V/Adj/이다,아니다 + 어요/아요(어요?/아요?)
1. Indicates the sentence is declarative/questioning + polite. It is the most basic speech style in Korean that can be used universally as a polite closing ending—it can be used with strangers, superiors, and friends alike.
When using this with close friends or younger people, you can just remove the "-요" (After studying this page, please refer to the "-어(-어?)" page in the Informal section.)
저는 한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean.
우리 언니는 예뻐요.
My older sister is pretty.
- Simply adding a question mark, like ‘-어요?’ makes it into an interrogative(questioning) sentence. While declarative sentences are spoken with a slightly falling intonation at the end↘️, interrogative sentences are distinguished by raising the intonation slightly at the end↗️.
수지 씨는 지금 뭐 해요?
What is Suzy doing now?
언니가 예뻐요?
Is your sister pretty?
맛있어요?
Delicious?
V+ 어요
2. indicates the sentence is propositive(suggesting) + polite. In most situations, -요 is declarative, but depending on the context, it can also be used for suggesting or imperative purposes. Generally, you will be able to easily distinguish these usages through context.
우리 내일 3시에 만나요.
Let's meet at 3 o'clock tomorrow
우리 같이 집에 가요.
Let's go home together.
V + 어요
3. indicates the sentence is imperative + polite.
기다려요.
Wait.
빨리 먹어요.
Eat quickly.
1. Basic Rule
Please check the root’s last letter’s vowel first. If it’s ㅏ or ㅗ, you put -아요. If it’s the rest of the vowels, you put -어요. If it’s -하다 form, change the ‘하다’ into ‘해요’. To be precise, when -하다 combines with -여요, it becomes 하여요, but it’s mostly just shortened to 해요.
2. Shorten Rule
If you can pronounce it shorter, shorten it. (For now, don't focus on the meaning of the words, just look at the form)(Read this three times quickly. Will "-시어" sound like "-셔"?)
1. Drop out ‘아’ or ‘어’ | 가다 → 가아요 → 가요 서다 → 서어요 → 서요 지내다 → 지내어요 → 지내요 (Think of the ㅐ sound as already containing ㅓ and omit the ㅓ.) |
2. Combine ㅗ+ㅏ into ㅘ ㅜ +ㅓ into ㅝ | 보다 → 보아요 → 봐요 주다 → 주어요 → 줘요 |
3,. Change ‘l’ into ‘ㅕ’ | 느리다 → 느리어요 → 느려요 마시다 → 마시어요 → 마셔요 (Read ‘마시어요’ three times quickly. "-시어" will sound like "-셔") |
4. Drop out ‘으’ | 나쁘다 → 나쁘아요 → 나빠요 예쁘다 → 예쁘어요→ 예뻐요 (Since the '으' sound drops out, look at the previous letter to choose between -아요 or -어요. For example, 나 has the ㅏ sound, so you choose -ㅏ요 for 나빠요. Similarly, 예 is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so you choose -ㅓ요 for 예뻐요.) 크다 → 크어요 → 커요 쓰다 → 쓰어요 → 써요 (For one-letter verb roots with no previous letter to check, just add -어요 and omit the '으') |
3. Exceptions Rule
While we will learn various conjugation endings going forward, rule #2 only applies to endings that start with -어 (ex. -어요, -어서, -어서인지...), but rule #3 is an "Exception Rule" that applies to all endings that start with a vowel(ex. -을 것이다, -읍시다, -으려고, -어요, -어서…). Since -어요/-아요 that we're learning now also starts with a vowel, this "Exception Rule" applies to it as well.
ㅤ | Words that follow exception rules | Words that follow just regular rules | ㅤ |
1. Change ‘ㄷ’ 받침 into ‘ㄹ’ 받침 | 듣다 -> 들 -> 들어요 걷다 -> 걸 -> 걸어요 | 믿다 -> 믿어요 받다 -> 받아요 | ㅤ |
2. Change ‘ㅂ’ 받침 into ‘ㅜ’ | 덥다 -> 더ㅜ -> 더우어요 → 더워요 춥다 -> 추ㅜ -> 추우어요 → 추워요 | (these two are pretty much all) 잡다 -> 잡 -> 잡아요 입다 -> 입 -> 입어요 | ㅤ |
3. Change ‘르’ into ‘ㄹ,ㄹ’ | 모르다 -> 몰ㄹ -> 몰라요 누르다 -> 눌ㄹ -> 눌러요 | (this is pretty much all) 다다르다->다다르아요->다다라요 | ㅤ |
(Which words follow exception rules and which follow regular rules is random and you just have to memorize them. However, since there aren't that many of these words, you'll be able to memorize them without much difficulty as you continue practicing!)
