TL;DR
- Use -ㄴ/은 after verb stems to turn past tense verbs into adjectives that describe nouns 🎨
- Add -ㄴ after vowel-ending stems, -은 after consonant-ending stems 📝
- This creates the meaning of "the [noun] that [did something]" or "the [past action] [noun]" ✨
What is this? 🤔
You know how in English we can say "the broken chair" or "the book I read"?
Korean does the same thing, but with a special ending! 💫
When you want to describe a noun using a past action, you add -ㄴ/은 to the verb stem. This turns the verb into a modifier 🪄
How to form it 🔨
Super simple rules! 🎯
Vowel ending → add -ㄴ
→ 먹다 (to eat) → 먹은 음식 (food that was eaten)
→ 보다 (to see) → 본 영화 (movie that was seen)
Consonant ending → add -은
→ 읽다 (to read) → 읽은 책 (book that was read)
→ 입다 (to wear) → 입은 옷 (clothes that were worn)
More examples 📚
→ 어제 만난 친구 (the friend I met yesterday)
→ 엄마가 만든 음식 (food that mom made)
→ 작년에 간 여행 (the trip I went on last year)
→ 내가 산 가방 (the bag I bought)
→ 우리가 본 영화 (the movie we saw)
Word order matters! 📍
Remember: the modifier always comes before the noun in Korean! 🔄
Unlike English where we can say "the book that I read" (modifier comes after), Korean always puts it first: 읽은 책 📖
Common mistakes to avoid ⚠️
Don't confuse this with the present modifier -는! 👀
→ 먹는 음식 = food that (someone) eats (ongoing/habitual)
→ 먹은 음식 = food that was eaten (completed action)
With 이다 (to be) 🌟
For 이다, the past modifier form is 이었던/였던:
→ 학생이었던 사람 (the person who was a student)
→ 배우였던 친구 (the friend who was an actor)
Exceptions 🚨
Irregular verbs still follow their patterns! 🎭
ㄷ irregular:
→ 듣다 → 들은 음악 (music that was heard)
ㅂ irregular:
→ 춥다 → 추웠던 날 (the day that was cold)
Note: For adjectives in the past, you'll often see -았/었던 instead of just -ㄴ/은* for a more natural sound! 🎵
르 irregular:
→ 부르다 → 부른 노래 (song that was sung)
Pro tip! 💡
This grammar point is everywhere in Korean! 🌏
Once you start noticing it, you'll see it in almost every conversation, article, and drama episode. It's one of the most useful tools for creating detailed, natural-sounding Korean! 🎬✨
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks using the past noun modifier -ㄴ/은. 📝
- 어제 _ 영화가 정말 재미있었어요. (보다)
Answer
본
- 지난주에 _ 책을 친구한테 빌려줬어요. (사다)
Answer
산
- 작년에 _ 여행이 아직도 기억에 남아요. (가다)
Answer
간
- 아까 _ 음식이 너무 맛있었어요. (먹다)
Answer
먹은
- 어릴 때 _ 동네에 다시 가보고 싶어요. (살다)
Answer
살던
- 방금 _ 전화가 누구예요? (오다)
Answer
온
- 지난달에 _ 프로젝트가 드디어 끝났어요. (시작하다)
Answer
시작한
- 아침에 _ 커피가 벌써 식었어요. (만들다)
Answer
만든
- 어제 _ 사람을 오늘 또 만났어요. (만나다)
Answer
만난
- 지난번에 _ 식당에 다시 가고 싶어요. (가다)
Answer
간
Vocabulary
보다 - to watch, to see
사다 - to buy
가다 - to go
먹다 - to eat
살다 - to live
오다 - to come
시작하다 - to start, to begin
만들다 - to make
만나다 - to meet
식당 - restaurant
영화 - movie
책 - book
여행 - trip, travel
음식 - food
동네 - neighborhood
전화 - phone call
프로젝트 - project
커피 - coffee
사람 - person
Common mistakes
- 🚫 Don't forget that verb stems ending in ㄹ drop the ㄹ before adding -ㄴ (e.g., 만들다 → 만든, not 만들ㄴ)
- ⚠️ Remember that 있다/없다 use -던 instead of -ㄴ/은 when describing past states
- 💡 For action verbs ending in a vowel, use -ㄴ; for verbs ending in a consonant, use -은
- 🔄 Be careful not to confuse -ㄴ/은 (completed action) with -던 (habitual or ongoing past action)