Conjugation of Verbs and Adjectives
One of the characteristics of Korean verbs and adjectives is that they change based on tense, politeness level, passive and causative forms, and speech styles. Both verbs and adjectives have a word stem and a word ending. Their base forms end with 다, also known as the ‘dictionary form.’ So, when you look up words like 가다 (to go), 오다 (to come), 자다 (to sleep), and 놀다 (to play) in a dictionary, you’ll see their base forms.
When conjugating the verbs and adjectives, the word stems stay the same. Instead, 다 is replaced with the appropriate ending depending on what the speaker wants to convey.
Conjugation of Verbs
Here is the base form of the verb ‘to go’.
| Word Stem | Word Ending |
|---|---|
| 가 | 다 |
| Present Tense (go/goes) | 갑니다 (general formal) 가(다) + -ㅂ니다 (formal ending) |
| Present Tense (go/goes) | 가십니다 (referring to a superior/elder) 가(다) + -시-(honorific) -ㅂ니다 (formal ending) |
| Past Tense (went) | 갔습니다 가(다) + -았- (past tense) +-습니다 (formal ending) |
Example Sentences for VERB
I go to school. 나는 학교에 갑니다.
My dad goes to work. 아버지는 직장에 가십니다.
My mom went to the supermarket. 엄마는 수퍼마켓에 갔습니다.
He comes home. 그는 집에 옵니다.
My grandfather comes late. 할아버지는 늦게 오십니다.
Jane came quickly. 제인은 빨리 왔습니다.
I sing (a song). 나는 노래합니다.
My teacher sings (a song). 우리 선생님은 노래하십니다.
My class sang together. 우리 반은 함께 노래했습니다.
Conjugation of Adjectives
Here is the base form of the adjective ‘to be tall’.
| Word Stem | Word Ending |
|---|---|
| 크 | 다 |
| Present Tense (is tall) | 큽니다 크(다) + -ㅂ니다 (formal ending) |
| Past Tense (was tall) | 컸습니다 (크 + 었 = 컸) 크(다) + -었- (past tense) +-습니다 (formal ending) |
Example Sentences for ADJECTIVES
Tom is tall. 탐은 키가 큽니다.
They were tall. 그들은 키가 컸습니다.
My daughter is pretty. 우리 딸은 이쁩니다.
My grandmother was pretty. 우리 할머니는 이쁘셨습니다.
The student is smart. 그 학생은 똑똑합니다.
My mom was smart. 우리 엄마는 똑똑하셨습니다.
