Verb/adjective conjugation

In this post, I am talking about how to conjugate verbs and adjectives from basic verb forms.

Every Korean verb/adjective ends with ‘— 다’, for example, 가다, 오다, 먹다, 살다, 마시다 etc. When you conjugate verbs/adjectives with endings, first you delete 다 and then add endings like the following below.

And then you have to look at an ending that you want to add. There are three types of endings. The first type is  -아/어/여 ending. For -아/어/여 ending, you have to look at the previous letter’s vowel.

If the vowel is ㅏor ㅗ, then you have to add -아. For example, -아요(present), -았어요(past), -아서(because) etc.

If the vowel is other than ㅏ or ㅗ, you have to add -어. For example, -어요(present), -었어요(past), -어서(because) etc.

If the previous letter ends with ‘하’, you have to add -여. But it changes the form into ‘해’ in conversations. For example, -여요=>해요(present), -였어요=> 했어요(past), -여서=> 해서(because).

 

The second type is that endings start with -(으) or (스), for example, (으)ㄹ 거예요, (으)ㄹ 수 있어요, -(스)ㅂ니다 etc. In this case, you have to look at whether the previous letter ends with a vowel or a consonant.

If the letter ends with a vowel, you do not use 으 or 스. For example, 가+ㅂ니다 => 갑니다, 자+ㄹ 거예요 => 잘 거예요.

If the letter ends with a consonant, you have to use 으  or 스.  For example, 먹+습니다 => 먹습니다, 읽+습니다 => 읽습니다.

Finally, the third type is that endings start with a consonant. For example, -고, -지, -게 etc. For these endings, you can just simply attach them to a verb/adjective.
가+고 싶어요 => 가고 싶어요,  먹+지 않아요 => 먹지 않아요.

 

Please reply to this post if you have any questions about conjugation. Thank you!

 

 

[Grammar] conjunctions 그런데, 하지만, 그러나

그런데, 하지만, 그러나 : but, however

These three conjunctions have the same meaning which is ‘however’ or ‘but’, however there are few differences.

그런데 also has another meaning which is ‘by the way‘ besides ‘but’.  We use this when we change topics.  Koreans often write it as ‘근데‘, but the correct form is 그런데. When you combine two sentences in one sentence, we use -(으)ㄴ데/는데. Please click here to learn more about -(으)ㄴ데/는데. 

우리 부모님은 키가 크세요. 그런데 저는 키가 작아요.  My parents are tall, but I am small.
오랜만이에요. 그런데 왜 혼자 왔어요?  Long time no see! By the way, why did you come alone?
가방이 참 예뻐요. 그런데 이거 얼마예요?  This bag is really pretty. By the way, how much is this?

하지만 also means ‘but’ or ‘however’.  It is a little bit more formal than 그런데. When we combine two sentences in one sentence, we use -지만. Please click here to learn more about -지만.

우리 집에 피아노가 있어요. 하지만 저는 피아노를 칠 줄 몰라요.  There is a piano at my home, but I don’t know how to play.
어제 많이 아팠어요. 하지만 약을 먹지 않았어요. I was very sick yesterday, however I didn’t take a pill.

그러나 is very formal, only used for writing.

경찰은 한 달 동안 범인을 추적했다. 그러나 결국 잡지 못했다.  The police chased the criminal for a month, but they can’t catch him.
어제는 커피를 마시지 않았다. 그러나 나는 밤에 잠을 잘 수 없었다. I didn’t drink coffee yesterday, but I couldn’t sleep at night.

• When they are used in one sentence, they are -는데, -지만, -(으)나. (click here to learn 는데 )

[Voca] 하고 vs 그리고 : and

-하고 vs 그리고 : and

 

-하고 and 그리고 both mean ‘and’ in Korean, however -하고 occurs between two nouns and 그리고 takes place between two sentences. Here are few examples that you can practice.

 

•  Noun+하고 : ‘and(between nouns)’, ‘with someone’
  

e.g)

가방하고 티셔츠를 샀어요.	I bought a bag and a T shirt.
김밥하고 불고기(를) 주세요.	Please give me Kimbap and Bulgogi.
친구하고 같이 영화를 봐요.	I am watching a movie with my friend.
형하고 같이 살아요.	I live with my brother.

 

* -와/과 is the same as ‘-하고’, but -와/과 is the formal way.  Thus, when you write something or have a meeting, you should use -와/과 instead of -하고.

Noun(consonant) + 과

Noun(vowel) + 와

 

* -(이)랑 is also the same as ‘-하고’, however this is used in a very informal conversation such as friends or family.  You shouldn’t use this in a formal conversation.

Noun(consonant) + 이랑

Noun(vowel) + 랑

 

• 그리고 : ‘and(between sentences)’, ‘and then’

e.g)

이 가방은 참 예뻐요. 그리고 가벼워요.	This bag is very pretty, and it is light.
저는 사과를 좋아해요. 그리고 배도 좋아해요.	I like apples, and I also like pears.
도서관에 가요. 그리고 친구를 만나요.	I am going to the library, and then I will meet my friend.
친구를 만날 거예요. 그리고 같이 영화 볼 거예요.	I am going to meet my friend, and then we will watch a movie together.

You can also listen to the pronunciation here.