-았/었어요 - The Past Tense
-았/었어요 is used to talk about actions, events, and conditions in the past.
It attaches to a verb or adjective stem.
- 어제 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie yesterday. - 아침을 먹었어요.
I ate breakfast. - 날씨가 추웠어요.
The weather was cold.
The exact English translation depends on the verb and context.
Basic Sentence Structure
The basic structure is:
Verb or adjective stem + -았/었어요
First, remove -다 from the dictionary form.
Then add -았어요, -었어요, or -했어요.
- 먹다 → 먹 + 었어요 → 먹었어요
ate - 가다 → 가 + 았어요 → 갔어요
went - 공부하다 → 공부했어요
studied - 좋다 → 좋았어요
was good
When to Use -았어요
Use -았어요 when the final vowel in the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ.
Stems with ㅏ
- 살다 → 살 + 았어요 → 살았어요
lived - 작다 → 작 + 았어요 → 작았어요
was small - 많다 → 많 + 았어요 → 많았어요
were many
Stems with ㅗ
- 좋다 → 좋 + 았어요 → 좋았어요
was good - 놀다 → 놀 + 았어요 → 놀았어요
played
Look at the final vowel in the stem, not the final consonant.
When to Use -었어요
Use -었어요 when the final vowel in the stem is not ㅏ or ㅗ.
- 먹다 → 먹 + 었어요 → 먹었어요
ate - 읽다 → 읽 + 었어요 → 읽었어요
read - 입다 → 입 + 었어요 → 입었어요
wore - 웃다 → 웃 + 었어요 → 웃었어요
laughed - 열다 → 열 + 었어요 → 열었어요
opened
When to Use -했어요
Verbs and adjectives ending in 하다 change to 했어요.
- 공부하다 → 공부했어요
studied - 운동하다 → 운동했어요
exercised - 일하다 → 일했어요
worked - 요리하다 → 요리했어요
cooked - 좋아하다 → 좋아했어요
liked - 친절하다 → 친절했어요
was kind
Do not add -았어요 or -었어요 directly to 하다.
공부했어요. ✓
공부하았어요. ✗
Common Vowel Contractions
When a verb stem ends in a vowel, the stem and past-tense ending often combine.
ㅏ + 았어요
- 가다 → 가 + 았어요 → 갔어요
went - 만나다 → 만나 + 았어요 → 만났어요
met
ㅗ + 았어요
- 오다 → 오 + 았어요 → 왔어요
came - 보다 → 보 + 았어요 → 봤어요
saw or watched
ㅓ + 었어요
- 서다 → 서 + 었어요 → 섰어요
stood
ㅜ + 었어요
- 배우다 → 배우 + 었어요 → 배웠어요
learned - 주다 → 주 + 었어요 → 줬어요
gave
ㅣ + 었어요
- 마시다 → 마시 + 었어요 → 마셨어요
drank - 기다리다 → 기다리 + 었어요 → 기다렸어요
waited
These contractions are standard forms, not optional spelling shortcuts.
Talking About Past Actions
Use -았/었어요 to describe an action that happened in the past.
- 어제 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend yesterday. - 아침에 커피를 마셨어요.
I drank coffee in the morning. - 주말에 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie on the weekend. - 지난주에 한국어를 공부했어요.
I studied Korean last week. - 친구가 서울에 갔어요.
My friend went to Seoul.
The subject or topic is often omitted when it is clear from context.
- 불고기를 먹었어요.
I ate bulgogi. - 책을 읽었어요.
I read a book. - 집에서 쉬었어요.
I rested at home.
Describing Past Conditions
Korean adjectives also use -았/었어요 to describe a condition in the past.
- 어제 날씨가 추웠어요.
The weather was cold yesterday. - 음식이 맛있었어요.
The food was delicious. - 시험이 어려웠어요.
The exam was difficult. - 제 방이 작았어요.
My room was small. - 사람이 많았어요.
There were many people.
In English, these sentences often use was or were.
Common Past-Time Expressions
Past-tense sentences are often used with time expressions such as:
- 어제
yesterday - 그제
the day before yesterday - 지난주
last week - 지난달
last month - 작년
last year - 아까
a short while ago - 지난 주말
last weekend
Examples:
- 어제 학교에 갔어요.
I went to school yesterday. - 지난주에 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend last week. - 작년에 한국에 갔어요.
I went to Korea last year. - 아까 점심을 먹었어요.
I ate lunch a short while ago.
Some time expressions can be used with or without 에 depending on the expression.
- 지난주에 여행했어요.
I traveled last week. - 어제 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie yesterday.
Do not normally add 에 after 어제.
