The Korean past tense often functions similarly to the past tense in English, indicating that an event has already happened. The simple past tense does not imply that an event or action is still in effect; it only describes a moment in the past. Conjugating for the past tense occurs at the end of the sentence using 었/았/ㅆ다. Let’s learn how to form the past tense!
Dictionary form is exactly what it sounds like — it’s the form of a verb or adjective (yes, adjectives conjugate like verbs in Korean!) that one may find in the dictionary. Understanding the dictionary form of a verb or adjective helps determine how the word will be conjugated in a sentence later on.
When referring to the dictionary (or most basic) form of a word, English usually puts the words ‘to’ or ‘to be’ in front of a verb or adjective. Korean’s version of ‘to’ or ‘to be’ is to use 다 at the end of a verb or adjective stem. Here are some examples:
먹다(to eat)
슬프다(to be sad)
이다(to be)
숙제하다(to do homework)
Let’s take a look at how to go from the dictionary form to the past tense of a verb or adjective.
To conjugate a Korean verb or an adjective in the past tense, follow these steps:
Delete the ending 다 of the dictionary form: this will leave you with what we call the “stem.”
Look at the last vowel of the verb or adjective stem.
If the verb or adjective ends in ㅗ or ㅏ, add 았다 to the stem.
If the last vowel is any other letter (see exceptions below), add 었다.
For example, 불다(to blow):
After deleting 다, you are left with the stem 불
The last vowel is ㅜ
So: 불 + 었다 = 불었다
Here are some more examples:
Dictionary form | Word Stem | Last vowel is | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|---|
앉다(to sit) | 앉 | ㅏ | 앉 + 았다 = 앉았다 |
좋다(to be good) | 좋 | ㅗ | 좋 + 았다 = 좋았다 |
먹다(to eat) | 먹 | ㅓ (other than ㅏ, ㅗ) | 먹 + 었다 = 먹었다 |
앉다(to sit) | 앉 | ㅏ | 앉 + 았다 = 앉았다 |
There are six exceptions to the conjugation rules of forming the past tense in Korean:
If the verb or adjective stem ends in a vowel without a consonant 받침, the last vowel will likely be combined with the following vowel to make a single sound. See the examples below.
Dictionary Form | Conjugation | Past Form |
|---|---|---|
사다(to buy) | 사+ 았어요 | 샀어요 (not 사았어요) |
오다(to come) | 오+ 았어요 | 왔어요 (not 오았어요) |
이다(to be), 아니다(not to be), and 하다(to do) don’t follow this exception to the conjugation rules.
Dictionary Form | Conjugation | Past Form |
|---|---|---|
이다( to be)* | 이+ 었다 | 이었다 (not 있다) OR 였다 |
아니다(not to be) | 아니+ 었다 | 아니었다 (not 아닜다) |
하다(to do) | 하+ 았다 | 했다 (not 핬다) |
* 이다: Use 였다 when the previous word ending is a vowel (e.g. 의사이다 → 의사였다) and use 이었다 when the previous word ending is a consonant (e.g. 학생이다 → 학생이었다).
If the word stem ends with ㄷ, change ㄷ to ㄹ and conjugate:
듣다(to listen) → 듣 + 었다 → 들 + 었다 = 들었다
If the word stem ends with ㅂ, drop ㅂ, add 우, and conjugate:
춥다(to be cold) → 춥 + 었다 → 추우 + 었다 = 추웠다
If the word stem ends with 르, drop ㅡ of 르, add additional ㄹ, and conjugate:
부르다(to call) → 부르 + 었다 → 불ㄹ + 었다 = 불렀다
If the word stem ends with ㅡ, drop ㅡ and conjugate:
쓰다(to write, to use) → 쓰 + 었다 → ㅆ + 었다 = 썼다
If the word stem ends with ㅅ, drop ㅅ and conjugate:
낫다(to get better) → 낫 + 었다 → 나 + 었다 = 나았다
Once the past form is attached, you can add formality to the past tense by conjugating었다 or 았다 in high, middle, or low form depending on who you are talking to.
Form | Who are you talking to? | Past tense conjugation |
|---|---|---|
Low | close friends/family, children | -았어, -었어, -했어, -이었어 / 였어 |
Middle | friends, strangers, family, coworkers, bosses, teachers | -았어요, -었어요, -했어요, -이었어요 / 였어요 |
High | elderly people, strangers, bosses, teachers | -았습니다, -었습니다, -했습니다, -이었습니다 / 였습니다 * |
* The ending looks different in this box because of the high formality.
Now that we know the rules, let’s look at some conjugation examples!
Verb / Adjective | Past Tense | Low | Middle | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
가다(to go) | 갔다 | 갔어 | 갔어요 | 갔습니다 |
먹다(to eat) | 먹었다 | 먹었어 | 먹었어요 | 먹었습니다 |
행복하다(to be happy) | 행복했다 | 행복했어 | 행복했어요 | 행복했습니다 |
좋다(to be good) | 좋았다 | 좋았어 | 좋았어요 | 좋았습니다 |
배우다(to learn) | 배웠다 | 배웠어 | 배웠어요 | 배웠습니다 |
The final ending following 었/았/ㅆ in the low and middle forms will always be -어(요).
When using the past tense with multiple verbs or adjectives, only the last verb/adjective is conjugated.
어제 저는 밥을 먹고 숙제를 하고 도서관에 갔어요.
Yesterday I ate food, did homework, and went to the library.
To form a past tense question, simply use the past tense word with a rising intonation at the end.
어제 도서관에 갔어요 → 어제 도서관에 갔어요? ↗
I went to the library yesterday. → Did you go to the library yesterday?
