Korean grammar · Level 2 · 2급
ㅅ 불규칙
ㅅ disappears
Some verbs drop their final ㅅ before a vowel: 낫다 (to get better) → 나아요, 붓다 (to swell) → 부어요. The vowels don't merge after the ㅅ goes — it's 나아요, never 나요. Many ㅅ verbs are regular: 씻다 → 씻어요, 웃다 → 웃어요.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| before a vowel | ㅅ drops | 낫다 → 나아요 · 나으세요 · 나았어요 |
| before a consonant | no change | 낫고 · 낫지 않아요 |
| regular ㅅ verbs | no change | 씻다 → 씻어요 · 웃다 → 웃어요 |
Examples
감기가 다 나았어요.
My cold is completely better.
빨리 나으세요.
Get well soon.
다리가 부었어요.
My leg is swollen.
Practise it in context · Level 2, Unit 4
Where does it hurt?
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
Open the unit →