Welcome to the Wild World of Irregular Korean Verbs With ‘으’!
안녕하세요, brave linguistic adventurers!
Today, we’re diving deep into the Korean language’s equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle: The Irregular Verbs With ‘으’. This is the place where regular verb conjugation rules wave their little white flags and say, “Yeah, I’m gonna sit this one out.”
But fear not! While these verbs might have been eating their Wheaties and decided to bulk up and be a little different, with a sprinkle of fun, a dash of practice, and your trusty guide (that’s me!), we’ll navigate these irregular waters with ease.
Do you remember those pesky irregulars in other languages? Maybe the French verbs that just refused to be regular? Or those English verbs that decided to play hide and seek with their past tenses? Well, Korean’s irregulars with ‘으’ are their distant cousins, ready to party. 🎉
Strap on your verb-conjugating helmets, because it’s about to get wonderfully wonky. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be wrangling those irregulars like a linguistic cowboy.
Let’s get this irregular party started!
Remember, every twist and turn in a language is what gives it flavour. And who doesn’t like a bit of spice in their linguistic soup? Let’s dig in!
Ready, set, 으! 🚦🏁
Conjugation
- Take a verb i.e. 고프다
- Drop 다 i.e. 고프
- Drop ㅡ i.e. 고ㅍ
- Add an appropriate ending based on the below rules (in this case it becomes 고파요)
- If the vowel before ㅡ is ㅏor ㅗ, replace the ㅡ with ㅏ and add 요
- If the vowel before ㅡ is not ㅏ or ㅗ, replace the ㅡ with ㅓ and add 요
- 아프다 –> 아ㅍ + ㅏ요 –> 아파요
- 바쁘다 –> 바ㅃ + ㅏ요 –> 바빠요
- 모으다 –> 모 + ㅏ요 –> 모아요
- 슬프다 –> 슬ㅍ + ㅓ요 –> 슬퍼요
- 예쁘다 –> 예ㅃ + ㅓ요 –> 예뻐요
PLEASE NOTE THAT “르” has it’s own different rules which will be covered in another lesson.
Common “ㅡ” Irregular Verbs
| Korean | English | Highest honorifics | Present | Past | Future |
| 고프다 | Hungry | 고픕니다 | 고파요 | 고팠어요 | 고플 거예요 |
| 아프다 | Hurt | 아픕니다 | 아파요 | 아팠어요 | 아플 거예요 |
| 슬프다 | Sad | 슬픕니다 | 슬퍼요 | 슬펐어요 | 슬플 거예요 |
| 바쁘다 | Busy | 바쁩니다 | 바빠요 | 바빴어요 | 바쁠 거예요 |
| 나쁘다 | Bad | 나쁩니다 | 나빠요 | 나빴어요 | 나쁠 거예요 |
| 예쁘다 | Pretty | 예쁩니다 | 예뻐요 | 예뻤어요 | 예쁠 거예요 |
| 기쁘다 | Glad | 기쁩니다 | 기뻐요 | 기뻤어요 | 기쁠 거예요 |
| 애쓰다 | Try | 애씁니다 | 애써요 | 애썼어요 | 애쓸 거예요 |
| 쓰다 | To write | 씁니다 | 써요 | 썼어요 | 쓸 거예요 |
| 끄다 | To close | 끕니다 | 꺼요 | 껐어요 | 끌 거예요 |
| 뜨다 | To rise | 뜹니다 | 떠요 | 떴어요 | 뜰 거예요 |
| 크다 | Big | 큽니다 | 커요 | 컸어요 | 클 거예요 |
| 모으다 | To gather | 모읍니다 | 모아요 | 모았어요 | 모을 거예요 |
| 잠그다 | To lock | 잠급니다 | 잠가요 | 잠갔어요 | 잠글 거예요 |
| 트다 | To open | 틉니다 | 터요 | 텄어요 | 틀 거예요 |
| 담그다 | To soak | 담급니다 | 담가요 | 담갔어요 | 담글 거예요 |
As you can see, these verbs are irregular in the present and past tense. Depending on the conjugation pattern, sometimes they’ll behave just like regular verbs! The trick is recognizing when the ‘으’ will take a step back and when it will join the party.