어제 영화를 봤어요. ✓
어제에 영화를 봤어요. ✗
Present and Past Forms
Compare the present and past forms.
- 먹어요.
I eat.
I am eating. - 먹었어요.
I ate. - 가요.
I go.
I am going. - 갔어요.
I went. - 공부해요.
I study.
I am studying. - 공부했어요.
I studied. - 날씨가 추워요.
The weather is cold. - 날씨가 추웠어요.
The weather was cold.
The context and time expressions help show when the action or condition happens.
Making Past-Tense Questions
The past-tense form does not change in a question.
In conversation, your voice rises at the end. In writing, use a question mark.
- 어제 뭐 했어요?
What did you do yesterday? - 아침을 먹었어요?
Did you eat breakfast? - 주말에 어디에 갔어요?
Where did you go on the weekend? - 영화가 재미있었어요?
Was the movie interesting? - 날씨가 좋았어요?
Was the weather nice?
Short Answers
- 네, 먹었어요.
Yes, I did. - 네, 재미있었어요.
Yes, it was interesting. - 아니요, 안 갔어요.
No, I did not go. - 아니요, 보지 않았어요.
No, I did not watch it.
Information that is already clear from the question is often omitted.
뭐 했어요?
뭐 했어요? is one of the most common past-tense questions in Korean.
It means “What did you do?”
- 어제 뭐 했어요?
What did you do yesterday? - 주말에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do on the weekend?
Possible answers include:
- 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend. - 집에서 쉬었어요.
I rested at home. - 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie. - 한국어를 공부했어요.
I studied Korean.
어디에 갔어요?
Use 어디에 갔어요? to ask where someone went.
- 어제 어디에 갔어요?
Where did you go yesterday? - 시장에 갔어요.
I went to the market. - 주말에 어디에 갔어요?
Where did you go on the weekend? - 부산에 갔어요.
I went to Busan.
In natural conversation, 에 is often omitted after 어디.
- 어디 갔어요?
Where did you go?
Both 어디에 갔어요? and 어디 갔어요? are natural.
More Examples
- 어제 아침을 일찍 먹었어요.
I ate breakfast early yesterday. - 친구와 카페에서 커피를 마셨어요.
I drank coffee with a friend at a café. - 지난 주말에 부모님을 만났어요.
I met my parents last weekend. - 작년에 한국어를 배우기 시작했어요.
I started learning Korean last year. - 저녁에 집에서 요리했어요.
I cooked at home in the evening. - 친구가 제 사진을 찍었어요.
My friend took my picture. - 어제 비가 많이 왔어요.
It rained a lot yesterday. - 식당에 사람이 많았어요.
There were many people at the restaurant. - 음식이 조금 매웠어요.
The food was a little spicy. - 여행이 정말 재미있었어요.
The trip was really fun.
Negative Past Sentences with 안
Place 안 before the verb or adjective.
The verb or adjective still uses the past-tense form.
- 저는 아침을 안 먹었어요.
I did not eat breakfast. - 어제 학교에 안 갔어요.
I did not go to school yesterday. - 친구가 전화를 안 했어요.
My friend did not call. - 날씨가 안 추웠어요.
The weather was not cold. - 영화가 안 재미있었어요.
The movie was not interesting.
With 하다 verbs, 안 commonly comes before 하다.
- 공부 안 했어요.
I did not study. - 운동 안 했어요.
I did not exercise.
Negative Past Sentences with -지 않았어요
Use -지 않았어요 for the standard long negative form.
- 먹다 → 먹지 않았어요
did not eat - 가다 → 가지 않았어요
did not go - 공부하다 → 공부하지 않았어요
did not study - 춥다 → 춥지 않았어요
was not cold
Examples:
- 저는 커피를 마시지 않았어요.
I did not drink coffee. - 어제 학교에 가지 않았어요.
I did not go to school yesterday. - 주말에 공부하지 않았어요.
I did not study on the weekend. - 날씨가 춥지 않았어요.
The weather was not cold. - Both 안 and -지 않았어요 are correct.
- 학교에 안 갔어요.
I did not go to school. - 학교에 가지 않았어요.
I did not go to school.
Common - Conjugations
When a stem ends in ㅡ, the - is often removed before adding the past-tense ending.
The previous vowel usually determines whether 았어요 or 었어요 is used.
- 쓰다 → 썼어요
wrote or used - 크다 → 컸어요
was big - 바쁘다 → 바빴어요
was busy - 예쁘다 → 예뻤어요
was pretty
Examples:
- 편지를 썼어요.
I wrote a letter. - 어제 아주 바빴어요.
I was very busy yesterday. - 그 건물이 컸어요.
