Simple Past Tense for Verbs

Category
Basic Grammar
Premium
Keyword #
단순, 과거
Lesson
16

TL;DR

  • The simple past tense in Korean is formed by attaching -았/었어요 to the verb stem 🎯
  • Use -았어요 after stems ending in ㅏ or ㅗ, and -었어요 after all other vowels 📝
  • This tense describes completed actions in the past, just like "I ate" or "I went" in English ⏰

What is the Simple Past Tense? 🤔

The simple past tense is how we talk about actions that already happened ✅
In English, we say "I ate," "I went," or "I studied" 📚
In Korean, we add special endings to verbs to show that something happened in the past! 🕐

How to Form the Simple Past Tense 🔨

The formula is super simple! 🎉
Verb stem + -았/었어요
But which one do you use? 🧐

Step 1: Find the Verb Stem ✂️

Remove -다 from the dictionary form of the verb 📖
→ 먹다 (to eat) → 먹 (stem)
→ 가다 (to go) → 가 (stem)
→ 공부하다 (to study) → 공부하 (stem)

Step 2: Choose -았어요 or -었어요 🎯

Look at the last vowel of the verb stem! 👀
If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ → use -았어요 🔴
If the last vowel is anything else → use -었어요 🔵

Examples with -았어요 (after ㅏ or ㅗ) 🔴

→ 가다 → 가 + 았어요 = 갔어요 (I went)
→ 오다 → 오 + 았어요 = 왔어요 (I came)
→ 사다 → 사 + 았어요 = 샀어요 (I bought)
→ 만나다 → 만나 + 았어요 = 만났어요 (I met)

Examples with -었어요 (after other vowels) 🔵

→ 먹다 → 먹 + 었어요 = 먹었어요 (I ate)
→ 입다 → 입 + 었어요 = 입었어요 (I wore)
→ 배우다 → 배우 + 었어요 = 배웠어요 (I learned)
→ 마시다 → 마시 + 었어요 = 마셨어요 (I drank)

Special Case: 하다 Verbs 💫

Verbs ending in 하다 have their own special contraction! 🎊
하 + 았어요 = 했어요 (NOT 하았어요) ✨
→ 공부하다 → 공부했어요 (I studied)
→ 일하다 → 일했어요 (I worked)
→ 청소하다 → 청소했어요 (I cleaned)
→ 운동하다 → 운동했어요 (I exercised)

More Example Sentences 💬

→ 어제 영화를 봤어요. (I watched a movie yesterday.)
→ 아침에 빵을 먹었어요. (I ate bread in the morning.)
→ 친구를 만났어요. (I met a friend.)
→ 한국어를 공부했어요. (I studied Korean.)
→ 집에 갔어요. (I went home.)

Exceptions ⚠️

Vowel contractions happen naturally to make pronunciation easier! 😊
When the stem already ends in certain vowels, they combine with -았/었 in special ways:
→ 오다: 오 + 았어요 = 왔어요 (NOT 오았어요)
→ 가다: 가 + 았어요 = 갔어요 (NOT 가았어요)
→ 배우다: 배우 + 었어요 = 배웠어요 (NOT 배우었어요)
→ 마시다: 마시 + 었어요 = 마셨어요 (NOT 마시었어요)
Don't worry too much about memorizing these contractions! 🌈 They'll become natural with practice, and you'll start to hear what sounds right 👂✨
You did great! 🎉 The simple past tense is one of the most useful grammar points you'll learn! 🌟
 
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks with the past tense form of the verb. 📝
 
  • 어제 친구를 . (만나다)
      • Answer
      만났어요
 
 
  • 지난주에 영화를 . (보다)
      • Answer
      봤어요
 
 
  • 오늘 아침에 빵을 . (먹다)
      • Answer
      먹었어요
 
 
  • 작년에 한국어를 . (공부하다)
      • Answer
      공부했어요
 
 
  • 어제 집에서 음악을 . (듣다)
      • Answer
      들었어요
 
 
  • 지난 주말에 친구한테 전화를 . (하다)
      • Answer
      했어요
 
 
  • 어제 저녁에 책을 . (읽다)
      • Answer
      읽었어요
 
 
  • 지난달에 서울에 . (가다)
      • Answer
      갔어요
 
 
  • 어제 밤에 늦게 . (자다)
      • Answer
      잤어요
 
 
  • 아침에 커피를 . (마시다)
      • Answer
      마셨어요
Vocabulary
어제 - yesterday
친구 - friend
만나다 - to meet
지난주 - last week
영화 - movie
보다 - to watch
오늘 아침 - this morning
빵 - bread
먹다 - to eat
작년 - last year
한국어 - Korean language
공부하다 - to study
집 - home
음악 - music
듣다 - to listen
지난 주말 - last weekend
전화 - phone call
하다 - to do
저녁 - evening
책 - book
읽다 - to read
지난달 - last month
서울 - Seoul
가다 - to go
밤 - night
늦게 - late
자다 - to sleep
커피 - coffee
마시다 - to drink
Common mistakes
  • ⚠️ Don't forget to drop the final ㄹ in verbs like 만들다 → 만들었어요 (not 만들ㄹ었어요)
  • ⚠️ Remember that 하다 verbs are irregular: 공부하다 → 공부했어요 (not 공부하였어요)
  • 🔄 Watch out for irregular verbs like 듣다 → 들었어요 (ㄷ changes to ㄹ)
  • 📌 Don't confuse past tense with future tense markers - 았어요/었어요 is past, not ~ㄹ 거예요