Past Tense¶
Quick Reference
| Speech Level | Pattern | Example | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informal Polite | Stem + 았/었어요 | 갔어요, 먹었어요 | Daily conversation |
| Formal Polite | Stem + 았/었습니다 | 갔습니다, 먹었습니다 | Formal situations |
| Informal | Stem + 았/었어 | 갔어, 먹었어 | Close friends |
Past Tense Formation¶
Korean past tense is formed by adding 았/었 to the verb stem, following the same vowel harmony rules as present tense.
Basic Rules¶
Step 1: Remove 다 from dictionary form Step 2: Apply vowel harmony - Bright vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ) + 았 - Dark vowels (all others) + 었 Step 3: Add 어요 for informal polite or 습니다 for formal polite
Informal Polite Past Tense (았/었어요)¶
Regular Verb Conjugation¶
| Dictionary Form | Stem | Harmony | Base Past | + 어요 | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가 | Bright (ㅏ) | 갔 | 갔어요 | went |
| 오다 | 오 | Bright (ㅗ) | 왔 | 왔어요 | came |
| 보다 | 보 | Bright (ㅗ) | 봤 | 봤어요 | saw/watched |
| 먹다 | 먹 | Dark (ㅓ) | 먹었 | 먹었어요 | ate |
| 서다 | 서 | Dark (ㅓ) | 섰 | 섰어요 | stood |
| 자다 | 자 | Bright (ㅏ) | 잤 | 잤어요 | slept |
| 읽다 | 읽 | Dark (ㅣ) | 읽었 | 읽었어요 | read |
| 쉬다 | 쉬 | Dark (ㅣ) | 쉬었 | 쉬었어요 | rested |
| 배우다 | 배우 | Dark (ㅜ) | 배웠 | 배웠어요 | learned |
| 주다 | 주 | Dark (ㅜ) | 줬 | 줬어요 | gave |
Understanding Contractions¶
When the stem ends in ㅏ or ㅗ, contractions occur:
| Stem | + 았 | Contracted Form | Full Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가 | + 았 | 갔 | 가았 ✗ |
| 자 | + 았 | 잤 | 자았 ✗ |
| 오 | + 았 | 왔 | 오았 ✗ |
| 보 | + 았 | 봤 | 보았 ✗ |
하다 Verbs¶
하다 verbs use a special pattern: 하 + 였 → 했
| Dictionary Form | Past Tense | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 하다 | 했어요 | did |
| 공부하다 | 공부했어요 | studied |
| 일하다 | 일했어요 | worked |
| 운동하다 | 운동했어요 | exercised |
| 요리하다 | 요리했어요 | cooked |
| 청소하다 | 청소했어요 | cleaned |
| 여행하다 | 여행했어요 | traveled |
| 전화하다 | 전화했어요 | called |
Formal Polite Past Tense (았/었습니다)¶
Simply replace 어요 with 습니다.
| Dictionary Form | Informal Polite | Formal Polite | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 갔어요 | 갔습니다 | went |
| 먹다 | 먹었어요 | 먹었습니다 | ate |
| 하다 | 했어요 | 했습니다 | did |
| 오다 | 왔어요 | 왔습니다 | came |
| 보다 | 봤어요 | 봤습니다 | saw |
Irregular Verbs in Past Tense¶
ㄷ Irregular¶
ㄷ changes to ㄹ before 었.
| Dictionary Form | Present | Past | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 듣다 | 들어요 | 들었어요 | listened |
| 걷다 | 걸어요 | 걸었어요 | walked |
| 묻다 | 물어요 | 물었어요 | asked |
| 싣다 | 실어요 | 실었어요 | loaded |
Process for 듣다: 1. Stem: 듣 2. ㄷ → ㄹ before vowel: 들 3. Add 었어요: 들었어요
ㅂ Irregular¶
ㅂ changes to 우 before 었.
| Dictionary Form | Present | Past | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 춥다 | 추워요 | 추웠어요 | was cold |
| 덥다 | 더워요 | 더웠어요 | was hot |
| 어렵다 | 어려워요 | 어려웠어요 | was difficult |
| 쉽다 | 쉬워요 | 쉬웠어요 | was easy |
| 돕다 | 도와요 | 도왔어요 | helped |
| 아름답다 | 아름다워요 | 아름다웠어요 | was beautiful |
Process for 춥다: 1. Stem: 춥 2. ㅂ → 우: 추우 3. Dark vowel → 었: 추웠어요
ㅡ Irregular¶
ㅡ drops before 았/었.