Since there aren't many examples of the exception rules below, it's okay to just read through them once and move on for now.
4. Eliminate ‘ㅅ’ | 짓다 -> 짓 -> 지 -> 지어요 붓다 -> 붓 -> 부 -> 부어요 | 솟다 -> 솟아요 벗다 -> 벗어요 |
5. Eliminate ‘ㅎ’ | 어떻다 -> 어떠 -> 어때요 하얗다 -> 하야 -> 하얘요 | 좋다 -> 좋아요 |
6. Eliminate ‘우’ | 푸다 -> 푸 -> ㅍ -> 퍼요 | 두다 -> 두어요 -> 둬요 주다 -> 주어요 -> 줘요 |
- From now on, on the other pages, I will write it simply like this;
Vowelㅏ,ㅗ | 아요 | ex. 가요, 와요, 살아요 |
Vowelㅏ,ㅗ X | 어요 | ex. 먹어요, 줘요, 마셔요 |
- 하다 Verb/Adjective | 여요 | ex. 해요(=하여요), 운전해요, 결혼해요 |
이다,아니다 | ㅤ | N+이에요/예요, N+아니에요 |
ㅤ | Exception rule | ex. 들어요, 누워요, 골라요, 지어요 |
Change the base form into -어요/아요 form
to go | 가다 | ㅤ |
to eat | 먹다 | ㅤ |
to come | 오다 | ㅤ |
to be happy | 행복하다 | ㅤ |
to be good | 좋다 | ㅤ |
to be cold | 춥다 | ㅤ |
to be hot | 덥다 | ㅤ |
to give | 주다 | ㅤ |
to write/use | 쓰다 | ㅤ |
to read | 읽다 | ㅤ |
to listen/hear | 듣다 | ㅤ |
to exercise | 운동하다 | ㅤ |
to spend time | 지내다 | ㅤ |
to buy | 사다 | ㅤ |
to live | 살다 | ㅤ |
to ride | 타다 | ㅤ |
to walk | 걷다 | ㅤ |
to choose | 고르다 | ㅤ |
to be a student | '학생'이다 | ㅤ |
to be a mother | '엄마'다 | ㅤ |
to not be a student | '학생' 아니다 | ㅤ |
to not be a mother | '엄마' 아니다 | ㅤ |
Words & Answer
Words
한국어 | English |
공부하다 | to study |
우리 | we, our |
언니 | older sister (for women) |
예쁘다 | to be pretty |
지금 | now |
뭐 | what |
맛있다 | to be delicious |
내일 | tomorrow |
만나요 | to meet |
같이 | together |
가다 | to go |
기다리다 | to wait |
빨리 | quickly |
먹다 | to eat |
Answer
to go | 가다 | 가요 |
to eat | 먹다 | 먹어요 |
to come | 오다 | 와요 |
to be happy | 행복하다 | 행복해요 |
to be good | 좋다 | 좋아요 |
to be cold | 춥다 | 추워요 |
to be hot | 덥다 | 더워요 |
to give | 주다 | 줘요 |
to write/use | 쓰다 | 써요 |
to read | 읽다 | 읽어요 |
to listen/hear | 듣다 | 들어요 |
to exercise | 운동하다 | 운동해요 |
to spend time | 지내다 | 지내요 |
to buy | 사다 | 사요 |
to live | 살다 | 살아요 |
to ride | 타다 | 타요 |
to walk | 걷다 | 걸어요 |
to choose | 고르다 | 골라요 |
to be a student | '학생'이다 | '학생'이에요 |
to be a mother | '엄마'다 | '엄마'예요 |
to not be a student | '학생' 아니다 | '학생' 아니에요 |
to not be a mother | '엄마' 아니다 | '엄마' 아니에요 |
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