Menu Close

Lesson 7: Korean Irregulars

Click here for a workbook to go along with this lesson.

Jump to:
Vocabulary

Korean Irregulars
ㅅ Irregular
ㄷ Irregular
ㅂ Irregular
ㅡ Irregular
르 Irregular
ㄹ Irregular

Irregular Quick Reference (another page)

This Lesson is also available in Español, Русский, Français, Português, Ελληνικά, 中文, Deutsch, български, Magyar, Italiano, українська, עִבְרִית and العربية

These videos are available to reinforce this lesson:
Sentence Practice, Conjugation Practice, Dictation, Lesson Recap

Click here for a free PDF of this lesson.

 

Vocabulary

The vocabulary is separated into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs for the purpose of simplicity.

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use (you probably won’t be able to understand the grammar within the sentences at this point, but it is good to see as you progress through your learning).

A PDF file neatly presenting all of these words, example sentences and extra information can be found here.

You can try to find all of the words from this lesson, and all of the words from every lesson in Unit 1 in a package of twenty five Word Searches.

Nouns:
눈썹 = eyebrow

Common Usages:
속눈썹 = eyelashes

Examples: 그 사람의 눈썹은 짙어요 = That person’s eyebrows are thick
저도 그런 눈썹이 있었으면 좋겠어요 = I wish I had that type of eyebrows, too

교사 = teacher

Notes: 교사 refers more to the position of a teacher. You would usually refer to a teacher by calling him/her “선생님.” However, if you wanted to tell somebody what your position was, you could use 교사 (선생님 would also work here as well)

Examples: 저는 영어교사예요 = I am an English teacher

대학교 때 자유롭게 공부하고 싶으면 지도교사가 전공을 나중에 선택하라고 말했어요
= If you want to study freely in university, my guidance counselor told me to choose my major later

= class of students in school

Common Usages:
우리 반 = our class
2학년 3반 = class 2-3
반장 = class president

Examples:
이에요? = What class are you in?
그 여자는 우리 에서 제일 못생긴 여자예요 = That girl is the ugliest in our class

직장 = location of work

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “직짱”

Notes: In English, we say “work” to refer to what is being done and where it is being done. For example “I am doing work at work.” 직장 refers to the location in which you work.

Examples: 그는 직장에서 일찍 퇴근했어요 = He left work early
직장에서 더 멀리 이사하게 되었어요 = I ended up moving farther away from work
학업을 진행하면서 직장도 다녀요 = As I progress/continue my studies, I also go to work
저는 일반적으로 그 사람을 직장에서 보지 못해요 = I generally don’t see that person at work
자신감에 찬 표정으로 새로운 직장에 들어갔어요 = He went into a new workplace with a face full of confidence

= wall

Common Usages:
벽지 = wallpaper
절벽 = cliff
벽에 기대다 = to lean against a wall

Examples:
저는 사진을 에 걸었어요 = I hung a picture on a wall
그림은 에 걸려 있어요 = The picture is hanging on the wall

에 붙어 있는 광고를 봤어요? = Did you see the advertisement that is attached to the wall?

노동자들이 무너질 것 같은 을 안정시켰어요
= The workers stabilized the wall that was probably going to collapse

 사람들이 모두 볼 수 있게 안내문을 에 붙였다
= (I) posted (attached) an information sign on the wall so that all the people (can) see it

= hair (not on head), fur

Common Usages:
코털 = nose hair
깃털 = feathers
솜털 = soft, fine hair (“peach fuzz”)

Notes: In English, we say “hair” for all of the hair on our body. However, in Korean, 털 is used to refer to any hair that is not on your head. It is also used to refer to the fur of an animal.

Examples:
저는 팔에 이 많아요 = I have a lot of hair on my arms
한국사람들이 가슴에 이 없어요 = Korean people don’t have hair on their chest

내일 해변에 갈 거라서 겨드랑이 을 면도할 수밖에 없어요
= I am going to the beach tomorrow, so I have no choice but to shave my armpit hair

기린의 때문에 기린이 노란색 옷을 입은 것 같이 보였다. 나는 기린이 목이 길어서 무서울 줄 알았는데 오히려 귀여웠다.
= Because of their fur, it looked like the giraffes were wearing yellow clothes. Giraffes have long necks, therefore I thought they would be scary, rather, they were cute.

