Korean Present Tense: -아요, -어요 and -해요 for Beginners
Lesson 06 · Korean Present Tense
1. Start with something you do every day
아침에 커피를 마셔요.
매일 한국어를 공부해요.
I drink coffee in the morning.
I study Korean every day.
These are ordinary sentences you can use to talk about your life. The dictionary lists “drink” as 마시다 and “study” as 공부하다. In polite everyday conversation, you change the endings: 마셔요 and 공부해요.
By the end, you will be able to find a verb stem, choose an ending and build a few useful sentences of your own. You will practise a small set of common verbs, rather than try to learn every Korean verb pattern at once.
You should already be able to read simple Hangul. From Lesson 05: Telling Time, you can also bring a time such as 일곱 시 — seven o’clock — into today’s sentences.
Your learning path: Observe → Understand → Transform → Build → Apply → Check. Allow about 25–35 minutes, including practice.
2. Find the dictionary form and the stem
A Korean dictionary form ends in 다. Remove that final 다 to find the stem. The stem carries the verb’s basic meaning; you attach an ending to it.
| Dictionary form | Stem | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가- | go |
| 먹다 | 먹- | eat |
| 공부하다 | 공부하- | study |
The hyphen marks where an ending attaches. It is a learning aid: do not write it in a finished Korean sentence. For 공부하다, remove only 다; the stem is 공부하-, not just 공부.
Try it: What remains when you remove 다 from 읽다 (read) and 일하다 (work)?
Check the stems
읽- and 일하-. Keep the rest of the word intact.
3. Choose -아요, -어요 or -해요
For the verbs in this lesson, first check whether the dictionary form ends in 하다. If it does, use the 해요 pattern. Otherwise, look at the last vowel in the stem’s final syllable. Do not choose by its last consonant.
- ㅏ / ㅗ → -아요
- Other stem vowels → -어요
- 하다 → 해요; 공부하다 → 공부해요
With a final consonant, you can see the ending clearly:
| Stem + ending | Polite form | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| 살- + -아요 | 살아요 | live: the vowel in 살 is ㅏ. |
| 먹- + -어요 | 먹어요 | eat: the vowel in 먹 is ㅓ. |
| 읽- + -어요 | 읽어요 | read: the vowel in 읽 is ㅣ. |
Even though 살- ends in the consonant ㄹ, its vowel is ㅏ. That is why you choose -아요. The two consonants at the end of 읽- do not change the vowel you look for.
For 하다 verbs, replace 하다 with 해요: 공부하다 → 공부해요 (study), 일하다 → 일해요 (work). 하다 itself becomes 해요 (do). Treat this as its own pattern; do not build it as 하아요.
These are polite everyday endings, useful with a new acquaintance or a colleague. Korean also has other speech styles. Today, keep your practice in this -요 style.
4. Turn the rule into the form people use
When a stem ends in a vowel, simply writing the stem and ending side by side may leave you with extra vowels. The vowels often merge. Learn the following common forms as you use them.
| Dictionary form | What happens | Everyday form |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | The repeated ㅏ becomes one vowel: 가 + 아요. | 가요 · go |
| 오다 | ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ | 와요 · come |
| 보다 | ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ | 봐요 · see/watch |
| 주다 | ㅜ + ㅓ → ㅝ | 줘요 · give |
| 마시다 | ㅣ + ㅓ → ㅕ | 마셔요 · drink |
| 서다 | The repeated ㅓ becomes one vowel: 서 + 어요. | 서요 · stand |
The same repeated-vowel pattern gives 자다 → 자요 (sleep). You may also meet full forms such as 보아요 and 주어요. They are valid; 봐요 and 줘요 are the common shorter forms we practise here.
쓰다 means “write” here. Before this vowel ending, ㅡ drops out: 쓰- + -어요 → 써요. This is vowel deletion, not the same contraction as ㅜ + ㅓ → ㅝ. Learn this one-syllable example now. Longer ㅡ stems need an additional check of the preceding vowel, which we will leave for another lesson.
