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3 Sentence Summary of This Lesson:
- In Korean, the simple present tense is formed by adding '-아/어/여요' to the verb stem after removing the '-다' ending.
- The choice between '-아', '-어', or '-여' depends on the vowel in the verb stem: use '-아' with 'ㅏ/ㅗ' vowels, '-어' with other vowels, and '-여' with '하다'.
- The simple present tense is used to express regular actions, near future events, or state facts.
To change a verb so that you can say that something is happening regularly or now, you need to attach the endings ‘-아/어/여요’.
The very basic version of a verb, or the infinitive form, always ends with ‘-다’.
For example, 먹다, 마시다, and 자다.
When you want to add the concept of time to these actions words, the first thing you will do is to drop the ‘다’.
Then you are left with the ‘stem’ of the verb. In the case of the three verbs above, that would be ‘먹-’, ‘마시-’ and ‘자-’.
Now these verbs are ready to ‘receive’ time or other forms.
In the case of simple present, it’s ‘-아/어/여’. The ‘-요’ at the end is to add politeness and can be dropped when you are using a way of speaking called ‘반말’, which is used amongst friends or people whom are close.
The reason why there are three versions of the same element is again because of ease of pronunciation.
Here are the rules on how to choose which:
- If the last letter in the stem of the verb contains the vowels ‘ㅏ’ or ‘ㅗ’, you must use ‘아’.
- If it doesn’t, for all else use ‘어’.
- If your verb is 하다, which means ‘to do’, then it’s always ‘여’, essentially becoming ‘해’ when simplified to the max.
Let’s look at some examples:
→ 가다’s stem is ‘가-’ and it contains the ‘ㅏ’ vowel. Therefore, you will use ‘아’ to apply the present tense. In this case, you can combine the two ‘ㅏ’s. ‘가아요’ becomes just ‘가요’.
In other cases like the verb ‘맞다’, you would simply add ‘아’ regularly, making it ‘맞아요’.
→먹다’s stem is ‘먹-’. This stem does not contain ‘ㅏ’ or ‘ㅗ’, so you will use ‘어’, which becomes ‘먹어요’.
→With 하다, it is always ‘-여요’. This becomes ‘하여요’. We shorten this to ‘해요’. ‘하여요’ is an ancient or very formal way of saying ‘해요’.
Lastly, we use the present simple tense when you want to say that something happens regularly or will happen in the near future, or when you are stating a fact.
- Regular Routine:
→ 나는 매일 학교에 가요.
I go to school everyday.
- Near Future:
→ 내일 가요.
(I’m) going tomorrow.
- Stating Facts:
→ 머리가 길어요.
(Her) hair is long.
Try the following exercise.
Conjugate the given verbs into Simple Present.
- 사과를 _____ (사다).
Answer
사요
- 공부를 _____(하다).
Answer
해요
- 밤에 _____(자다).
Answer
자요
- 사탕을 _____(먹다).
Answer
먹어요
- 그림을 _____(그리다).
Answer
그려요 (=그리어요 condensed)
- 영화를 _____(보다).
Answer
봐요 (보아요 condensed)
- 아침에 _____(일어나다).
Answer
일어나요
- 주말엔 _____(쉬다).
Answer
쉬어요
- 책을 _____(읽다).
Answer
읽어요
- 요리를 _____(하다).
Answer
해요
* For more practice exercises, visit the ‘Practice Hub’.
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