Lesson 45: Korean Irregular Verbs “르” (르 불규칙)

안녕하세요, Korean learners! Buckle up, because today, we’re diving deep into the thrilling world of Korean verb dramas, featuring our superstar of the day: irregular verbs with ‘르’!

You might be thinking, “Oh, another irregular? Just when I thought I had things down!” Well, fear not! While these ‘르’ verbs might sound like they’re about to drop the hottest K-pop track of the year, in reality, they’re just here to add a little zest to your Korean learning journey.

If Korean verbs were a K-drama, then ‘르’ irregulars are the charismatic lead that keeps you guessing episode after episode. So grab your popcorn (or kimchi!) and get ready for a rollercoaster ride through the land of ‘르’. Let’s roll (or should I say… ‘르’oll?)!

Ready, set, let’s 시작!

What are 르 Irregular Verbs

“르” irregular verbs are defined by the presence of a “르” syllable immediately before the verb stem’s ending. This “르” is pivotal; when conjugating these verbs, the “르” undergoes a transformation that affects the verb’s entire conjugation process. This change is not merely a grammatical quirk but a reflection of the Korean language’s phonetic rules and its tendency towards ease of pronunciation.

The transformation that “르” irregular verbs undergo is deeply rooted in Korean phonology, specifically in the principle of vowel harmony and the avoidance of sound clusters that are difficult to pronounce. When “르” is followed by a vowel-starting verb ending, the “르” interacts with the following vowel, leading to a change in the verb’s stem. This adjustment ensures smoother transitions between sounds, facilitating ease of speech and maintaining the rhythmic flow of the language.

Conjugation of 르 irregulars to present tense

  1. Take a verb i.e. 모르다
  2. Drop 다 i.e. 다
  3. Drop “르” i.e. 모
  4. Add appropriate ending based on the below (in this case it becomes 몰라요)
  • If the vowel before “르” is ㅏ or ㅗ, add ㄹ라요
  • If the vowel before “르” is not ㅏ or ㅗ, add ㄹ러요
  • 빠르다 –> 빠 + ㄹ라요 –> 빨라요
  • 서두르다 –> 서두 + ㄹ러요 –> 서둘러요
  • 자르다 –> 자 + ㄹ라요 –> 잘라요
  • 찌르다 –> 찌 + ㄹ러요 –> 찔러요

Identifying “르” irregular verbs

Spotting a ‘르’ irregular verb amidst the plethora of verbs in the Korean language can feel like finding Waldo in a crowd. But with a keen eye for detail and a grasp of the rules, you’ll soon become a pro at identifying them. Let’s explore the characteristics and tell-tale signs of ‘르’ irregular verbs.

Stem Check: The most straightforward indicator of a ‘르’ irregular verb is its stem. Remember, in its dictionary form, every Korean verb typically ends with “다” (da). The stem is what remains after you’ve removed the “다”.

If the stem of a verb ends with ‘르’, you’re likely looking at a ‘르’ irregular verb.

Examples:

  • 빠르다 (to be fast): The stem is “빠르”, which ends in ‘르’.
  • 모르다 (to not know): The stem is “모르”, which again ends in ‘르’.

Conjugation Patterns:
One way to confirm if you’re indeed dealing with a ‘르’ irregular is by attempting to conjugate it. If the stem adds an ㄹ when conjugating in certain forms, it’s a ‘르’ irregular.

For example, for the verb “모르다” in the present tense:

  • 모르다 becomes 모 + ㄹ라요 → 몰라요 (doesn’t know)

Common Usage and Context:
Sometimes, recognizing the context in which certain verbs are used can also hint at their ‘르’ irregularity. For instance, verbs like 모르다 (to not know) or 길르다 (to pave) are frequently used in everyday contexts, so with enough exposure, you’ll instinctively identify them as ‘르’ irregulars.

Practice and Immersion:
The more you expose yourself to Korean – be it through reading, listening, or speaking – the better you’ll become at spotting these irregulars. They’ll soon stand out just by the nature of their usage and conjugation.

