (go/goes)
If the verb stem has other vowels → add -어요
먹다 (to eat) → 먹어요 (eat/eats)
If the verb ends in 하다 → change to -해요
공부하다 (to study) → 공부해요 (study/studies)
Examples:

나는 밥을 먹어요. → “I eat rice.”
그녀는 매일 운동해요. → “She exercises every day.”
B) Formal Present: -ㅂ니다 / -습니다
Used in very polite or formal settings.

If the verb stem ends in a vowel → add -ㅂ니다
가다 → 갑니다
If the verb stem ends in a consonant → add -습니다
먹다 → 먹습니다
Example:

저는 한국어를 공부합니다. → “I study Korean.”

Question 3

Past Tense (과거 시제)

Answer 3

Used for completed actions.

A) Informal Past: -았/었/했어요
If the verb stem has ㅏ/ㅗ → add -았어요
가다 → 갔어요 (went)
If the verb stem has other vowels → add -었어요
먹다 → 먹었어요 (ate)
If the verb ends in 하다 → change to -했어요
공부하다 → 공부했어요 (studied)
Examples:

어제 친구를 만났어요. → “I met my friend yesterday.”
아침을 먹었어요. → “I ate breakfast.”
B) Formal Past: -았/었/했습니다
Same as informal past but with -습니다 ending.

Example:

저는 한국어를 공부했습니다. → “I studied Korean.”

Question 4

Future Tense (미래 시제)

Answer 4

Used for planned or predicted actions.

A) Future: -을/ㄹ 거예요 (Common Spoken Form)
If the verb stem ends in a consonant → add -을 거예요
먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (will eat)
If the verb stem ends in a vowel → add -ㄹ 거예요
가다 → 갈 거예요 (will go)
Examples:

내일 영화를 볼 거예요. → “I will watch a movie tomorrow.”
다음 주에 여행을 갈 거예요. → “I will go on a trip next week.”
B) Future: -을/ㄹ 것입니다 (Formal)
More formal than -을/ㄹ 거예요.
Used in writing, speeches, or very polite settings.
Example:

저는 열심히 공부할 것입니다. → “I will study hard.”

Question 5

Progressive Forms (진행형)

Answer 5

A) Present Progressive: -고 있어요
Used for actions happening right now.

먹다 → 먹고 있어요 (is eating)
공부하다 → 공부하고 있어요 (is studying)
Example:

지금 한국어를 공부하고 있어요. → “I am studying Korean now.”
B) Past Progressive: -고 있었어요
Used for past continuous actions.

먹고 있었어요 → “was eating”
공부하고 있었어요 → “was studying”
Example:

어제 3시간 동안 한국어를 공부하고 있었어요. → “I was studying Korean for 3 hours yesterday.”

Used for actions that will be happening at a certain time in the future.

Examples:
내일 이 시간에 일하고 있을 거예요. → “I will be working at this time tomorrow.”
저녁 8시에 공부하고 있을 거예요. → “I will be studying at 8 PM.”

Question 6

Pulperfect

Answer 6

Korean does not have a dedicated perfect tense (like the English “have done” structure). However, past perfect (or pluperfect) meaning can be expressed using -았/었었다.

1. What is -았/었었다? (Past perfect meaning in Korean)
   The structure “-았/었었다” is used to indicate that something had already happened before another past event or that a past action/state is no longer true.
   It is similar to the past perfect (“had done”) in English.

✅ 비가 왔어요. → “It rained.” (Simple past)
✅ 비가 왔었어요. → “It had rained (but now it’s stopped).” (Past perfect meaning)

Korean doesn’t have a true “perfect tense” like English, but “-았/었었다” is used to express past perfect-like meaning.
It emphasizes that an action/state happened before another past event or is no longer true.