A small boundary: some verbs need a different pattern
듣다 (listen) becomes 들어요. This is a ㄷ-irregular verb: the stem’s final ㄷ changes to ㄹ before this vowel ending. Do not use it as evidence that all final consonants change. Other irregular groups are outside today’s core practice.
Pause and say them: 가요, 와요, 봐요, 줘요, 마셔요, 서요, 써요. Then cover the final column and try again from the dictionary forms.
5. Build a sentence you can actually use
The verb normally comes at the end. Start with a short, reusable frame: time + action. Adding 에 after a clock time means “at”. You can use 매일 (every day) without 에.
I work at seven.
매일 공부해요.
I study every day.
To include an object, put it before the verb. For these examples, use 을 after a noun ending in a consonant, and 를 after a noun ending in a vowel. You do not need the full particle system yet; these chunks are enough for today.
| A ready-to-use chunk | Complete sentence |
|---|---|
| 밥을 · a meal/rice | 밥을 먹어요. I eat a meal. |
| 책을 · a book | 책을 읽어요. I read a book. |
| 커피를 · coffee | 아침에 커피를 마셔요. I drink coffee in the morning. |
| 한국어를 · Korean | 매일 한국어를 공부해요. I study Korean every day. |
The same verb form works with different subjects. 저는 means “I” as the topic of a polite introduction: 저는 매일 공부해요. — “I study every day.” You can leave the subject out when the conversation makes it clear. The English translations here supply “I” where that is the intended context; 먹어요 itself does not encode “I”.
Two more useful chunks: 집에 가요. — “I go home” — and 친구에게 책을 줘요. — “I give a book to a friend.” In the second sentence, 친구에게 means “to a friend”. Keep it as a chunk for now.
6. Use context to understand the meaning
These forms are often called the “polite present tense”, but they do not match just one English tense. The situation and time words help you understand them.
I study Korean every day.
In a conversation about this moment: 지금 뭐 해요? — What are you doing now?
밥 먹어요. — I’m eating.
In that casual spoken reply, the object particle is omitted. In your written practice, use the complete frame 밥을 먹어요.. Both fit the eating context. You do not have to translate every English “-ing” with a new Korean ending.
With a future time word, the same form can also refer to an arranged plan: 내일 일해요. — “I’m working tomorrow.” 내일 means “tomorrow”. This is a recognition example, not a separate future-tense rule to memorise today. These endings can describe states too, but this lesson practises action verbs.
For a simple question, you can keep the same form and use questioning intonation: 매일 공부해요? — “Do you study every day?” There is no added English-style “do” in the Korean sentence.
7. Practise: transform, then build
Round A — Find and choose. Write the stem, identify its last vowel, then choose -아요 or -어요.
- 살다 (live)
- 먹다 (eat)
- 읽다 (read)
Round A answers
- 살-; ㅏ; -아요 → 살아요
- 먹-; ㅓ; -어요 → 먹어요
- 읽-; ㅣ; -어요 → 읽어요
Round B — Make the everyday form. Use the shorter forms taught above where there is a choice.
- 하다 → …
- 일하다 → …
- 가다 → …
- 자다 → …
- 오다 → …
- 주다 → …
- 서다 → …
- 쓰다 → …
Round B answers
- 해요 — the special 하다 pattern.
- 일해요 — keep 일 and change 하다 to 해요.
- 가요 — merge the repeated vowel.
- 자요 — the same repeated-vowel pattern.
- 와요 — ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ.
- 줘요 — ㅜ + ㅓ → ㅝ.
- 서요 — merge the repeated ㅓ.
- 써요 — ㅡ drops before the vowel ending.
Round C — Add the verb. Use the word in brackets, changing it into the polite everyday form.
- 커피를 ______. (마시다) · I drink coffee.
- 책을 ______. (읽다) · I read a book.
- 일곱 시에 ______. (일하다) · I work at seven.
Round C answers
- 커피를 마셔요. — 마시다 → 마셔요.
- 책을 읽어요. — ㅣ takes -어요.
- 일곱 시에 일해요. — 일하다 → 일해요.
