Essential Korean Verb Forms: Dictionary Forms, Verb Stems, and Verb Bases
In this post we’ll cover essential Korean verb forms that you need to know in order to conjugate verbs and use verbs in several other constructions. If you’re a beginner student of Korean, verb forms may seem very confusing. If you look up a verb in a dictionary, you’re going to see the so-called dictionary form, ending in in –다 –da. And then you’ll never use that form again! Instead, the conjugated forms that you will use in speech are based on two different “starting points” of the verb, the verb stem and the verb base. If you take a little time to familiarize yourself with these two forms on top of the dictionary form, the Korean verb system will seem much less confusing. So, let’s cover those three essential forms: dictionary forms, verb stems, and verb bases.
Dictionary Form
First, let’s look at the dictionary form. This is the basic form of a Korean verb, also called the infinitive. It ends in –다 –da. Here are several common examples.
- 하다 hada (to do)
- 가다 gada (to go)
- 먹다 meogda (to eat)
- 쓰다 sseuda (to write)
- 읽다 ilgdda (to read)
- 보다 boda (to see, to watch)
- 듣다 deuda (to hear, to listen to)
This form is not used in sentences but is rather only used in dictionaries and other grammatical references. When you look up the translation of a verb like to study, you’ll see the dictionary form or infinitive: 공부하다 gongbuhada.
And then you’ll never use it again! That brings us to the two really important forms, the verb stem and the verb base.
Verb Stem
Now let’s turn to the verb stem, the first of the two essential Korean verb forms that you’ll actually use in speech. First, we’ll see how to form it, and then we’ll see some common uses of it.
Forming the Verb Stem
The verb stem is nice and simple. To form it, just remove the –다 –da of the dictionary form:
| dictionary form | verb stem | meaning |
| 하다 hada | 하– ha- | do |
| 가다 gada | 가– ga- | go |
| 먹다 meogda | 먹– meog- | eat |
| 쓰다 sseuda | 쓰– sseu | write |
| 읽다 ilgdda | 읽– ilg- | read |
| 보다 boda | 보– bo- | see, watch |
| 듣다 deuda | 듣– deu- | hear, listen to |
Uses of the Verb Stem
Several conjugation endings and other forms are added to the verb stem. Here we’ll focus on just a few of the most common ones.
Long Negatives
Long negatives are formed by adding –지 –ji to the verb stem, along with a conjugated form of the verb 않다 anda (not do) or 못하다 mot hada (cannot do).
| dictionary form | verb stem | negative | meaning |
| 하다 hada | 하– ha- | 하지haji | not do |
| 가다 gada | 가– ga- | 가지gaji | not go |
The long negative isn’t complete without a conjugated form of않다 anda (not do) or 못하다 mot hada (cannot do).
| 밤에 일하지 않아요. | bam-e ilhaji anayo. | I don’t work at night. |
| 밤에 일하지 못해요. | bam-e ilhaji mot-haeyo. | I can’t work at night. |
| 가게에 가지 않았어요. | gage-e gaji anasseoyo. | I didn’t go to the store. |
| 가게에 가지 못했어요. | gage-e gaji mothaesseoyo. | I couldn’t go to the store. |
Present Tense Formal High Speech Level
The (respectful) present formal high speech level is formed by adding –ㅂ니다 –mnida to verb stem ending in vowels. Remember that this ending is pronounced –mnida, despite being written as –pnida.
| verb stem | Present Formal High | meaning |
| 하– ha- | 합니다 hamnida | do, does |
| 가– ga- | 갑니다 gamnida | go, goes |
| 쓰– sseu | 씁니다 sseumnida | write, writes |
If the verb stem ends in a consonant, you add –습니다 –seumnida.
| verb stem | Present Formal High | meaning |
| 먹– meog- | 먹습니다 meogseumnida | eat, eats |
| 읽– ilg- | 읽습니다 igsseumnida | read, reads |
| 있 it- | 있습니다 isseumnida | have, has/exist, exists |
If a verb stem ends in –ㄹ, –ㄹ is dropped before –ㅂ니다 –mnida is added.
