Here’s the best news in Korean grammar: verbs never change for who’s doing the action. I eat, you eat, the entire BTS fandom eats — all one form: 먹어요. No am/is/are, no -o/-as/-a endings. Korean spends that saved complexity on two things instead: tense and politeness. Master one vowel rule and you can conjugate almost every verb in the language.
Step 1: Find the Stem
Every dictionary form ends in 다. Chop it off — what remains is the stem:
| Dictionary form | Stem |
|---|---|
| 가다 (to go) | 가 |
| 먹다 (to eat) | 먹 |
| 보다 (to see) | 보 |
| 마시다 (to drink) | 마시 |
| 하다 (to do) | 하 |
Step 2: The 아/어 Rule (The Whole Game)
To make the polite present tense (~요 form), look at the last vowel of the stem:
- Last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ → add 아요
- Anything else → add 어요
- 하다 verbs → become 해요
| Verb | Rule | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 (go) | ㅏ → 아요 | 가 + 아요 → 가요 (merges) |
| 보다 (see) | ㅗ → 아요 | 보 + 아요 → 봐요 (contracts) |
| 먹다 (eat) | ㅓ → 어요 | 먹 + 어요 → 먹어요 |
| 마시다 (drink) | ㅣ → 어요 | 마시 + 어요 → 마셔요 (contracts) |
| 공부하다 (study) | 하다 | → 공부해요 |
The contractions (보 + 아 → 봐, 마시 + 어 → 마셔) exist to keep speech smooth — after a week of use they feel inevitable.
Reading note: 먹어요 is pronounced [머거요] — the batchim slides onto the vowel (liaison). Conjugated verbs are liaison factories, which is why reading them aloud is such good practice.
Step 3: Past Tense — Same Rule + ㅆ
Take the present form, and before 요, the vowel gets ㅆ어:
| Present | Past | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가요 | 갔어요 | went |
| 먹어요 | 먹었어요 | ate |
| 봐요 | 봤어요 | saw |
| 마셔요 | 마셨어요 | drank |
| 해요 | 했어요 | did |
Pattern: 아 stems → 았어요, 어 stems → 었어요, 하다 → 했어요. If you can make the present, the past is free.
Step 4: Future Tense — ~(으)ㄹ 거예요
Stem ends in a vowel → add ㄹ 거예요. Ends in a consonant → add 을 거예요:
| Verb | Future | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 갈 거예요 | will go |
| 먹다 | 먹을 거예요 | will eat |
| 하다 | 할 거예요 | will do |
Pronunciation: 거예요 sounds like [꺼에요] — tensified in real speech.
The Full Picture: One Verb, All Forms
먹다 (to eat), polite level:
| Tense | Form | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 먹어요 | meo-geo-yo |
| Past | 먹었어요 | meo-geo-sseo-yo |
| Future | 먹을 거예요 | meo-geul kkeo-e-yo |
| Present negative | 안 먹어요 | an meo-geo-yo |
| Want to | 먹고 싶어요 | meok-kko si-peo-yo |
Two bonus patterns snuck in: 안 + verb = simple negation, and ~고 싶어요 = “want to.” Both attach without changing the rules you just learned.
The Politeness Dimension
Every tense also shifts with formality — same stem, different endings:
| Level | ”eat” (present) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (합니다체) | 먹습니다 | news, business, military |
| Polite (해요체) | 먹어요 | everyday default — learn this first |
| Casual (반말) | 먹어 | close friends |
Notice casual is just the polite form minus 요 — a freebie. The full system is covered in Korean speech levels.
The Handful of Irregulars
Korean irregulars are few and patterned — meet the big three early:
- ㅂ irregular: 덥다 (hot) → 더워요 (ㅂ becomes 우)
- ㄷ irregular: 듣다 (listen) → 들어요 (ㄷ becomes ㄹ)
- 르 irregular: 모르다 (not know) → 몰라요
Don’t memorize lists — you’ll absorb them from the most common verbs naturally.
Practice the Way That Sticks
Conjugation clicks through pattern exposure, not tables: read real sentences where 가요/갔어요/갈 거예요 alternate, and your brain extracts the rule automatically. That’s exactly the sentence reading practice approach — combine it with sentence structure and particles to complete the grammar core, or drill conjugated forms at speed in the Batchim app.