Learn Hangul Grammer 04

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Tense in Korean: How Verbs and Adjectives Change in Present, Past, and Future

In Korean, both verbs and adjectives conjugate to reflect tense. This surprises many English speakers because adjectives in English do not change based on tense. But in Korean, adjectives behave like stative verbs — they conjugate just like action verbs.

Let’s break down how Korean verbs (동사) and adjectives (형용사) work in present, past, and future tense with examples and clear patterns.

📌 1. What Is Tense in Korean?

Korean has three basic tenses:

  • Present (현재): now, current actions or states
  • Past (과거): already happened
  • Future (미래): not yet, will happen later

Both verbs and adjectives use the same endings to show tense. Let’s look at them one by one.

🔹 2. Present Tense (현재)

Verbs (동사)

Verbs in the present tense usually end in:

  • -ㄴ다 / -는다 (plain/formal written style)
  • -아요 / -어요 (spoken polite style)

Examples:

  • 가다 (to go) → 간다 / 가요
  • 먹다 (to eat) → 먹는다 / 먹어요
  • 배우다 (to learn) → 배운다 / 배워요

📝 Sample Sentences:

  • 저는 학교에 가요. → I go to school.
  • 우리는 밥을 먹어요. → We eat a meal.

Adjectives (형용사)

Adjectives also use -다 or -아요/어요 in the present tense.

Examples:

  • 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁘다 / 예뻐요
  • 좋다 (to be good) → 좋다 / 좋아요

📝 Sample Sentences:

  • 그 여자는 예뻐요. → That woman is pretty.
  • 오늘 날씨가 좋아요. → The weather is good today.

🔹 3. Past Tense (과거)

Use -았/었/였- before the ending.

Verbs:

  • 가다 → 갔다 / 갔어요
  • 먹다 → 먹었다 / 먹었어요
  • 배우다 → 배웠다 / 배웠어요

📝 Sentences:

  • 어제 친구를 만났어요. → I met a friend yesterday.
  • 저는 편지를 썼어요. → I wrote a letter.

Adjectives:

  • 예쁘다 → 예뻤다 / 예뻤어요
  • 좋다 → 좋았다 / 좋았어요

📝 Sentences:

  • 그 꽃은 정말 예뻤어요. → That flower was very pretty.
  • 어제 날씨가 좋았어요. → The weather was good yesterday.

🔹 4. Future Tense (미래)

Korean has two common ways to express future tense:

(1) Using -겠다

→ Shows personal will, decision, or strong expectation

  • 가다 → 가겠다
  • 예쁘다 → 예쁘겠다 (She will probably be pretty)

(2) Using -(으)ㄹ 것이다 / -(으)ㄹ 거예요

→ More descriptive or polite future prediction

  • 먹다 → 먹을 거예요
  • 좋다 → 좋을 거예요

📝 Sentences:

  • 내일 학교에 갈 거예요. → I will go to school tomorrow.
  • 그 영화는 재미있을 거예요. → The movie will be fun.

🔸 5. Summary Chart

Tense

Verb Example (가다)

Adjective Example (예쁘다)

Present

간다 / 가요

예쁘다 / 예뻐요

Past

갔다 / 갔어요

예뻤다 / 예뻤어요

Future

가겠다 / 갈 거예요

예쁘겠다 / 예쁠 거예요

✅ 6. Final Tips for Learners

  • Adjectives in Korean act like verbs: they change by tense
  • You can say:
    • “She was pretty” → 그녀는 예뻤어요
    • “The weather will be good” → 날씨가 좋을 거예요
  • The polite form -아요/어요 is the most commonly used in conversation
  • "겠다" is stronger and more formal, "ㄹ 거예요" is softer and more common in daily speech

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