🎭 Korean Verb Fundamentals: Your Verb Toolbox
Imagine you have a magic toy box. Inside are special LEGO pieces called verbs. These pieces are the “action” or “being” parts of every Korean sentence. Today, we’ll learn how to find them, take them apart, and snap them together!
🧩 The Big Picture: What Are Korean Verbs?
Think of Korean verbs like Swiss Army knives. Each verb has:
- A dictionary form (the closed knife)
- A stem (the knife handle you hold)
- Endings (the blades you flip out for different jobs)
Every single Korean sentence needs a verb. No verb? No sentence!
📖 1. Verb Dictionary Form (사전형)
The dictionary form is like finding a word in a word book. Every Korean verb ends in -다.
What It Looks Like
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 가다 | to go |
| 먹다 | to eat |
| 마시다 | to drink |
| 예쁘다 | to be pretty |
The Rule
All dictionary verbs end in 다.
That’s it! When you see a Korean word ending in 다, you’ve found a verb in its “sleeping” form.
✂️ 2. Verb Stem Identification
The stem is what’s left when you chop off 다.
How to Find the Stem
가다 → 가 (stem)
먹다 → 먹 (stem)
마시다 → 마시 (stem)
예쁘다 → 예쁘 (stem)
Why Does This Matter?
The stem is your building block. You attach different endings to it to make past tense, polite speech, questions, and more!
graph TD A["Dictionary Form: 가다"] --> B["Remove 다"] B --> C["Stem: 가"] C --> D["Add endings!"] D --> E["가요 = go politely"] D --> F["갔어요 = went"] D --> G["갈까요? = shall we go?"]
🏃 3. Action vs Descriptive Verbs
Korean has two types of verbs. Think of them like:
| Type | What They Do | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Action Verbs 🏃 | Show movement or activity | 가다 (go), 먹다 (eat), 자다 (sleep) |
| Descriptive Verbs 🎨 | Describe how something IS | 크다 (big), 작다 (small), 예쁘다 (pretty) |
The Difference
Action verbs = Things you DO
- 나는 먹어요. (I eat.)
- 그는 달려요. (He runs.)
Descriptive verbs = Things that ARE
- 꽃이 예뻐요. (The flower is pretty.)
- 집이 커요. (The house is big.)
💡 Fun Fact: English uses “is + adjective” (The house IS big). Korean just uses the descriptive verb directly (The house bigs).
🔀 4. Vowel Contraction Rules
When you add endings to stems, sometimes vowels squeeze together like friends in a crowded bus!
The Main Contractions
| Stem Ends In | + Ending | Becomes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | + 아 | ㅏ | 가 + 아요 → 가요 |
| ㅗ | + 아 | ㅘ | 오 + 아요 → 와요 |
| ㅜ | + 어 | ㅝ | 주 + 어요 → 줘요 |
| ㅣ | + 어 | ㅕ | 마시 + 어요 → 마셔요 |
| ㅡ (after ㅏ/ㅗ) | + 아 | ㅏ | 바쁘 + 아요 → 바빠요 |
| ㅡ (other) | + 어 | ㅓ | 쓰 + 어요 → 써요 |
Visual Example
graph TD A["마시다 to drink"] --> B["Stem: 마시"] B --> C["마시 + 어요"] C --> D["시 + 어 = 셔"] D --> E["마셔요!"]
🎯 5. 이다 (To Be)
이다 is the Korean “to be” verb. It’s like a label maker—it sticks labels onto things!
The Formula
Noun + 이다 = Noun IS
Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 학생이다 | is a student |
| 선생님이다 | is a teacher |
| 사과이다 | is an apple |
The Secret Rule
- After consonant: use 이에요/입니다
- After vowel: use 예요/입니다
학생 (ends in ㅇ) + 이에요 → 학생이에요
의사 (ends in ㅏ) + 예요 → 의사예요
📝 6. Noun + 이다 Conjugation
Let’s see 이다 in action with real polite forms!
Polite Form Chart
| Noun | Ends In | Polite Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 학생 | Consonant | 학생이에요 | is a student |
| 가수 | Vowel | 가수예요 | is a singer |
| 의사 | Vowel | 의사예요 | is a doctor |
| 선생님 | Consonant | 선생님이에요 | is a teacher |
Formal Version
For extra politeness, use 입니다:
- 학생입니다 (I am a student - formal)
- 의사입니다 (I am a doctor - formal)
Making Sentences
저는 학생이에요.
= I am a student.
그녀는 가수예요.
= She is a singer.
📍 7. 있다/없다 (Existence)
These are your “have” and “don’t have” / “there is” and “there isn’t” verbs!
있다 = There is / I have
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 돈이 있어요 | I have money |
| 고양이가 있어요 | There is a cat |
| 시간이 있어요 | I have time |
없다 = There isn’t / I don’t have
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 돈이 없어요 | I don’t have money |
| 고양이가 없어요 | There is no cat |
| 시간이 없어요 | I don’t have time |
Visual Comparison
graph TD A["있다"] --> B["EXISTS"] B --> C["돈이 있어요 = Have money ✅"] D["없다"] --> E[DOESN'T EXIST] E --> F["돈이 없어요 = No money ❌"]
Pro Tip! 🌟
These verbs also show location:
- 책이 책상 위에 있어요. (The book IS on the desk.)
- 책이 책상 위에 없어요. (The book ISN’T on the desk.)
🔧 8. 하다 Verbs
하다 means “to do.” But here’s the magic: when you stick it after a noun, you create a new verb!
The Formula
Action Noun + 하다 = To do [that action]
Common 하다 Verbs
| Noun | + 하다 | New Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 공부 (study) | 공부하다 | 공부해요 | to study |
| 운동 (exercise) | 운동하다 | 운동해요 | to exercise |
| 요리 (cooking) | 요리하다 | 요리해요 | to cook |
| 일 (work) | 일하다 | 일해요 | to work |
| 사랑 (love) | 사랑하다 | 사랑해요 | to love |
| 전화 (phone call) | 전화하다 | 전화해요 | to call (phone) |
Why 하다 Is Awesome
Once you know 하다, you can make hundreds of verbs! See a Korean-Chinese word (한자어)? Just add 하다!
graph TD A["공부 = study noun"] --> B["+ 하다"] B --> C["공부하다 = to study"] C --> D["Stem: 공부하"] D --> E["공부해요 = study politely"]
Conjugating 하다
하다 is special! Its polite form is:
- 하다 → 해요 (not 하아요!)
The ㅏ in 하 meets 여 to become 해.
🎁 Wrap-Up: Your Verb Toolkit
You now have 8 powerful tools in your Korean verb toolbox:
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| 📖 Dictionary Form | Find verbs (ends in 다) |
| ✂️ Stem | Cut off 다 to get the base |
| 🏃 Action Verbs | Things you DO |
| 🎨 Descriptive Verbs | Things that ARE |
| 🔀 Contraction | Vowels squish together |
| 🎯 이다 | Noun = something |
| 📍 있다/없다 | Exists / Doesn’t exist |
| 🔧 하다 | Noun + do = new verb |
🚀 Quick Practice Check
Can you identify these?
- 먹다 → Stem is: 먹
- 예쁘다 → Action or Descriptive? Descriptive!
- 학생 + polite 이다 → 학생이에요
- 공부 + 하다 polite → 공부해요
- 돈이 없어요 → I don’t have money
🌟 You did it! You now understand the building blocks of every Korean verb. Every time you meet a new verb, you can take it apart, find its stem, and build new sentences. That’s the power of knowing verb fundamentals!