You might wonder why these verbs behave this way. A lot of these linguistic quirks are born out of natural linguistic evolution. Often, irregular patterns develop because they’re easier or more fluid to pronounce in daily speech. Over time, what might have started as a colloquial abbreviation becomes standard in the language.
Examples
- 배가 고파요. – I am hungry.
- 내일 너무 바빠요. – I am busy tomorrow.
- 어제 많이 아팠어요. – I was really sick yesterday.
- 서아는 너무 예뻐요. – Seo-ah is very pretty.
- 책을 쓸 거예요. – I will write a book.
Negative sentences
지 않다
VERB STEM + 지 않다
- Take a verb i.e. 고프다
- Drop 다 i.e. 고프
- Add -지 않다 i.e. 고프지 않다
- 바쁘다 –> 바쁘 + 지 않다 –> 바쁘지 않다
- 슬프다 –> 슬프 + 지 않다 –> 슬프지 않다
- 아프다 –> 아프 + 지 않다 –> 아프지 않다
- 쓰다 –> 쓰 + 지 않다 –> 쓰지 않다
안
안 + Conjugated verb
- Take a verb i.e. 바쁘다
- Conjugate it i.e. 바빠요
- Add 안 before the verb i.e. 안 바빠요
- 고프다 –> 고파요 –> 안 고파요
- 슬프다 –> 슬퍼요 –> 안 슬퍼요
- 아프다 –> 아파요 –> 안 앞아요
- 쓰다 –> 써요 –> 안 써요
Both of these can be used interchangeably to create negative sentences.
Activity 1
Conjugate the below to a present tense.
- 크다
- 모으다
- 애쓰다
- 담그다
- 기쁘다
Activity 2
Conjugate the below to the future tense.
- 아프다
- 나쁘다
- 모으다
- 끄다
- 트다
Activity 3
Fill in the blanks.
- 지민은 어제 ___________. – Ji-min was busy yesterday.
- 내일도 해가 __________. – The sun will also rise tomorrow.
- 강아지가 __________. – The puppy is sad.
- 저는 문을 ___________. – I locked the door.
- ______________________. – I want to be busy.
Activity 1 Answers
- 크다 – 커요
- 모으다 – 모아요
- 애쓰다 – 애써요
- 담그다 – 담가요
- 기쁘다 – 기뻐요
Activity 2 Answers
- 아프다 – 아플 거예요
- 나쁘다 – 나쁠 거예요
- 모으다 – 모을 거예요
- 끄다 – 끌 거예요
- 트다 – 틀 거예요
Activity 3 Answers
- 지민은 어제 바빴어요. – Ji-min was busy yesterday.
- 내일도 해가 뜰 거예요. – The sun will also rise tomorrow.
- 강아지가 슬퍼요. – The puppy is sad.
- 저는 문을 잠갔어요. – I locked the door.
- 바쁘고 싶어요. – I want to be busy.
Sorry, the last one was kind of a tricky one :). If you got it, well done, if not don’t worry you will get there.
Wrap up
Well, language legends, we’ve just surfed the wavy seas of ‘으’ irregular verbs. If you feel like you’ve just come out of a K-drama episode full of plot twists, trust me, you’re not alone!
Remember, Korean verbs are like a bowl of kimchi – sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet, often unexpected, but always essential to the meal. And those ‘으’ irregulars? Think of them as the extra crunch in your kimchi – surprising but oh-so-delightful.
Give yourselves a pat on the back, or better yet, treat yourself to some bulgogi or bibimbap, because you’ve just levelled up in your Korean game! And if you ever get tangled up with these tricky verbs again, just remember: practice makes perfect, and laughter makes it easier.
Stay sassy, stay studious, and I’ll catch you on the flip side when we unwrap more linguistic treats of the Korean language. Until then, keep those ‘으’s rolling!