How do you form the past tense in Korean?

The Korean past tense often functions similarly to the past tense in English, indicating that an event has already happened. The simple past tense does not imply that an event or action is still in effect; it only describes a moment in the past. Conjugating for the past tense occurs at the end of the sentence using 었/았/ㅆ다. Let’s learn how to form the past tense!

Dictionary form is exactly what it sounds like — it’s the form of a verb or adjective (yes, adjectives conjugate like verbs in Korean!) that one may find in the dictionary. Understanding the dictionary form of a verb or adjective helps determine how the word will be conjugated in a sentence later on.

When referring to the dictionary (or most basic) form of a word, English usually puts the words ‘to’ or ‘to be’ in front of a verb or adjective. Korean’s version of ‘to’ or ‘to be’ is to use 다 at the end of a verb or adjective stem. Here are some examples:

• 먹다 (meaning to eat)

• 슬프다 (meaning to be sad)

• 이다 (meaning to be)

• 숙제하다 (meaning to do homework)

Let’s take a look at how to go from the dictionary form to the past tense of a verb or adjective.

To conjugate a Korean verb or an adjective in the past tense, follow these steps:

1. Delete the ending 다 of the dictionary form: this will leave you with what we call the “stem.”

2. Look at the last vowel of the verb or adjective stem.

3. If the verb or adjective ends in ㅗ or ㅏ, add 았다 to the stem.

4. If the last vowel is any other letter (see exceptions below), add 었다.

For example, 불다 (meaning to blow):

• After deleting 다, you are left with the stem 불

• The last vowel is ㅜ

• So: 불 + 었다 = 불었다

Here are some more examples:

The Korean past tense is similar to the English simple past tense and yet there are some differences. In this section, we will discuss the similarities and differences between the Korean past tense form -었/았 and the English past tense.

1. Just like the English past tense, the Korean past tense is used to describe an action or an event that happened in the past. Words indicating time such as 어제 (meaning yesterday) and 작년 (meaning last year) are often used together in a sentence for clarification.

   우리는 어제 공원을 산책했다.

   Translation: We took a walk in the park.
   작년 겨울은 추웠다.

   Translation: Last winter was cold.

2. The Korean past tense form -었/았 should be used to describe a present situation that is the result of a previously completed action. For example:

   • Let's say that Youngmi finished putting clothes on and is still wearing them. We can use 입다 (meaning to wear) in the past tense form, though it clearly describes a present situation. The use of 오늘 (meaning today) confirms that the speaker is describing a current situation:

     past tense

     영미는 오늘 청바지와 티셔츠를 입었어요.

     Translation: Youngmi wore a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today.
     Youngmi is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today.

     The sentence above can be rewritten using the present progressive form -고 있다.

     present progressive

     영미는 오늘 청바지와 티셔츠를 입고 있어요.

     Translation: Youngmi is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today.

   • Now, let's say Youngmi finished the motion of sitting and is still sitting. We can say:

     past tense

     영미는 마이클 옆에 앉았어요.

     Translation: Youngmi sat next to Michael.
     Youngmi is sitting next to Michael.

     The sentence can be rewritten using the form -어/아 있다, which describes continuity.

     continuous state

     영미는 마이클 옆에 앉아 있어요.

     Translation: Youngmi is sitting next to Michael.

3. Koreans sometimes use the past tense form to talk about a future situation when the speaker thinks the future situation is destined to happen. However, the use is limited and it is used only colloquially.

   너 내일 엄마한테 혼났다!

   Translation: You will definitely get yelled at by Mom tomorrow.
   내일 비 온대. 소풍은 다 갔다.

   Translation: I heard it would rain tomorrow. So much for “a picnic.”

4. Some English present-tense sentences are translated into past tense in Korean. To understand why, pay special attention to the literal meaning of the Korean words. Here are a few examples to illustrate the point:

   • Example 1:

     past tensepresent tense

     ✅ 민수는 잘 생겼어요.
     ❌ 민수는 잘 생겨요.

     Translation: Minsu is handsome.

     Literally: lit. Minsu was formed well

     In English, we express this sentence with an adjective, but in Korean it is expressed with the verb생기다 (meaning to form). Therefore the literal meaning of잘 생기다 is “formed well." Since Minsu’s appearance was formed at birth, it is always used in the past tense.

   • Example 2:

     past tensepresent tense

     ✅ 저희 아버지는 늙으셨어요.
     ❌ 저희 아버지는 늙으세요.

     Translation: My father is old.

     Literally: lit. My father became old.

     Verbs that express aging are used in the past tense form, as with 오래 됐어요 (meaning it's been a while) or 나이가 들었어요 (meaning to have aged). However, 젊다 (meaning to be young) however, is generally used in the present tense form, unless you are recollecting a past event.

The Korean language has a unique grammar feature called “double past tense.” As the name implies, the double past tense uses the past tense form 았/었 twice, resulting in -었았, -았었, or -ㅆ었. It is used to express something or a situation that occurred in the past but did not continue or is no longer valid in the present.

• Add -았었 when the word stem has ㅏ or ㅗ vowel

• add -었았 otherwise

• Use -했었 for words ending with 하다.

Let’s take a look at some sentence examples.

1. 그랜드 캐년에 한 번 갔었어요.

   Translation: I’ve been to the Grand Canyon once.

   indicates that the speaker went to the Grand Canyon but is no longer there.
2. 영미가 어렸을 때 키가 작았었어요.

   Translation: Youngmi was short as a child.

   hints that the speaker is surprised to see how tall Youngmi got since a child.
3. 마이클은 김치를 안 먹었었어요.

   Translation: Michael used to not eat Kimchi.

   implies that Michael now eats Kimchi.

Here is a quick comparison between the past form -었/았어요 and the double past form -었었/았었어요.

• Use the past tense form to describe an action or a situation in the past.

• Add -았다 to the stems of adjectives or verbs if they have 아 or 오 vowels and add -었다 otherwise.

• For words ending with 하다, use 했다.

• There are several irregular conjugation rules to pay attention to.

• When using the past tense with multiple verbs or adjectives, only the last word is conjugated.

• Some words need to be used in the past tense in Korean even though their English translations are in the present tense.

• Use the double past form -었었/-았었 for the events that happened in the past but are no longer valid in the present.

Now that we have learned how to conjugate in the past tense, let’s practice with some exercises on the Korean past tense!