πŸ•°οΈ

Expressing Past Tense in Speech

Keywords
-μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš”
Lesson #
S
Done
Section
Basic Speaking
πŸ•°οΈ
TL;DR πŸ¦„
  • βœ… -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš” [-at/eot-eo-yo] β€” past tense ending ("did/was")
  • 🍚 λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [meo-geo-sseo-yo] β€” "ate"
  • 🎬 λ΄€μ–΄μš” [bwa-sseo-yo] β€” "watched/saw"
  • πŸ” ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [hae-sseo-sseo-yo] β€” "had done (in the more distant past)"
  • πŸ“… μ–΄μ œ/μ§€λ‚œμ£Όμ— [eo-je/ji-nan-ju-e] β€” "yesterday/last week"
πŸ”Š
🎧 Iru Helper Note β€” Drill past tense conjugations at the Korean Helper Widgets β€” essential for telling stories about your day! πŸ•°οΈ
Β 

🌈 The Big Picture

Korean past tense is formed by adding -μ•˜/μ—ˆ to the verb stem before the polite ending -μ–΄μš”. If the stem's last vowel is ㅏ or γ…—, use -μ•˜μ–΄μš” (κ°€λ‹€β†’κ°”μ–΄μš”); otherwise use -μ—ˆμ–΄μš” (λ¨Ήλ‹€β†’λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš”). ν•˜λ‹€ verbs become ν–ˆμ–΄μš”. πŸ•°οΈ

🎭 Irregular and Contracted Forms

Some verbs contract or change in the past tense:
  • κ°€λ‹€ β†’ κ°”μ–΄μš” [ga-da β†’ ga-sseo-yo] β€” "go β†’ went" 🚢
  • μ˜€λ‹€ β†’ μ™”μ–΄μš” [o-da β†’ wa-sseo-yo] β€” "come β†’ came" πŸšͺ
  • 보닀 β†’ λ΄€μ–΄μš” [bo-da β†’ bwa-sseo-yo] β€” "see β†’ saw" πŸ‘€
  • λ§ˆμ‹œλ‹€ β†’ λ§ˆμ…¨μ–΄μš” [ma-si-da β†’ ma-syeo-sseo-yo] β€” "drink β†’ drank" πŸ₯€
  • λ“£λ‹€ β†’ λ“€μ—ˆμ–΄μš” [deut-da β†’ deu-reo-sseo-yo] β€” "hear β†’ heard" (γ„· irregular) πŸ‘‚

🧳 Essential Phrase Kit

  • λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [meo-geo-sseo-yo] β€” ate 🍚
  • κ°”μ–΄μš” [ga-sseo-yo] β€” went 🚢
  • λ΄€μ–΄μš” [bwa-sseo-yo] β€” watched/saw 🎬
  • ν–ˆμ–΄μš” [hae-sseo-yo] β€” did βœ…
  • λ§Œλ‚¬μ–΄μš” [man-na-sseo-yo] β€” met 🀝
  • μ–΄μ œ [eo-je] β€” yesterday πŸ“…
  • μ§€λ‚œμ£Όμ— [ji-nan-ju-e] β€” last week πŸ—“οΈ
  • 전에 [jeon-e] β€” before βͺ
  • ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [hae-sseo-sseo-yo] β€” had done (more distant past) πŸ”
  • μ–Έμ œ ν–ˆμ–΄μš”? [eon-je hae-sseo-yo?] β€” when did you do it? ❓

