Korean Verb Sentences
In Korean, verbs are the heart of every sentence. They always come at the end, and they change their form to express tense, politeness, and meaning. This change is called conjugation (활용).
Verb Conjugation · 동사 활용
In English, verb forms barely change — eat, eats, ate. The meaning of tense, mood, and politeness is expressed through separate words like “will”, “can”, or “would”.
In Korean, it is different. Verbs have a stem (어간) that stays the same, and an ending (어미) that changes to express tense, politeness, mood, and more — all attached directly to the verb. This is called conjugation (활용), and it is one of the most important things to learn in Korean.
Verb Stem · 어간
The verb stem (어간) is the part of the verb that never changes. In Korean, all verbs in their dictionary form end in 다. Remove 다 and you have the stem.
먹다 → 먹 (eat)
가다 → 가 (go)
공부하다 → 공부하 (study)
Verb Ending · 어미
The verb ending (어미) is attached to the stem. It changes depending on tense, politeness level, and grammatical meaning.
먹 + 어요 → 먹어요 I eat / I am eating.
가 + 아요 → 가요 I go / I am going.
공부하 + 여요 → 공부해요 I study / I am studying.
💡 Think of it this way:
어간 (stem) = the meaning — this never changes
어미 (ending) = the grammar — this changes
먹다 = to eat
먹 + 어요 = eat (present, polite)
먹 + 었어요 = ate (past, polite)
먹 + 을 거예요 = will eat (future, polite)
Types of Verbs · 동사의 종류
In Korean, verbs are grouped into three types depending on the last vowel of the stem. This is important because the ending that attaches to the stem changes depending on the type.
양모음 어간 — Bright Vowel Stem
If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, it is a bright vowel stem (양모음 어간).
오다 → 오 (come) — last vowel ㅗ
살다 → 살 (live) — last vowel ㅏ
음모음 어간 — Dark Vowel Stem
If the last vowel of the stem is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ, it is a dark vowel stem (음모음 어간).
먹다 → 먹 (eat) — last vowel ㅓ
읽다 → 읽 (read) — last vowel ㅣ
마시다 → 마시 (drink) — last vowel ㅣ
하다 동사 — 하다 Verbs
하다 verbs are made of a noun + 하다. They are very common in Korean and follow their own conjugation pattern.
공부하다 공부 (study) + 하다
운동하다 운동 (exercise) + 하다
요리하다 요리 (cooking) + 하다
일하다 일 (work) + 하다
💡 하다 verbs are very useful because once you know a Korean noun, you can often make a verb by simply adding 하다.
공부 study → 공부하다 to study
운동 exercise → 운동하다 to exercise
요리 cooking → 요리하다 to cook
Present Tense · 현재형
In Korean, the present tense ending changes depending on the type of verb stem. There are three endings to learn: 아요, 어요, and 해요.
아요 — Bright Vowel Stem (양모음 어간)
If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ → add 아요
오다 → 와요. I come. / I am coming.
살다 → 살아요. I live. / I am living.
오늘 런던에 와요. I am coming to London today.
저는 런던에 살아요. I live in London.
어요 — Dark Vowel Stem (음모음 어간)
If the last vowel of the stem is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ → add 어요
먹다 → 먹어요. I eat. / I am eating.
읽다 → 읽어요. I read. / I am reading.
마시다 → 마셔요. I drink. / I am drinking.
카페에서 커피를 마셔요. I drink coffee at the café.
집에서 책을 읽어요. I read a book at home.
해요 — 하다 Verbs
하다 always changes to 해요 in the present tense.
공부하다 → 공부해요. I study. / I am studying.
운동하다 → 운동해요. I exercise. / I am exercising.
요리하다 → 요리해요. I cook. / I am cooking.
일하다 → 일해요. I work. / I am working.
저는 매일 운동해요. I exercise every day.
카페에서 공부해요. I study at the café.
☕ Summary
Bright vowel stems (ㅏ / ㅗ) + 아요 / 살다 → 살아요
Dark vowel stems (all others) + 어요 / 먹다 → 먹어요
하다 verbs → 해요 / 공부하다 → 공부해요
Practice · 연습
Exercise 1 — Identify the verb type 동사의 종류를 고르세요
- 오다 (come) 양모음 / 음모음 / 하다
- 먹다 (eat) 양모음 / 음모음 / 하다
- 운동하다 (exercise) 양모음 / 음모음 / 하다
- 읽다 (read) 양모음 / 음모음 / 하다
- 요리하다 (cook) 양모음 / 음모음 / 하다
- 살다 (live) 양모음 / 음모음 / 하다
Exercise 2 — Conjugate the verb 동사를 활용하세요
- 먹다 (eat) → __ I eat at the café.
- 오다 (come) → __ I come to London.
- 공부하다 (study) → __ I study Korean.
- 읽다 (read) → __ I read a book at home.
- 운동하다 (exercise) → __ I exercise every day.
- 살다 (live) → __ I live in London.
Exercise 3 — Translate into Korean 한국어로 쓰세요
- I drink coffee at the café.
→ ____________________ - I study Korean every day.
→ ____________________ - I read a book at home.
→ ____________________