Forming the negative in the past tense is more complicated, because it often requires us to add a word or part of a word.
The Korean past tense is similar to the English simple past tense and yet there are some differences. In this section, we will discuss the similarities and differences between the Korean past tense form -었/았 and the English past tense.
Just like the English past tense, the Korean past tense is used to describe an action or an event that happened in the past. Words indicating time such as 어제(yesterday) and 작년(last year) are often used together in a sentence for clarification.
우리는 어제 공원을 산책했다.
We took a walk in the park.
작년 겨울은 추웠다.
Last winter was cold.
The Korean past tense form -었/았 should be used to describe a present situation that is the result of a previously completed action. For example:
Let's say that Youngmi finished putting clothes on and is still wearing them. We can use 입다(to wear) in the past tense form, though it clearly describes a present situation. The use of 오늘(today) confirms that the speaker is describing a current situation:
영미는 오늘 청바지와 티셔츠를 입었어요.
Youngmi wore a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today.
Youngmi is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today.
The sentence above can be rewritten using the present progressive form -고 있다.
영미는 오늘 청바지와 티셔츠를 입고 있어요.
Youngmi is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today.
Now, let's say Youngmi finished the motion of sitting and is still sitting. We can say:
영미는 마이클 옆에 앉았어요.
Youngmi sat next to Michael.
Youngmi is sitting next to Michael.
The sentence can be rewritten using the form -어/아 있다, which describes continuity.
영미는 마이클 옆에 앉아 있어요.
Youngmi is sitting next to Michael.
In Korean, verbs describing “wear” are generally used either with-고 있다(the present progressive) or else in the past tense, unless you want to describe the motion of putting something on or the common practice of wearing something.
모자를 썼어요.
I am wearing a hat.
모자를 써요.
I am in the process of wearing a hat.
추울 땐 모자를 써요.
I wear a hat when it’s cold.
Koreans sometimes use the past tense form to talk about a future situation when the speaker thinks the future situation is destined to happen. However, the use is limited and it is used only colloquially.
너 내일 엄마한테 혼났다!
You will definitely get yelled at by Mom tomorrow.
내일 비 온대. 소풍은 다 갔다.
I heard it would rain tomorrow. So much for “a picnic.”
Some English present-tense sentences are translated into past tense in Korean. To understand why, pay special attention to the literal meaning of the Korean words. Here are a few examples to illustrate the point:
Example 1:
✅ 민수는 잘 생겼어요.
❌ 민수는 잘 생겨요.
Minsu is handsome.
lit. Minsu was formed well
In English, we express this sentence with an adjective, but in Korean it is expressed with the verb생기다(to form). Therefore the literal meaning of잘 생기다 is “formed well." Since Minsu’s appearance was formed at birth, it is always used in the past tense.
Example 2:
✅ 저희 아버지는 늙으셨어요.
❌ 저희 아버지는 늙으세요.
My father is old.
lit. My father became old.
Verbs that express aging are used in the past tense form, as with 오래 됐어요(it's been a while) or 나이가 들었어요(to have aged). However, 젊다(to be young) however, is generally used in the present tense form, unless you are recollecting a past event.
For other adjectives describing looks, both present tense and past tense can be used depending on the context.
영미는 키가 작아요.
Youngmi is short.
영미는 어렸을 때 키가 작았어요.
Youngmi was short as a child.
The Korean language has a unique grammar feature called “double past tense.” As the name implies, the double past tense uses the past tense form 았/었 twice, resulting in -었았, -았었, or -ㅆ었. It is used to express something or a situation that occurred in the past but did not continue or is no longer valid in the present.
Add -았었 when the word stem has ㅏ or ㅗ vowel
add -었았 otherwise
Use -했었 for words ending with 하다.
Let’s take a look at some sentence examples.
그랜드 캐년에 한 번 갔었어요.
I’ve been to the Grand Canyon once.
영미가 어렸을 때 키가 작았었어요.
Youngmi was short as a child.
마이클은 김치를 안 먹었었어요.
Michael used to not eat Kimchi.
Here is a quick comparison between the past form -었/았어요 and the double past form -었었/았었어요.
-었/았어요 | -었었/았었어요 |
|---|---|
Expresses that something simply happened in the past. | Expresses that a past occurrence is not valid in the present. |
마이클은 2년 전에 한국에 왔어요. Michael came to Korea two years ago. → He may / may not be still in Korea. | 마이클은 2년 전에 한국에 왔었어요. Michael came to Korea two years ago. → But then he left, and he has not been in Korea since. |
마이클은 부산에서 2년 동안 살았어요. Michael has lived in Busan for two years. → The speaker doesn’t know if he still lives there or not. | 마이클은 부산에서 2년 동안 살았었어요. Michael lived in Busan for two years. → The speaker knows he doesn’t live there any longer. |
Words ending with 있다/없다, such as 재미있다 / 재미없다 is not used in the double past tense form.
✅ 영화가 재미없었어요.
❌ 영화가 재미없었었어요.
The movie was boring.
Use the past tense form to describe an action or a situation in the past.
Add -았다 to the stems of adjectives or verbs if they have 아 or 오 vowels and add -었다 otherwise.
For words ending with 하다, use 했다.
There are several irregular conjugation rules to pay attention to.
When using the past tense with multiple verbs or adjectives, only the last word is conjugated.
Some words need to be used in the past tense in Korean even though their English translations are in the present tense.
Use the double past form -었었/-았었 for the events that happened in the past but are no longer valid in the present.
Now that we have learned how to conjugate in the past tense, let’s practice with some exercises on the Korean past tense!