8. Try a short conversation
Imagine you are getting to know a classmate. 네 means “yes”, and 뭐 means “what”. Read each turn aloud, then change the time or drink to make it your own.
A: 매일 한국어를 공부해요?
Do you study Korean every day?
B: 네, 아침에 공부해요.
Yes, I study in the morning.
A: 아침에 뭐 마셔요?
What do you drink in the morning?
B: 커피를 마셔요.
I drink coffee.
Your turn: Write three sentences about yourself: one with 매일, one with a clock time + 에, and one with an object chunk. Keep the verb at the end. You can reuse today’s words; you do not need a new grammar pattern.
One possible response
매일 한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean every day.
일곱 시에 일해요.
I work at seven.
책을 읽어요.
I read a book.
Your own answers may differ. Check the ending, the word order and whether the sentence says what you mean.
9. Catch the mistakes before they become habits
| Avoid in today’s practice | Use instead | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 먹아요 | 먹어요 | The stem vowel is ㅓ, not ㅏ. |
| 공부하아요 | 공부해요 | Treat 하다 as its own pattern. |
| 가다요 | 가요 | Remove 다 first. |
| 서어요 | 서요 | Use the merged repeated vowel. |
| 쓰어요 | 써요 | Remember the ㅡ deletion in this verb. |
Do not label 보아요 or 주어요 as grammar mistakes just because they are longer. This lesson asks you to practise their common shorter forms, 봐요 and 줘요. Also, do not add a space between a verb stem and its ending: write 공부해요 as one word.
10. Final check: can you form and use the verbs?
Answer without opening the key. There are 12 questions, 12 points. For Questions 3–11, write the everyday form used in this lesson. Question 2 earns its point only when both endings are right.
- Write the stem of 읽다.
- Choose the ending for each stem: 살- → -아요 / -어요; 먹- → -아요 / -어요.
- 가다 → ______
- 먹다 → ______
- 공부하다 → ______
- 오다 → ______
- 보다 → ______
- 주다 → ______
- 마시다 → ______
- 서다 → ______
- 쓰다 → ______
- Write “I work at seven.” in Korean. Use 일곱 시 (seven o’clock) and 일하다 (work). Change the verb to its polite everyday form. You do not need to include “I”.
Open the 12 answers and explanations
- 읽-
Remove only 다. The final consonants stay in the stem. - -아요; -어요
살- contains ㅏ, while 먹- contains ㅓ. - 가요
가 + 아요 merges to 가요. - 먹어요
The stem vowel ㅓ takes -어요. - 공부해요
공부하다 follows the 하다 → 해요 pattern. - 와요
오 + 아요 contracts: ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ. - 봐요
보 + 아요 contracts: ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ. - 줘요
주 + 어요 contracts: ㅜ + ㅓ → ㅝ. - 마셔요
마시 + 어요 contracts: ㅣ + ㅓ → ㅕ. - 서요
서 + 어요 merges the repeated ㅓ. - 써요
The ㅡ in 쓰- drops before -어요. - 일곱 시에 일해요.
“에” marks the clock time; “일하다” becomes “일해요”. “저는 일곱 시에 일해요.” is also correct.
Scoring: Give one point per correct response. Accept 보아요 for Question 7 and 주어요 for Question 8 as grammatically correct; practise 봐요 and 줘요 afterwards. For Question 12, an optional 저는 and an omitted final full stop do not lose the point. Aim for 10–12, then retry any missed pattern.
If you missed Questions 1–5, revisit stems and ending choice. If you missed Questions 6–11, practise the vowel changes. If Question 12 was difficult, rebuild it as time + 에 + verb, then say it aloud.
11. Keep the process, not just the answers
- Remove 다 to find the stem.
- Check 하다 first; otherwise look at the stem’s last vowel.
- Apply the vowel pattern when needed.
- Put the verb at the end of a useful sentence.
You can now turn common dictionary verbs into polite everyday forms and use them to describe actions. In Lesson 07, you will put those forms into simple sentence patterns. Its older public title uses “Day 9”; it is Lesson 07 in this beginner course.