I. Examples
The past tense form in Korean is made by adding -았/었- to their word stems. When the vowel part of the word stem ends in ㅏ or ㅗ, -았어요 is added, whereas -었어요 is added when the stem ends in any other vowel. For verbs and adjective whose word stem ends in 하다, -였어요 is added, which is shortened from “하+였어요” to 했어요. The formal polite style of 았어요/었어요/했어요 is 았습니다/었습니다/했습니다.
<Example 1>
- 작년에 결혼했어요. (We married last year.)
<Example 2>
- 2000년 1월 1일에 태어났어요.
((The baby) was born on January 1st, 2000.)
II. Grammar Point
1. ㅏ or ㅗ + 았어요 / 았습니다
- 앉다(sit) + -았어요 / 았습니다
= 앉았어요 / 앉았습니다(sat)
- 닫다(close) + -았어요 / 았습니다
= 닫았아요 / 닫았습니다(closed)
- 만나다(meet) + -았어요 / 았습니다
= 만났어요/만났습니다(met)
* 만나 + 았어요 –> 나 + 았 = 났
2. Other Vowels + 었어요 / 었습니다
A. Regular Form
- 씻다(wash) + -었어요 / 었습니다
= 씻었어요 / 씻었습니다(washed)
- 있다(there is / are) + -었어요 / 었습니다
= 있었어요 / 있었습니다(there was / were)
- 열다(open) + -었어요 / 었습니다
= 열었어요 / 열었습니다(opened)
B. Irregular Form
- 쓰다(write) + -었어요 / 었습니다
= 썼어요 / 썼었습니다(wrote)
- 줍다(pick) + -었어요 / 었습니다
= 주웠어요 / 주웠습니다(picked)
- 부르다(call) + -었어요 / 었습니다
= 불렀어요 / 불렀습니다(called)
3. Some Exceptions
- 주다(give) + -었어요
= both 주었어요 & 줬어
(contracted form) can be used
- 보다(see) + -았어요
= both 보았어요 & 봤어요
(contracted form) can be used
- 오다(come) + -았어요
= only 왔어요 can be used / 오았어요(X)
Like all languages, Korean grammar has rules, and of course, exceptions. So, encountering these exceptions might be challenging, but remember, learning a foreign language is a struggle everyone goes through. Do not get discouraged by these. Keep practicing and improving your overall Korean language skills, and naturally, you will grasp these exceptions as well.
4. 하다 –> 했어요 / 했습니다
- 공부하다(study)
–> 공부했어요 / 했습니다(studied)
- 운동하다(exercise)
–> 운동했어요 / 했습니다(exercised)
- 요리하다(cook)
–> 요리했어요 / 했습니다(cooked)
- 졸업하다(graduate)
–> 졸업했어요 / 했습니다(graduated)
5. 이다 –> 였어요 / 이었어요
A. Ending in Vowel –> 였어요 / 였습니다
- 간호사였어요 (was / were a nurse)
- 판사였어요 (was / were a judge)
B. Ending in Consonant –> 이었어요 / 이었습니다
- 경찰이었어요 (was / were a police)
- 군인이었어요 (was / were a soldier)
6. 아니다 –> 가 아니었어요 / 이 아니었어요
A. Ending in Vowel –> 가 아니었어요 / 아니었습니다
- 간호사가 아니었어요 (was / were not a nurse)
- 판사가 아니었어요 (was / were not a judge)
B. Ending in Consonant –> 이 아니었어요 / 아니었습니다
- 경찰이 아니었어요 (was / were not a police)
- 군인이 아니었어요 (was / were not a soldier)
III. Practice
- 노래를 ___ (부르다)
- 영화가 ___ (재미있다)
- 작년에 학교를 ___ (졸업하다)
- 넷플릭스를 ___ (보다)
- 친구가 나의 집에 ___ (오다)
IV. See More
- Korean Grammar Beginner <Tenses> (1): Present -A/V -(스)ㅂ니다
- Korean Grammar Beginner <Tenses> (2): Present -A/V -아/아요
- Korean Grammar Beginner -Tenses- (3): Past A/V-았/어요
- Korean Grammar Beginner -Tenses- (4): Future V-(으)ㄹ 거예요
- Korean Grammar Beginner -Tenses- (5): Progressive V-고 있다
- Korean Grammar Beginner -Tenses- (6): Past Perfect A/V -았/었었어요