Korean grammar · Level 1 · 1급
V/A-았/었어요
The past
The past works like -아요/어요 from Unit 4. Look at the last vowel of the stem: ㅏ or ㅗ takes -았어요, anything else takes -었어요, and every 하다 verb becomes 했어요. The same vowel merges happen: 가다 → 갔어요, 마시다 → 마셨어요.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| last vowel ㅏ or ㅗ | -았어요 | 가다 → 갔어요 · 보다 → 봤어요 |
| any other vowel | -었어요 | 먹다 → 먹었어요 · 마시다 → 마셨어요 |
| 하다 verbs | 했어요 | 공부하다 → 공부했어요 |
| nouns | 이었어요 / 였어요 | 학생이었어요 · 의사였어요 |
Examples
어제 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend yesterday.
주말에 영화를 봤어요.
I saw a film at the weekend.
아침에 커피를 마셨어요.
I drank coffee in the morning.
Practise it in context · Level 1, Unit 7
What did you do yesterday?
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
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