πŸ› οΈ Putting It Together

A: 주말에 뭐 ν–ˆμ–΄μš”? B: 친ꡬλ₯Ό λ§Œλ‚¬μ–΄μš”. 그리고 μ˜ν™”λ„ λ΄€μ–΄μš”. [A: ju-ma-re mwo hae-sseo-yo? B: chin-gu-reul man-na-sseo-yo. geu-ri-go yeong-hwa-do bwa-sseo-yo.]
A: "What did you do over the weekend?" B: "I met a friend. And I also watched a movie." 🎬 β€” both verbs take -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš”.
A: ν•œκ΅­ κ°€ λ΄€μ–΄μš”? B: λ„€, λŒ€ν•™μƒ λ•Œ κ°€ λ΄€μ—ˆμ–΄μš”. [A: han-guk ga bwa-sseo-yo? B: ne, dae-hak-saeng ttae ga bwa-sseo-sseo-yo.]
A: "Have you been to Korea?" B: "Yes, I went back when I was a university student." πŸ” β€” λ΄€μ—ˆμ–΄μš” emphasizes it was a while ago, before now.
A: μ–΄μ œ 뭐 λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš”? B: κΉ€μΉ˜μ°Œκ°œ λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. μ§„μ§œ λ§›μžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. [A: eo-je mwo meo-geo-sseo-yo? B: gim-chi-jji-gae meo-geo-sseo-yo. jin-jja ma-si-sseo-sseo-yo.]
A: "What did you eat yesterday?" B: "I ate kimchi-jjigae. It was really delicious." βœ… β€” adjectives also take -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš”: λ§›μžˆλ‹€ β†’ λ§›μžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš”.

πŸ—£οΈ Speaking Practice: Mini Dialogue

Read both roles out loud, then switch roles!
민수: 지은 씨, μ–΄μ œ 뭐 ν–ˆμ–΄μš”?
[Minsu: ji-eun ssi, eo-je mwo hae-sseo-yo?]
Minsu: "Jieun, what did you do yesterday?"
지은: 친ꡬ 집에 κ°”μ–΄μš”. 같이 저녁 λ¨Ήκ³  μ˜ν™” λ΄€μ–΄μš”.
[Jieun: chin-gu ji-be ga-sseo-yo. ga-chi jeo-nyeok meok-go yeong-hwa bwa-sseo-yo.]
Jieun: "I went to a friend's house. We ate dinner and watched a movie together."
민수: μž¬λ―Έμžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš”? 무슨 μ˜ν™”μ˜€μ–΄μš”?
[Minsu: jae-mi-i-sseo-sseo-yo? mu-seun yeong-hwa-yeo-sseo-yo?]
Minsu: "Was it fun? What movie was it?"
지은: λ„€, 정말 μž¬λ―Έμžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. μ½”λ―Έλ”” μ˜ν™”μ˜€μ–΄μš”.
[Jieun: ne, jeong-mal jae-mi-i-sseo-sseo-yo. ko-mi-di yeong-hwa-yeo-sseo-yo.]
Jieun: "Yes, it was really fun. It was a comedy."
민수: μ’‹μ•˜κ² μ–΄μš”! μ €λŠ” μ§‘μ—μ„œ κ·Έλƒ₯ μ‰¬μ—ˆμ–΄μš”.
[Minsu: jo-a-tge-sseo-yo! jeo-neun ji-be-seo geu-nyang swi-eo-sseo-yo.]
Minsu: "That sounds great! I just rested at home."
지은: μ‰¬λŠ” 것도 μ’‹μ£ !
[Jieun: swi-neun geot-do jo-chyo!]
Jieun: "Resting is good too!"

🧭 Speaking Tip

To say "have you ever...?" use -μ•„/μ–΄ λ΄€μ–΄μš”? ("have you tried...?"): λ¨Ήμ–΄ λ΄€μ–΄μš”? ("have you eaten it [before]?"). The answer λ„€, λ¨Ήμ–΄ λ΄€μ–΄μš” ("yes, I've eaten it") describes an experience, while λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” alone is just a simple past statement ("I ate"). πŸ•°οΈ

