Past Tense in Korean: How to Use -았어요, -었어요 and 했어요
If you want to tell someone what you did yesterday, where you went last weekend, or what you ate for dinner, you need the Korean past tense.
The basic idea is simple. In polite everyday Korean, many verbs form the past tense with:
-었어요
했어요 for 하다 verbs
For example:
가다 → 갔어요.
I went.
먹다 → 먹었어요.
I ate.
공부하다 → 공부했어요.
I studied.
The endings themselves are not particularly difficult. What usually confuses beginners is which ending to choose and how the verb changes when the ending is attached.
This guide explains that process step by step and shows the forms you are likely to use in real conversation.
Korean Past Tense: The Basic Rule
Start with the verb stem. You get the stem by removing 다 from the dictionary form.
| Dictionary form | Verb stem | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가- | to go |
| 먹다 | 먹- | to eat |
| 보다 | 보- | to see / watch |
| 공부하다 | 공부하- | to study |
Then look at the last vowel of the stem.
other vowels → -었어요
하다 → 했어요
This is the rule worth remembering. But Korean vowels often contract when the ending is attached, so the final word may look different from the simple formula.
1. Use -았어요 After ㅏ or ㅗ
When the final vowel in the verb stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, the past-tense ending is based on -았어요.
For example:
살다 → 살았어요
lived
받다 → 받았어요
received
However, with some common verbs, the vowels combine.
가다 is a good example:
So:
어제 학교에 갔어요.
I went to school yesterday.
With 보다:
어제 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie yesterday.
2. Use -었어요 After Other Vowels
If the final vowel of the stem is not ㅏ or ㅗ, the past-tense ending is generally based on -었어요.
For example:
먹다 → 먹었어요
ate
읽다 → 읽었어요
read
있다 → 있었어요
was / existed / had
In a sentence:
아침을 먹었어요.
I ate breakfast.
어제 책을 읽었어요.
I read a book yesterday.
Again, vowel contraction is common. For example:
마시다 → 마시 + 었어요 → 마셨어요
drank
커피를 마셨어요.
I drank coffee.
3. 하다 Becomes 했어요
This is one of the most useful patterns to learn because Korean has a large number of verbs ending in 하다.
In everyday Korean, 했어요 is the form you will normally use.
| Verb | Past tense | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 하다 | 했어요 | did |
| 공부하다 | 공부했어요 | studied |
| 운동하다 | 운동했어요 | exercised |
| 일하다 | 일했어요 | worked |
| 전화하다 | 전화했어요 | called / telephoned |
어제 한국어를 공부했어요.
I studied Korean yesterday.
Common Korean Verbs in the Past Tense
It is useful to learn the rule, but you should also become familiar with common past-tense forms as complete words.
| Dictionary form | Present polite | Past polite | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가요 | 갔어요 | go → went |
| 오다 | 와요 | 왔어요 | come → came |
| 먹다 | 먹어요 | 먹었어요 | eat → ate |
| 보다 | 봐요 | 봤어요 | see/watch → saw/watched |
| 자다 | 자요 | 잤어요 | sleep → slept |
| 마시다 | 마셔요 | 마셨어요 | drink → drank |
| 만나다 | 만나요 | 만났어요 | meet → met |
| 공부하다 | 공부해요 | 공부했어요 | study → studied |
How to Say “What Did You Do?” in Korean
One of the most useful past-tense questions is:
What did you do?
Add a time expression to make the question more specific:
어제 뭐 했어요?
What did you do yesterday?
주말에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do over the weekend?
어제 저녁에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do yesterday evening?
These are natural questions worth learning as complete expressions rather than constructing them word by word every time.
Useful Time Words with the Past Tense
Korean does not require a word meaning “yesterday” to make a sentence past tense. The verb ending itself can show that the action happened in the past.
However, time expressions make the context clearer.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 어제 | yesterday |
| 어젯밤 | last night |
| 지난주 | last week |
| 지난달 | last month |
| 작년 | last year |
| 아까 | a little while ago / earlier |
For example:
지난주에 부산에 갔어요.
I went to Busan last week.
어젯밤에 라면을 먹었어요.
I ate ramen last night.
작년에 한국어 공부를 시작했어요.
I started studying Korean last year.
Word Order in Korean Past-Tense Sentences
The basic Korean word order does not change just because the sentence is in the past tense.
Korean normally places the verb at the end.
Not every part has to appear in every sentence.
For example:
저는 어제 김밥을 먹었어요.
I ate gimbap yesterday.
In conversation, if it is already obvious who you are talking about, Korean often leaves the subject out:
어제 김밥을 먹었어요.
I ate gimbap yesterday.
This is completely natural.
Present vs Past: Compare the Difference
| Present | Past | English |
|---|---|---|
| 가요 | 갔어요 | go → went |
| 먹어요 | 먹었어요 | eat → ate |
| 봐요 | 봤어요 | see/watch → saw/watched |
| 공부해요 | 공부했어요 | study → studied |
Notice that Korean does not normally add a separate word equivalent to English did. The tense is expressed through the verb ending.