Common 르 Irregular Verbs

KoreanEnglishHighest honorificPresent tensePast tenseFuture tense
가르다To divide가릅니다갈라요갈랐어요가를 거예요
거르다To filter out거릅니다걸러요걸어요거를 거예요
고르다To choose고릅니다골라요골랐어요고를 거예요
기르다To raise기립니다길러요길렀어요기를 거예요
나르다To carry나릅니다날라요날랐어요나를 거예요
날아오르다To fly up날아오릅니다날아올라요날아올랐어요날아오를 거예요
누르다To press누릅니다눌러요눌렀어요누를 거예요
다르다To be different다릅니다달라요달랐어요다를 거예요
두르다To wrap up두릅니다둘러요둘렀어요두를 거예요
떠오르다To come up떠오릅니다떠올라요떠올랐어요또오를 거예요
뛰어오르다To jump up뛰어오릅니다뛰어올라요뛰어올랐어요뛰어오를 거예요
마르다To dry up마릅니다말라요말랐어요마를 거예요
모르다To not know모릅니다몰라요몰랐어요모를 거예요
목마르다To be thirsty목마릅니다목말라요목말랐어요목마를 거예요
배부르다To be full배부릅니다배불러요배불렀어요배부를 거예요
바르다To put on바릅니다발라요발랐어요바를 거예요
부르다To call부릅니다불러요불렀어요부를 거예요
빠르다To be fast빠릅니다빨라요빨랐어요빠를 거예요
서두르다To hurry up서두릅니다서둘러요서둘렀어요서드를 거예요
서투르다To be clumsy서투릅니다서툴러요서툴렀어요서투를 거예요
앞지르다To get ahead of앞지릅니다앞질러요앞질렀어요앞지를 거예요
오르다To ascend오릅니다올라요올랐어요오를 거예요
자르다To cut off자릅니다잘라요잘랐어요자를 거예요
저지르다To commit crime저지릅니다저질러요저즐렀어요저지를 거예요
지르다To shout out지릅니다질러요질렀어요지를 거예요
차오르다To come up차오릅니다차올라요차올랐어요차오를 거예요
흐르다To flow흐릅니다흘러요흘렀어요흐를 거예요

Negative sentences

안 + Conjugated verb in a present tense

  1. Take a verb i.e. 자르다
  2. Conjugate it i.e. 잘라요
  3. Add 안 before the verb i.e. 안 잘라요
  • 고르다 –> 골라요 –> 안 골라요
  • 부르다 –> 불러요 –> 안 불러요
  • 빠르다 –> 빨라요 –> 안 빨라요
  • 흐르다 –> 흘러요 –> 안 흘러요

지 않다

Now, this one is a little bit different because it doesn’t require the conjugation using the 아/어/여 structure. Therefore, the conjugation becomes the usual conjugation without the irregularities.

VERB STEM + 지 않다

  1. Take a verb i.e. 자르다
  2. Drop 다 i.e. 다
  3. Add -지 않다 i.e. 자르지 않다
  • 고르다 –> 고르 + 지 않다 –> 고르지 않다
  • 부르다 –> 부르 + 지 않다 –> 부르지 않다
  • 흐르다 –> 흐르 + 지 않다 –> 흐르지 않다
  • 빠르다 –> 빠르 + 지 않다 –> 빠르지 않다

Examples

  • 저는 노래를 불러요. – I sing a song.
  • 그 차가 빨라요. – That car is fast.
  • 하나 골랐어요. – I chose one.
  • 이 버튼 누를 거예요. – I will press this button.

Activity 1

Conjugate the below into future tense.

  1. 두르다
  2. 나르다
  3. 다르다
  4. 오르다
  5. 지르다

Activity 2

Make the following sentences negative using “-지 않다”

  1. 갑자기 떠올랐어요.
  2. 배가 배불러요.
  3. 그녀는 노래 불렀어요.
  4. 옷이 다 말랐어요.
  5. 머리를 자를 거예요.

Activity 1 Answers

  1. 두르다 – 두를 거예요
  2. 나르다 – 나를 거예요
  3. 다르다 – 다를 거예요
  4. 오르다 – 오를 거예요
  5. 지르다 – 지를 거예요

Activity 2 Answers

  1. 갑자기 떠오르지 않았어요.
  2. 배가 배부르지 않아요.
  3. 그녀는 노래 부르지 않았어요.
  4. 옷이 다 마르지 않았어요.
  5. 머리를 자르지 않을 거예요.

Wrap up

Alright, superstar Korean learners!

Remember when we started this journey and the ‘르’ irregular verbs seemed like pesky little gremlins trying to mess up our Korean flow? Well, look at us now! Not only did we tame those gremlins, but we also threw them a dance party!

Let’s be real – we’ve tackled a tricky part of the Korean language, and while we might have had a few stumbles along the way (maybe even threw our notebooks in despair… just me?), we’re emerging stronger, smarter, and definitely funnier.

Why? Because now we can proudly tell our friends, “Guess who knows their ‘르’ irregulars and can be super negative in Korean, but in a grammatically correct way? THIS GUY/GAL!”

Jokes aside, you’ve done an amazing job. Pat yourself on the back, reward yourself with some kimchi pancakes or a K-drama binge-watching session, and always remember: Learning is a journey, not a destination. But it does help when there are some good laughs along the way!

Please share your experiences, challenges, or tips related to learning “르” irregular verbs in the comments section below. Your insights could be the guiding light for someone else struggling with these tricky conjugations. Let’s continue to support and inspire each other, building a community of learners who grow together in their pursuit of Korean language mastery.

See you next lesson, where we tackle another delightful chunk of the Korean language. Keep those spirits high and those verbs conjugating!

Korean Irregulars
Korean Irregular Verbs “ㅂ”
Korean Irregular Verbs “ㅡ”
Korean Irregular Verbs “르”
Korean Irregular Verbs “ㄷ”
Korean Irregular Verbs “ㄹ”
Korean Irregular Verbs “ㅅ”
Korean Irregular Verbs “ㅎ”
Scroll to Top