| verb stem | Present Formal High | meaning |
| 살– sal- | 삽니다 samnida | live, lives |
| 몰– mol | 몹니다 momnida | drive, drives |
| 놀– nol | 놉니다 nomnida | play, plays |
Present Tense Formal Low Speech Level
The present tense formal low is formed by adding –ㄴ다 –nda to stems ending in a vowel, and –는다 –neunda to stems ending in a consonant. As with the present formal high, stems ending in –ㄹ drop the –ㄹ before –ㄴ다 –nda is added.
| verb stem | present formal low | meaning |
| 하– ha- | 한다 handa | do, does |
| 가– ga | 간다 ganda | go, goes |
| 마시– mashi- | 마신다 mashinda | drink, drinks |
| 듣– deud | 듣는다 deudneunda | hear, hears/listen, listens |
| 먹– meog | 먹는다 meogneunda | eat, eats |
| 살– sal | 산다 sanda | live, lives |
| 몰– mol | 몬다 monda | drive, drives |
Verb Base
Next, let’s turn to the verb base, the second of the two essential Korean verb forms you need to use. First, we’ll see how to form it, and then we’ll see some common uses of it. The verb base is a bit trickier than the verb stem, but it’s used in a lot of constructions you can’t really avoid, so it’s best to become familiar with it.
Forming the Verb Base
The Korean verb base may seem rather irregular, because there are often further modifications that are made to its final sounds. Luckily there are rules and predictable patterns. First, you find the verb stem, simply removing –다 –da of the dictionary form. Then, the basic rule is that you add ㅏ a to verb stems whose last vowel is ㅏ a or ㅗ o, and by adding ㅓ eo to all other verb stems.
But that’s not the end of the story, because there are a few important modifications to keep in mind. These are mostly predictable, but as a beginner student of Korean, it’s easier just to memorize the –요 –yo (present tense informal high) form of the verb, which is simply the verb base plus –요 –yo. So, for example, if you know 해요 haeyo (do, does), you know that 해– hae- is the verb base of 하다 hada (to do).
Modifications to the Verb Base
But if you come across a dictionary form that you’re not familiar with, here are some general patterns to help you find the verb base.
- All하다 hada verbs have the verb base 해– hae-
- If the verb stem ends in ㅏ, ㅓ, or ㅐ, the verb base and verb stem are the same: 가다 gada > 가– ga- (go);서다 seoda > 서– seo- (stand, stop);보내다 bonaeda > 보내– bonae- (send)
- If the verb stem ends inㅗ, ㅗ andㅏ combine to form와: 보다 boda > 봐– bwa- (see);오다 oda > 와– wa– (come)
- If the verb stem ends inㅜ, ㅜ and ㅓ combine to form워: 배우다 baeuda > 배워– baeweo- (learn);주다 juda > 줘– jweo– (give)
- If the verb stem ends inㅣ, ㅣ andㅓ combine to formㅕ: 마시다 mashida > 마셔– mashyeo- (drink);달리다 dallida > 달려– dallyeo- (run)
- If the verb stem ends in 외, 외 and ㅓ combine to form 왜: 되다 dwida > 돼– dwae– (become, be okay)
- If the verb stem ends inㅡ , theㅡ is dropped before ㅓ: 쓰다 sseuda > 써– sseo- (write)
Irregular Verb Base Patterns
There are a few irregular patterns that are helpful to keep in mind. It’s not always easy to tell which verbs are regular and which are irregular, so again, it’s useful to memorize the –요 –yo (present tense informal high) form of each new verb you come across.
- For irregular ㅂ verbs: the ㅂ changes to ㅜ (or rarely ㅗ). These two then combine with ㅏ or ㅓ to form 워 or 와: 아름답다 areumdapda > 아름다ㅜ areumdau > 아름다워– areumdaweo- (beautiful); 춥다– chupda– > 추ㅜ chuu > 추워– chuweo- (cold); 돕다 dopda > 도ㅗ doo >도와– dowa– (help). However, not all ㅂ verbs are irregular; here are some examples of regular ㅂ verbs: 잡다 jabda > 잡아 jaba (catch, grab); 좁다 jopda > 좁아 joba (narrow).