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

❌ Forgetting vowel harmony (ㅏ/γ…— β†’ μ•˜, everything else β†’ μ—ˆ) β†’ βœ… κ°€λ‹€β†’κ°”μ–΄μš” (ㅏ), λ¨Ήλ‹€β†’λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” (γ…“).
❌ Using present tense when telling a story about the past β†’ βœ… Keep all verbs in -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš” once you start narrating: κ°”μ–΄μš”, λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš”, λ΄€μ–΄μš”.
❌ Saying ν•˜λ‹€ verbs as ν•˜μ•˜μ–΄μš” β†’ βœ… ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ν–ˆμ–΄μš” (irregular contraction).
❌ Overusing ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” for everything β†’ βœ… Use plain -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš” for most past events; ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” is for emphasizing "long ago" or contrast with now.
You're ready to talk about the past in Korean β€” μž˜ν–ˆμ–΄μš”! πŸ•°οΈβœ¨
Β 
Try this exercise
Instructions: Conjugate or translate each item into the past tense.
1. Conjugate κ°€λ‹€ ("go") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
κ°”μ–΄μš” [ga-sseo-yo]
2. Conjugate λ¨Ήλ‹€ ("eat") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [meo-geo-sseo-yo]
3. Conjugate 보닀 ("watch/see") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
λ΄€μ–΄μš” [bwa-sseo-yo]
4. Conjugate ν•˜λ‹€ ("do") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
ν–ˆμ–΄μš” [hae-sseo-yo]
5. True or False: κ°€λ‹€ β†’ κ°”μ–΄μš” because the stem vowel is ㅏ.
Answer
True
6. Conjugate λ§ˆμ‹œλ‹€ ("drink") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
λ§ˆμ…¨μ–΄μš” [ma-syeo-sseo-yo]
7. Fill in: μ–΄μ œ 친ꡬλ₯Ό οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ–΄μš”. ("I met a friend yesterday.")
Answer
λ§Œλ‚¬ [man-nat]
8. Translate: "Have you ever eaten kimchi?" οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
κΉ€μΉ˜ λ¨Ήμ–΄ λ΄€μ–΄μš”? [gim-chi meo-geo bwa-sseo-yo?]
9. True or False: ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” emphasizes that something happened a while ago.
Answer
True
10. Practice saying this out loud: μ§€λ‚œμ£Όμ— 친ꡬλ₯Ό λ§Œλ‚¬μ–΄μš”. 같이 λ°₯ λ¨Ήκ³  컀피도 λ§ˆμ…¨μ–΄μš”. [ji-nan-ju-e chin-gu-reul man-na-sseo-yo. ga-chi bap meok-go ko-pi-do ma-syeo-sseo-yo.]
Answer
"I met a friend last week. We ate together and also drank coffee." β†’ A complete past-tense story!
πŸ“š
Vocabulary Box
  • κ°€λ‹€ β†’ κ°”μ–΄μš” β†’ go β†’ went
  • λ¨Ήλ‹€ β†’ λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” β†’ eat β†’ ate
  • 보닀 β†’ λ΄€μ–΄μš” β†’ see β†’ saw
  • ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ν–ˆμ–΄μš” β†’ do β†’ did
  • λ§ˆμ‹œλ‹€ β†’ λ§ˆμ…¨μ–΄μš” β†’ drink β†’ drank
  • λ§Œλ‚˜λ‹€ β†’ λ§Œλ‚¬μ–΄μš” β†’ meet β†’ met
  • μ–΄μ œ [eo-je] β†’ yesterday
  • μ§€λ‚œμ£Ό [ji-nan-ju] β†’ last week
  • 전에 [jeon-e] β†’ before
  • -μ•„/μ–΄ λ΄€μ–΄μš” β†’ have you ever...?
Pitfalls πŸ’‘
  • ㅏ/γ…— β†’ μ•˜, else β†’ μ—ˆ
  • ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ν–ˆμ–΄μš”
  • ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” = long ago
πŸš€
Want more reps? Visit the Practice Hub when you're ready! πŸš€
Β 
πŸ“¦
🎯 Practice Hub β€” Expressing Past Tense in Speech (κ³Όκ±° μ‹œμ œ)
μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”! [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo] Let's talk about what already happened! πŸ•°οΈβœ¨
πŸ”Š Audio reminder: Use the Korean Helper Widgets to hear any phrase.