머리카락 = hair (on head)

Examples:
그 여자의 머리카락은 길어요 = That girl’s hair is long
저의 머리카락을 꼬지 말아 달라고 했어요 = I told her to please stop twisting my hair

저녁 = dinner, evening

Notes:
The word “저녁” can refer to the evening time, or the meal that is eaten at that time (dinner). To distinguish between them, 저녁식사 (dinner) and 저녁시간 (the evening) can also be used.

Examples:
저녁으로 뭐 먹었어요? = What did you eat for dinner?
엄마가 온 후에 저는 저녁식사를 먹을 거예요 = After mom comes home, I will eat dinner
요리사들은 저녁을 부엌에서 준비했어요 = The chefs prepared the dinner in the kitchen
저는 저녁에 공부했어요 = I studied in the evening
저는 일요일에 저녁을 안 먹었어요 = I didn’t eat dinner on Sunday

점심 = lunch, noonish

Notes:
The word “점심” can refer to the time around noon, or the meal that is eaten at that time (lunch). To distinguish between them, 점심식사 (lunch) and 점심시간 (noonish) can also be used.

Examples:
점심으로 뭐 먹고 싶어요? = What do you want to eat for lunch?
저는 보통 점심식사로 과일만 먹어요 = I usually only eat fruit for lunch
점심은 어땠어요? = How was lunch?
점심을 먹었어? = Did you eat lunch?
오빠는 바닥에 앉아서 점심을 먹었어요 = My brother ate lunch sitting on the floor

= clothes

Common Usages:
옷을 입다 = to put on clothes
옷을 벗다 = to take off clothes
옷을 벗기다 = to take clothes off of another person
옷을 갈아입다 = to change clothes
비옷 = rain clothes
겉옷 = some kind of outer clothing

Notes: One way and one form of telling somebody to put on clothes is to say “옷 입어.” This sounds like “온 이버”

Examples:
저는 저의 을 벗었어요 = I took off my clothes
저는 자주 을 충동적으로 사요 = I often buy clothes impulsively
저는 따뜻한 을 입고 싶어요 = I want to wear (put on) warm clothes
을 갈아입으러 탈의실에 갔어요 = He went to the change-room to change his clothes
여행할 때 을 많이 챙길 필요가 없어요 = I/you don’t need to pack a lot of clothes when you travel
우리가 똑같은 을 입고 있어요 = We are wearing exactly the same clothes

오전 = morning

Notes: This generally refers to any time before noon, but to refer to specifically refer to something early in the morning “새벽” can be used. “아침” refers to the time from breakfast until around noon.

Examples:
저는 내일 오전에 교회에 가야 돼요 = I have to go to church tomorrow in the morning
우리 영업시간은 오전 8시부터 오후 5시까지입니다 = Our business hours are from 8 am to 5 pm
오늘 일대일 면접이 오후에 있어서 오전 내내 면접 준비를 해야 해요 = Today I have a one on one interview in the afternoon, so all morning I need to prepare for it

오후 = afternoon

Notes: To refer to a time later than 5:00 or so “밤” or “저녁” would more commonly be used

Examples:
오후에 뭐 할 거예요? = What are you doing in the afternoon?
저는 오늘 오후에 낮잠을 잤어요 = I took a nap in the afternoon today
오후에 비가 올지 모르겠어요 = It might rain in the afternoon tomorrow
오후가 되면 햇살이 강해져요 = In the afternoon, the sun gets stronger
우리 부장님께서 오늘 오후에 출발할 예정이십니다 = Our boss is scheduled to depart this afternoon
이 의견에 동의하지 않는 사람은 제 사무실로 오후에 찾아오세요 = People who don’t agree with this opinion, please come and see (“find”) me in my office this afternoon

여름 = summer

Common Usages:
여름 방학 = summer vacation

Notes: For more information, words and sentences about seasons check out our Weather Theme Lesson.

Examples:
이번 여름은 너무 더워요 = This summer is too hot
여름에 저는 공부하겠어요 = I will study in the summer
논문을 여름까지 끝낼 수 없을까 봐 걱정돼요  = I’m worried that I won’t finish my thesis by summer
놀이동산에 여름에는 사람이 많아요  = There are many people at the amusement park in the summer
매년 여름, 이 지역에는 홍수가 나요 = A flood occurs every summer in this area

한국에서는 겨울 방학이 여름 방학보다 더 길어요
= In Korea, winter vacation is longer than summer vacation

제가 여름을 제일 좋아하는 이유는 긴 휴가가 있기 때문이에요
= The reason I like summer the most is because there is a long holiday

