Korean - Past Tense
The Past Tense in Korean is used to describe actions that were completed in the past or states that existed at a previous time. It is formed by attaching the tense-marker suffix 았 (at) or 었 (eot) to the verb/adjective stem, and then conjugating to the desired politeness level (usually the Polite Informal, 어요).
1. The Core Conjugation Rule
The past tense marker is determined by the last vowel in the verb/adjective stem, following the same vowel harmony rule as the present tense:
A. Use 았어요 (asseoyo)
Attach 았어요 if the last vowel of the verb/adjective stem is ㅏ (a) or ㅗ (o).
| Stem Vowel | Dictionary Form | Stem | Combination | Final Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | 가다 (to go) | 가 | 가 + 았어요 | 갔어요 | I went |
| ㅗ | 오다 (to come) | 오 | 오 + 았어요 | 왔어요 | I came |
| ㅏ | 좋다 (to be good) | 좋 | 좋 + 았어요 | 좋았어요 | It was good |
Note on Contraction: For stems ending in ㅏ or ㅗ, the vowel often contracts with the 았, merging into a single syllable (갔어요, 왔어요).
B. Use 었어요 (eosseoyo)
Attach 었어요 if the last vowel of the verb/adjective stem is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ.
| Stem Vowel | Dictionary Form | Stem | Combination | Final Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅜ | 배우다 (to learn) | 배우 | 배우 + 었어요 | 배웠어요 | I learned |
| ㅓ | 먹다 (to eat) | 먹 | 먹 + 었어요 | 먹었어요 | I ate |
| ㅣ | 마시다 (to drink) | 마시 | 마시 + 었어요 | 마셨어요 | I drank |
Note on Contraction: The ㅣ often contracts with 었 to form ㅕ (yeo). E.g., 마시 + 었어요 $\rightarrow$ 마셨어요.
2. The Special Case: 하다 Verbs (했어요)
Any verb or adjective that ends in 하다 (ha-da) follows a specific past tense conjugation pattern, changing the 하 stem into 했 (haet).
$$ \text{하} + \text{였} + \text{어요} \rightarrow \text{했어요} $$
- Example 1:
- 공부하다 (to study) $\rightarrow$ 공부했어요
- *Gongbu-haesseoyo*. (I studied.)
- Example 2:
- 운동하다 (to exercise) $\rightarrow$ 운동했어요
- *Undong-haesseoyo*. (I exercised.)
3. Usage of the Past Tense
The Korean past tense is used for:
- Completed Actions: An action that finished at a specific point in the past.
- 어제 영화를 봤어요. (I watched a movie yesterday.)
- Past States/Conditions: A state of being that was true in the past.
- 그때 날씨가 추웠어요. (The weather was cold then.)
- Perfective Aspect: While primarily a past tense, it sometimes describes a current state that is a result of a past action.
- 앉았어요. (I sat down $\rightarrow$ I am sitting.)