How to Make the Past Tense Negative
For beginners, one of the easiest ways to make a negative sentence is to put 안 before the verb.
갔어요.
I went.
안 갔어요.
I didn't go.
먹었어요.
I ate.
안 먹었어요.
I didn't eat.
Another common structure is -지 않았어요:
가지 않았어요.
I didn't go.
먹지 않았어요.
I didn't eat.
The two forms overlap, but 안 + verb is especially useful in everyday conversation. The longer -지 않다 pattern deserves its own lesson because its tone and usage extend beyond past tense.
See also: How to Use -지 않다: Making Negative Sentences in Korean.
Past Tense Is Not the Same as “Have Done Before”
This distinction is important.
한국에 갔어요.
I went to Korea.
This tells us that a particular past event happened.
But if you want to talk about life experience — “I have been to Korea before” or “I have tried Korean food before” — Korean commonly uses a different structure.
For example:
한국에 가 본 적이 있어요.
I have been to Korea before.
So do not assume that every English sentence containing “have + past participle” should simply use -았어요/-었어요.
For that meaning, continue with How to Talk About Past Experiences with -아/어 본 적 있어요.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using -았어요 with every verb
Incorrect: 먹았어요
Correct: 먹었어요
The final vowel in 먹- is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so it takes -었어요.
Mistake 2: Saying 가았어요
Incorrect: 가았어요
Correct: 갔어요
The vowels contract. You do not pronounce each part separately.
Mistake 3: Saying 하았어요
Incorrect: 공부하았어요
Correct: 공부했어요
Learn 하다 → 했어요 as a core pattern.
Mistake 4: Keeping the Dictionary Ending 다
Incorrect: 먹다었어요
Correct: 먹었어요
Remove 다 first:
먹다 → 먹- → 먹었어요
Mistake 5: Translating English “did” Word by Word
English uses did in questions such as “What did you do?” Korean does not need a separate equivalent of did in the same position.
어제 뭐 했어요?
What did you do yesterday?
A Realistic Short Conversation
A: 주말에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do over the weekend?
B: 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend.
A: 어디에 갔어요?
Where did you go?
B: 홍대에 갔어요. 저녁도 먹었어요.
We went to Hongdae. We also had dinner.
A: 재미있었어요?
Was it fun?
B: 네, 재미있었어요.
Yes, it was fun.
Notice that the speakers do not repeatedly say 저는 or 제가. Once the subject is obvious, Korean commonly leaves it unstated.
Practice: Change These Verbs to the Past Tense
Try these before checking the answers.
- 가다 → ?
- 먹다 → ?
- 보다 → ?
- 마시다 → ?
- 공부하다 → ?
- 만나다 → ?
Show answers
- 갔어요
- 먹었어요
- 봤어요
- 마셨어요
- 공부했어요
- 만났어요
Practice: Complete the Sentences
- 어제 학교에 ________. (가다)
- 아침에 빵을 ________. (먹다)
- 주말에 영화를 ________. (보다)
- 어제 친구를 ________. (만나다)
- 지난주에 한국어를 ________. (공부하다)
Show answers
- 갔어요
- 먹었어요
- 봤어요
- 만났어요
- 공부했어요
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Korean past-tense ending?
In polite everyday Korean, common past-tense forms use -았어요, -었어요, or 했어요. The form depends mainly on the verb stem.
When do I use -았어요 and -었어요?
Use the -았어요 pattern when the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ. With most other vowels, use the -었어요 pattern. Vowel contraction can change the final spelling, as in 가다 → 갔어요 and 보다 → 봤어요.
Why does 하다 become 했어요?
The historical combination 하 + 였어요 contracted to 했어요. For practical beginner Korean, it is easiest to learn 하다 → 했어요 as a standard pattern.
Do I need to say 어제 to make a sentence past tense?
No. The verb ending itself can show past tense. Words such as 어제 (yesterday), 지난주 (last week), and 작년 (last year) simply make the time reference clearer.
Is 갔어요 the same as “have been”?
Not always. 갔어요 describes a past event: “went.” To talk about whether you have ever had an experience, Korean often uses expressions such as -아/어 본 적이 있다.
Can adjectives also use -았어요 and -었어요?
Yes. Korean descriptive verbs can also be conjugated for past time. For example, 재미있어요 becomes 재미있었어요 (“was fun/interesting”), and 비싸요 becomes 비쌌어요 (“was expensive”).
What to Learn Next
Once the basic past tense feels comfortable, do not simply memorize more conjugation tables. Start connecting it to other useful Korean grammar.
- Make Negative Sentences with -지 않다 — say what you did not do.
- Talk About Past Experiences with -아/어 본 적 있어요 — say what you have or have not experienced.
- How to Use -ㄴ/은 지 — explain how long it has been since something happened.
The Rule to Remember
other vowels → -었어요
하다 → 했어요
But do not stop at the formula. Learn common forms such as 갔어요, 왔어요, 먹었어요, 봤어요, 마셨어요, 만났어요 and 했어요 as complete words.
Then practise answering one simple question:
어제 뭐 했어요?
If you can answer that naturally with two or three sentences, you are already using the Korean past tense rather than merely memorising it.