Exercise 1 β€” Basic Conjugation βœ…

A. Conjugate μžλ‹€ ("sleep") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
μž€μ–΄μš” [ja-sseo-yo]
B. Conjugate 읽닀 ("read") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
μ½μ—ˆμ–΄μš” [il-geo-sseo-yo]
C. Fill in: μ–΄μ œλŠ” 날씨가 οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ–΄μš”. ("Yesterday the weather was nice.")
Answer
μ’‹μ•˜ [jo-at]
D. True or False: Adjectives like μ’‹λ‹€ also take -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš”.
Answer
True
E. Conjugate μ˜€λ‹€ ("come") into past tense. οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
μ™”μ–΄μš” [wa-sseo-yo]
F. Fill in: 아침에 일찍 οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ–΄μš”. ("I woke up early in the morning.")
Answer
일어났 [i-reo-nat]
G. True or False: μΌμ–΄λ‚˜λ‹€ β†’ μΌμ–΄λ‚¬μ–΄μš” follows the ㅏ vowel rule.
Answer
True
H. Translate: "I cleaned the house yesterday." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
μ–΄μ œ 집을 μ²­μ†Œν–ˆμ–΄μš” [eo-je ji-beul cheong-so-hae-sseo-yo]
I. Fill in: μ§€λ‚œμ£Όμ— οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ μžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. ("I had a meeting last week.")
Answer
νšŒμ˜κ°€ [hoe-i-ga]
J. Practice saying this out loud: μ–΄μ œ 아침에 일찍 μΌμ–΄λ‚˜μ„œ μš΄λ™ν–ˆμ–΄μš”. 그리고 집을 μ²­μ†Œν–ˆμ–΄μš”. [eo-je a-chi-me il-jjik i-reo-na-seo un-dong-hae-sseo-yo. geu-ri-go ji-beul cheong-so-hae-sseo-yo.]
Answer
"Yesterday I woke up early and exercised. And I cleaned the house." β†’ A productive day, in the past tense!
πŸ“š
Quick Reference:
  • -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš”
  • adjectives conjugate too
  • μΌμ–΄λ‚˜λ‹€ β†’ μΌμ–΄λ‚¬μ–΄μš”

Exercise 2 β€” Telling a Story πŸ“–

A. Translate: "Last weekend I went to Busan with my family." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
μ§€λ‚œ 주말에 κ°€μ‘±μ΄λž‘ 뢀산에 κ°”μ–΄μš” [ji-nan ju-ma-re ga-jo-gi-rang bu-sa-ne ga-sseo-yo]
B. Fill in: λ°”λ‹€μ—μ„œ οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. ("I swam in the sea.")
Answer
μˆ˜μ˜ν–ˆ [su-yeong-haet]
C. True or False: μˆ˜μ˜ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ μˆ˜μ˜ν–ˆμ–΄μš” follows the ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ν–ˆμ–΄μš” pattern.
Answer
True
D. Translate: "We also ate delicious seafood." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
λ§›μžˆλŠ” 해산물도 λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [ma-sin-neun hae-san-mul-do meo-geo-sseo-yo]
E. Fill in: 정말 οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. ("It was really fun.")
Answer
재미있 [jae-mi-it]
F. True or False: μž¬λ―Έμžˆλ‹€ β†’ μž¬λ―Έμžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” is correct.
Answer
True
G. Translate: "I want to go again next time." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
λ‹€μŒμ— 또 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [da-eu-me tto ga-go si-peo-yo]
H. Fill in: οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ κ°€ λ΄€μ–΄μš”? ("Have you ever been to Busan?")
Answer
뢀산에 [bu-sa-ne]
I. True or False: κ°€ λ΄€μ–΄μš”? asks about a past experience.
Answer
True
J. Practice saying this out loud: μž‘λ…„μ— 뢀산에 κ°€ λ΄€μ–΄μš”. 바닀도 보고 λ§›μžˆλŠ” μŒμ‹λ„ λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. 정말 μ’‹μ•˜μ–΄μš”. [jak-nyeo-ne bu-sa-ne ga bwa-sseo-yo. ba-da-do bo-go ma-sin-neun eum-sik-do meo-geo-sseo-yo. jeong-mal jo-a-sseo-yo.]
Answer
"I went to Busan last year. I saw the sea and ate delicious food too. It was really nice." β†’ A full travel story!
πŸ“š
Quick Reference:
  • μˆ˜μ˜ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ μˆ˜μ˜ν–ˆμ–΄μš”
  • μž¬λ―Έμžˆλ‹€ β†’ μž¬λ―Έμžˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš”
  • κ°€ λ΄€μ–΄μš” = have been