That building was big.
These forms should be learned as common conjugation patterns.
Common ㅂ Irregular Forms
Some adjectives and verbs ending in ㅂ change before a vowel ending.
- 춥다 → 추웠어요
was cold - 덥다 → 더웠어요
was hot - 어렵다 → 어려웠어요
was difficult - 쉽다 → 쉬웠어요
was easy - 맵다 → 매웠어요
was spicy
Examples:
- 어제 날씨가 더웠어요.
The weather was hot yesterday. - 시험이 어려웠어요.
The exam was difficult. - 음식이 매웠어요.
The food was spicy.
Not every word ending in ㅂ follows this pattern.
For example:
입다 → 입었어요
wore
Common 르 Irregular Forms
Some verbs and adjectives ending in 르 add an extra ㄹ before the ending.
- 모르다 → 몰랐어요
did not know - 빠르다 → 빨랐어요
was fast - 다르다 → 달랐어요
was different - 부르다 → 불렀어요
called or sang
Examples:
- 저는 그 사실을 몰랐어요.
I did not know that fact. - 버스가 빨랐어요.
The bus was fast. - 두 음식이 달랐어요.
The two foods were different.
These irregular patterns are common and are best learned through repeated examples.
Common Mistakes
Adding the past ending to the dictionary form
Remove -다 before adding the ending.
먹다 → 먹었어요 ✓
먹다었어요 ✗
가다 → 갔어요 ✓
가다았어요 ✗
Choosing the ending by the final consonant
Choose -았어요 or -었어요 by looking at the final vowel in the stem.
작다 → 작았어요
The final vowel is ㅏ.
먹다 → 먹었어요
The final vowel is ㅓ.
Ignoring vowel contractions
Vowel combinations usually contract.
가다 → 갔어요 ✓
가았어요 ✗
오다 → 왔어요 ✓
오았어요 ✗
보다 → 봤어요 ✓
보았어요 △
보았어요 is grammatically correct, but 봤어요 is much more common in everyday conversation.
Using 했어요 incorrectly
Only words ending in 하다 change to 했어요.
공부하다 → 공부했어요 ✓
먹다 → 먹었어요 ✓
먹했어요 ✗
Using a present form with a past-time expression
Use the past tense when describing a completed past event.
어제 영화를 봤어요. ✓
I watched a movie yesterday.
어제 영화를 봐요. ✗
This normally sounds incorrect when describing a completed past action.
Conjugating every word in the sentence
Only the final verb or adjective needs the past-tense ending.
저는 어제 친구를 만났어요. ✓
저는 어제였어요 친구를 만났어요. ✗
Quick Practice
Change each dictionary form into the past-tense form.
- 먹다
- 가다
- 오다
- 보다
- 마시다
- 배우다
- 공부하다
- 좋다
Answers
- 먹다 → 먹었어요
- 가다 → 갔어요
- 오다 → 왔어요
- 보다 → 봤어요
- 마시다 → 마셨어요
- 배우다 → 배웠어요
- 공부하다 → 공부했어요
- 좋다 → 좋았어요
Complete the Sentences
Complete each sentence using the past-tense form of the verb or adjective.
- 어제 친구를 __________.
만나다 - 아침에 커피를 __________.
마시다 - 주말에 영화를 __________.
보다 - 지난주에 한국어를 __________.
공부하다 - 어제 날씨가 __________.
춥다 - 음식이 정말 __________.
맛있다
Answers
- 어제 친구를 만났어요.
- 아침에 커피를 마셨어요.
- 주말에 영화를 봤어요.
- 지난주에 한국어를 공부했어요.
- 어제 날씨가 추웠어요.
- 음식이 정말 맛있었어요.
Question Practice
Answer the questions with your own information.
- 어제 뭐 했어요?
- 어제 어디에 갔어요?
- 아침에 뭐 먹었어요?
- 주말에 누구를 만났어요?
- 어제 날씨가 어땠어요?
- 지난주에 한국어를 공부했어요?
Key Points
- Remove -다 before adding the past-tense ending.
- Use -았어요 when the final vowel in the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ.
- Use -었어요 after other vowels.
- Verbs and adjectives ending in 하다 change to 했어요.
- Vowel combinations often contract, as in 가다 → 갔어요 and 보다 → 봤어요.
- Korean verbs and adjectives both use the past tense.
- Use 안 + past form or -지 않았어요 to make a negative past sentence.
- Some verbs and adjectives follow irregular conjugation patterns.
- The verb or adjective usually comes at the end of the Korean sentence.
Continue Learning
Next grammar:
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 ✨ Future Plans and Predictions