- For irregular ㄷ verbs: the ㄷ changes to ㄹ before ㅓ: 듣다 deuda > 들어– deureo- (listen); 걷다 geodda > 걸어– geoleo- (walk, fold). However, here are some examples of regular ㄷ verbs: 닫다 dadda > 닫아– dada– (close); 받다 badda > 받아 bada (get, receive, catch).
- For irregular ㅅ verbs: the ㅅ drops before ㅏ or ㅓ is added: 짓다 jitda > 지어– jieo- (build); 잇다 itda > 이어– ieo- (continue, join). However, here are some examples of regular ㅅverbs: 웃다 utda > 웃어 useo (laugh); 씻다 sshitda > 씻어 sshiseo (wash)
- For irregular verbs whose stems end in 르, the ㅡ is dropped and ㄹ is doubled before adding ㅏ or ㅓ: 모르다 moreuda > 몰라– molla (not know); 빠르다 ppareuda > 빨라 palla– (fast)
Examples of Verb Bases of Common Verbs
Here are a few examples of verb bases. See if you can pick out the patterns that create the verb base from the verb stem.
| dictionary form | verb stem | verb base | meaning |
| 하다 hada | 하– ha- | 해– hae- | do |
| 가다 gada | 가– ga- | 가– ga- | go |
| 먹다 meogda | 먹– meog- | 먹어– meogeo- | eat |
| 쓰다 sseuda | 쓰– sseu | 써– sseo- | write |
| 읽다 ilgdda | 읽– ilg- | 읽어– ilgeo- | read |
| 보다 boda | 보– bo- | 봐– bwa- | see, watch |
| 듣다 deuda | 듣– deu- | 들어– deureo | hear, listen to |
Uses of the Verb Base
Several conjugation endings and other forms are added to the verb base. Here we’ll focus on just a few of the most common ones. Essentially, you need the verb base if you want to speak with friends or in only slightly-formal settings, or if you use the past tense, so it’s hard to avoid!
Present Tense Informal High and Informal Low
To form the present tense informal high simply add –요 –yo to the verb base. The informal low is identical to the verb base.
| verb base | Present Informal High | Present Informal Low | meaning |
| 해– hae- | 해요 haeyo | 해 hae | do, does |
| 있어– isseo– | 있어요 isseoyo | 있어 isseo | have, has/exist, exists |
| 먹어– meogeo | 먹어요 meogeoyo | 먹어 meogeo | eat, eats |
| 마셔– masheo | 마셔요 masheoyo | 마셔 masheo | drink, drinks |
| 봐– bwa | 봐요 bwayo | 봐 bwa | see, sees |
| 써– sseo- | 써요 sseoyo | 써 sseo | write |
| 읽어– ilgeo- | 읽어요 ilgeoyo | 읽어 ilgeo | read |
| 들어– deureo | 들어요 deureoyo | 들어 deureo | hear, listen to |
Past Tenses
The past tense of various speech levels is formed from the verb base. Add –ㅆ– –ss– to the verb base, and then:
- 어 –eo for the Past Informal Low
- 어요 –eoyo for the Past Informal High
- 다 –da for the Past Formal Low
- 습니다 –seumnida for the Past Formal High
| verb base +ㅆ | Past Informal Low | Past Informal High | Past Formal Low | Past Formal High |
| 했– haet- (did) | 했어 haesseo | 했어요 haesseoyo | 했다 haettda | 했습니다 haesseumnida |
| 갔– gat- (went) | 갔어 gasseo | 갔어요 gasseoyo | 갔다 gattda | 갔습니다 gasseumnida |
| 봤– bwat– (saw) | 봤어 bwasseo | 봤어요 bwasseoyo | 봤다 bwattda | 봤습니다 bwasseumnida |
| 잤– jat– (slept) | 잤어 jasseo | 잤어요 jasseoyo | 잤다 jattda | 잤습니다 jasseumnida |
| 있었– isseot- (had) | 있었어 isseosseo | 있었어요 isseosseoyo | 있었다 isseottda | 있었습니다 isseosseumnida |
| 먹었– meogeot- (ate) | 먹었어 meogeosseo | 먹었어요 meogeosseoyo | 먹었다 meogeottda | 먹었습니다 meogeosseumnida |
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