Exercise 3 β€” Comparing Past Forms πŸ”

A. Translate: "I studied Korean before." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
전에 ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό κ³΅λΆ€ν–ˆμ–΄μš” [jeon-e han-gu-geo-reul gong-bu-hae-sseo-yo]
B. Fill in: λŒ€ν•™μƒ λ•Œ ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ–΄μš”. ("I had studied Korean back in college.")
Answer
κ³΅λΆ€ν–ˆμ—ˆ [gong-bu-hae-sseot]
C. True or False: κ³΅λΆ€ν–ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” implies it was a while ago and may not be current.
Answer
True
D. Translate: "I just ate lunch (recently/simple past)." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
점심을 λ¨Ήμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [jeom-si-meul meo-geo-sseo-yo]
E. Fill in: 어렸을 λ•Œ κ·Έ 동넀에 οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏμ–΄μš”. ("When I was young, I had lived in that neighborhood.")
Answer
μ‚΄μ•˜μ—ˆ [sa-ra-sseot]
F. True or False: 어렸을 λ•Œ means "when I was young."
Answer
True
G. Translate: "I haven't seen that movie yet." οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ
Answer
κ·Έ μ˜ν™” 아직 μ•ˆ λ΄€μ–΄μš” [geu yeong-hwa a-jik an bwa-sseo-yo]
H. Fill in: οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ μ•ˆ οΌΏοΌΏοΌΏοΌΏ. means "not yet" + past verb (e.g., "haven't done yet").
Answer
아직 / [verb]μ–΄μš” [a-jik]
I. True or False: 아직 means "yet/still."
Answer
True
J. Practice saying this out loud: μ˜ˆμ „μ— κ·Έ 식당에 κ°€ λ΄€μ—ˆμ–΄μš”. 근데 μš”μ¦˜μ€ μ•ˆ κ°€ λ΄€μ–΄μš”. λ‹€μŒμ— 또 κ°€ 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. [ye-jeo-ne geu sik-dang-e ga bwa-sseo-sseo-yo. geun-de yo-jeu-meun an ga bwa-sseo-yo. da-eu-me tto ga bo-go si-peo-yo.]
Answer
"I had been to that restaurant before. But I haven't been there lately. I want to go again sometime." β†’ Past vs. recent past contrasted!
πŸ“š
Everyday Cheat Sheet:
  • -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš” = simple past
  • -μ•˜/μ—ˆμ—ˆμ–΄μš” = distant/contrastive past
  • 아직 μ•ˆ ~μ•˜/μ—ˆμ–΄μš” = haven't yet
πŸŽ‰ μž˜ν–ˆμ–΄μš”! [jal-haess-eo-yo] Now you can confidently talk about the past in Korean β€” ν™”μ΄νŒ…! πŸ•°οΈβœ¨