아요 vs 어요: Korean Verb Endings Explained

You've started learning Korean verbs. You know that 가다 means "to go" and 먹다 means "to eat." But when you want to actually say them in a sentence, suddenly there are two options: 가요 or 어요? 먹어요 or 먹아요?

This is one of the most common sticking points for Korean beginners - and it has a clear, learnable rule.

In this post, you'll learn exactly when to use 아요 vs 어요, see it applied to dozens of real verbs, and practice until it feels natural.

Why Do Korean Verbs Change?

In Korean, verbs don't stay in their dictionary form when you use them in a sentence. You conjugate them - and the ending you add depends on the verb itself.

The -아요/어요 ending is the present tense, polite form. It's the most important conjugation you'll learn as a beginner, because it's what you'll use in almost every real conversation.

먹다 → 먹어요 (I eat / I'm eating) 가다 → 가요 (I go / I'm going)

The Rule: Look at the Last Vowel of the Verb Stem

To conjugate a verb into -아요/어요, follow these steps:

Step 1: Remove 다 from the dictionary form to get the verb stem. Step 2: Look at the last vowel of the verb stem. Step 3: Apply the rule:

That's the whole rule. Two categories: ㅏ/ㅗ → 아요, everything else → 어요.

Verbs That Use 아요 (last vowel: ㅏ or ㅗ)

💡 Special case - 오다 (to come): 오 + 아요 → the two vowels combine: 와요 (not 오아요) This contraction is standard and you'll see it constantly.

Verbs That Use 어요 (all other vowels)

Vowel Contractions: When Two Vowels Meet

When the verb stem ends in a vowel and you add 아요/어요, the two vowels often contract into one. This is why some conjugations look different from what you'd expect.

These contractions happen naturally in spoken Korean — once you've heard them enough, they'll start to feel automatic.

아요/어요 in Real Sentences

Let's see these verbs working in full sentences. Pay attention to the Literal vs Natural translations.

🍽️ Food & Daily Routines

아침에 밥을 먹어요.

• Literal: Morning [at] rice [object] eat
• Natural: I eat rice in the morning.

커피를 마셔요.

• Literal: Coffee [object] drink
• Natural: I drink coffee.

책을 읽어요.

• Literal: Book [object] read
• Natural: I read a book.

음악을 들어요.

• Literal: Music [object] listen
• Natural: I listen to music.

한국어를 배워요.

• Literal: Korean [object] learn
• Natural: I learn Korean.

🏃 Actions & Movement

학교에 가요.

• Literal: School [to] go
• Natural: I go to school.

집에 와요.

• Literal: Home [to] come
• Natural: I come home.

공원에서 걸어요.

• Literal: Park [at/in] walk
• Natural: I walk in the park.

의자에 앉아요.

• Literal: Chair [on] sit
• Natural: I sit on the chair.

여기에 서요.

• Literal: Here [at] stand
• Natural: I stand here.

📝 Study & Work

도서관에서 공부해요.

• Literal: Library [at] study
• Natural: I study at the library.

일기를 써요.

• Literal: Diary [object] write
• Natural: I write in my diary.

이메일을 받아요.

• Literal: Email [object] receive
• Natural: I receive an email.

회사에서 일해요.

• Literal: Company [at] work
• Natural: I work at a company.

💬 Describing Things

사과가 많아요.

• Literal: Apples [subject] a lot exist
• Natural: There are a lot of apples.

가방이 작아요.

• Literal: Bag [subject] small
• Natural: The bag is small.

날씨가 좋아요.

• Literal: Weather [subject] good
• Natural: The weather is nice.

물이 없어요.

• Literal: Water [subject] not exist
• Natural: There is no water.

A Real Conversation Using 아요/어요

📍 Situation: Talking about a typical day

A: 아침에 뭐 먹어요? (What do you eat in the morning?)

B: 보통 빵을 먹어요. 커피도 마셔요. (I usually eat bread. I also drink coffee.)

 A: 몇 시에 일어나요? (What time do you get up?)

B: 일곱 시에 일어나요. 그리고 바로 학교에 가요. (I get up at 7. Then I go straight to school.)

 A: 학교에서 뭐 해요? (What do you do at school?)

B: 한국어를 배워요! (I learn Korean!)

The Special Case: 하다 Verbs

Many Korean verbs are formed by adding 하다 (to do) to a noun. These are called 하다 verbs, and they're extremely common.

The good news: 하다 always conjugates the same way - 해요.

💡 하다 → 해요 is a contracted form of 하 + 여요. You'll almost never see 하여요 in real life - 해요 is always used.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using the wrong vowel category

❌ 먹아요 (먹 has ㅓ → should be 어요) ✅ 먹어요

❌ 앉어요 (앉 has ㅏ → should be 아요) ✅ 앉아요

When in doubt: find the last vowel of the stem, not just any vowel in the word.

❌ Mistake 2: Not contracting vowels

❌ 마시어요 ✅ 마셔요

❌ 배우어요 ✅ 배워요

In natural speech and writing, contractions always apply when two vowels meet.

❌ Mistake 3: Conjugating 하다 verbs the wrong way

❌ 공부하아요 / 공부하어요 ✅ 공부해요

하다 verbs always become 해요 - no need to check vowels.

Quick Practice

Conjugate these verbs into the -아요/어요 polite present form:

1. 보다 (to see/watch)
2. 듣다 (to listen) - last vowel is -
3. 웃다 (to smile/laugh) - last vowel is ㅜ
4. 열다 (to open) - last vowel is ㅓ
5. 좋아하다 (to like) - 하다 verb

Answers:

1. 봐요 (ㅗ + 아요 → contraction)
2. 들어요 (ㅡ drops → 어요)
3. 웃어요 (ㅜ + 어요)
4. 열어요 (ㅓ + 어요)
5. 좋아해요 (하다 → 해요)

Summary

Once you've internalized this rule, you'll be able to conjugate almost any Korean verb in the present tense. It's one of the most powerful tools in your beginner toolkit - and it's used every single day.

Ready to Put It All Together?

Knowing individual grammar rules is a great start. But real fluency comes from learning how those rules connect - how 아요/어요 combines with particles, tense markers, and sentence structure to form natural, flowing Korean.

That's exactly what the Today Korean A1 Masterclass is designed to do: take you from knowing individual pieces to actually speaking Korean with confidence.

👉 Join the waitlist for the A1 Masterclass