| Dictionary Form | Present | Past | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 쓰다 | 써요 | 썼어요 | wrote/used |
| 끄다 | 꺼요 | 껐어요 | turned off |
| 크다 | 커요 | 컸어요 | was big |
| 예쁘다 | 예뻐요 | 예뻤어요 | was pretty |
| 슬프다 | 슬퍼요 | 슬펐어요 | was sad |
| 기쁘다 | 기뻐요 | 기뻤어요 | was happy |
Process for 쓰다: 1. Stem: 쓰 2. ㅡ drops: 쓰 → ㅆ 3. Add 었어요: 썼어요
ㄹ Irregular¶
ㄹ remains in past tense (only drops before ㄴ, ㅂ, ㅅ in other forms).
| Dictionary Form | Present | Past | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 살다 | 살아요 | 살았어요 | lived |
| 만들다 | 만들어요 | 만들었어요 | made |
| 알다 | 알아요 | 알았어요 | knew |
| 팔다 | 팔아요 | 팔았어요 | sold |
| 놀다 | 놀아요 | 놀았어요 | played |
ㅅ Irregular¶
ㅅ drops when followed by a vowel.
| Dictionary Form | Present | Past | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 짓다 | 지어요 | 지었어요 | built |
| 낫다 | 나아요 | 나았어요 | got better |
Special Verbs¶
이다 (to be)¶
The copula 이다 has unique past tense forms:
| Present | Past (Informal Polite) | Past (Formal Polite) |
|---|---|---|
| 학생이에요 | 학생이었어요 | 학생이었습니다 |
| 의사예요 | 의사였어요 | 의사였습니다 |
Note: After a vowel, 이에요 → 예요, and 이었어요 → 였어요
있다/없다 (to exist/to not exist)¶
| Verb | Present | Past | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 있다 | 있어요 | 있었어요 | was/existed |
| 없다 | 없어요 | 없었어요 | wasn't/didn't exist |
Examples with Context¶
Completed Actions¶
- 어제 친구를 만났어요. (I met a friend yesterday.)
- 지난주에 영화를 봤어요. (I watched a movie last week.)
- 아침에 빵을 먹었어요. (I ate bread this morning.)
- 작년에 한국에 갔어요. (I went to Korea last year.)
- 어젯밤에 일찍 잤어요. (I slept early last night.)
- 주말에 집을 청소했어요. (I cleaned the house on the weekend.)
Past States and Descriptions¶
- 어제 날씨가 추웠어요. (The weather was cold yesterday.)
- 시험이 어려웠어요. (The exam was difficult.)
- 그 사람이 친절했어요. (That person was kind.)
- 음식이 맛있었어요. (The food was delicious.)
Narrative (What I Did Today)¶
- 오늘 아침 7시에 일어났어요. (I woke up at 7 AM this morning.)
- 샤워를 했어요. (I took a shower.)
- 커피를 마셨어요. (I drank coffee.)
- 8시에 학교에 갔어요. (I went to school at 8.)
- 수업을 들었어요. (I attended class.)
- 점심에 친구들을 만났어요. (I met friends at lunch.)
- 도서관에서 공부했어요. (I studied in the library.)
- 저녁에 집에 왔어요. (I came home in the evening.)
- 저녁을 먹었어요. (I ate dinner.)
- TV를 봤어요. (I watched TV.)
Question Forms¶
- 어제 뭐 했어요? (What did you do yesterday?)
- 주말에 어디 갔어요? (Where did you go on the weekend?)
- 점심 먹었어요? (Did you eat lunch?)
- 숙제 다 했어요? (Did you finish your homework?)
Practice¶
- Conjugate to past tense (informal polite): 가다, 먹다, 자다, 읽다
- Conjugate to past tense: 듣다, 걷다, 묻다
- Conjugate to past tense: 춥다, 돕다, 어렵다
- Conjugate to past tense: 쓰다, 크다, 예쁘다
- Translate to Korean: "I went to school yesterday."
- Translate to Korean: "The weather was hot last week."
- Create a sentence using: 공부하다 (past tense)
- Explain the conjugation process: 듣다 → 들었어요
- Convert to formal polite: 갔어요, 먹었어요, 했어요
- Fill in the past tense: 저는 어제 친구를 _____. (만나다)