가을 = fall

Example:
가을이 시원해서 좋아요 = Fall is nice because it is cool
가을에 잎의 색깔은 변해요 = The color of the leaves changes in the fall
가을에는 낙엽이 많이 떨어져요 = In the fall, a lot of leaves fall to the ground
가을에는 단풍놀이를 가는 많은 사람들을 볼 수 있어요 = In the fall, you can see many people who go out to see the autumn colors

겨울 = winter

Common Usages:
겨울 방학 = winter vacation
겨울잠 = hibernation

Example:
너무 추워서 저는 겨울이 싫어요 = I don’t like winter because it is too cold
캐나다는 겨울이 추운 나라예요 = Canada is  a country of/with cold winters

겨울에 한국 사람들이 문을 왜 안 닫는지 이해가 안 돼요
= I don’t understand why Korean people don’t close the door in the winter

피부가 너무 약해서 겨울에도 로션을 발라야 돼요
= I even need to out on lotion in the winter because my skin is weak

= spring

Example:
나무는 에 예뻐요 = The trees are pretty in spring
한국에는 황사가 중국에서 마다 와요 = Yellow dust comes to Korea every spring from China
에는 꽃가루 알레르기를 조심해 야 해요 = You need to be careful about pollen allergies in the spring

Verbs:
찾다 = to search for, find

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “찯따”

Notes: In English, the words “looking for/searching” and “find” have a similar meaning but are used differently. We use “find” after something is found. However, before something is found we use “look for/search.” In Korean, the 찾다 is used for both of these usages. This confusion often leads Korean people to incorrectly say things like “I am finding my brother.”

Examples:
저는 저의 지갑을 고 있어요 = I am looking for my wallet
누군가(는) 너를 고 있어 = Somebody is looking for you
저는 그 사실을 백과사전에 찾았어요 = I looked up that fact in an encyclopedia
우리 회사는 새로운 회사원을 고 있어요 = Our company is looking for new workers

가르치다 = to teach

Common Usages:
수업을 가르치다 = to teach a class
학생을 가르치다 = to teach a student

Examples:
저는 고등학교에서 10년 동안 영어를 가르쳤어요 = I taught English at a high school for 10 years
저는 학생들한테 한국어를 가르쳤어요 = I taught Korean to the students
어제 학생들한테 뭐 가르쳤어요? = What did you teach the students yesterday?
저는 선생님이 그것을 언제 가르쳤는지 기억 안 나요 = I don’t remember when the teacher taught that
선생님은 우리를 너무 잘 가르치셨어 = Our teacher taught us really well
이것을 가르쳐 줘서 감사합니다 = Thanks for teaching that to me
그 선생님은 한국어를 저에게 가르쳐 줬어요 = That teacher taught me Korean

일하다 = to work

Notes:
The noun form of 일하다 (일) literally means “work” (as in, something you need to do). However, it is often used to refer to a task or anything that needs to be done. For example:

저는 내일 할 일이 있어요 = I have something I need to do tomorrow

Examples:
저는 그 회사에서 일해요 = I work at/for that company
저는 지난 월요일에 일했어요 = I worked last Monday
저는 2주 동안 열심히 일했어요 = I worked hard for 2 weeks
저는 그 회사에서 5월까지 일할 거예요 = I will work at that company until May
저는 회사를 위해 열심히 일할 거예요 = I will work hard for the company
아버지는 지금 일하고 있어요 = Dad is working now
그 사람은 10년 동안 열심히 일하고 부자가 되었어요 = That person worked hard for 10 years and then became a rich person

짓다 = to build

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “짇따”

짓다 follows the ㅅ irregular

Common Usages:
집을 짓다 = to build a house

Examples:
그 집을 언제 지었어요? = When did you build that house?
저는 집을 지었어요 = I built a house
저는 우리 집을 나무로 지었어요 = I built our house out of wood
새로 지어진 건물이 멋있어요 = The newly built building is really cool/stylish

이 건물은 유명한 건축가의 건축설계도에 기초해서 지어졌어요
= This building was built based on the blueprints of a famous architect

새로 지어진 공원에 운동 시설이 매우 좋아서 많은 사람들이 거기에서 운동을 해요
= The newly built park has very good exercise facilities so many people exercise there

가지다 = to own, to possess

Common Usages:
가지고 있다 = to have

Notes: When you use “있다” to indicate that you have something, you must put the particle ~이/가 on the object you have. For example: 저는 펜이 있어요

However, you can attach ~을/을 to that object if you use ~가지고 있다.

갖다 is a shortened version of this word. See Lesson 97 for more information.

Examples:
저는 펜을 가지고 있어요 = I have a pen
저는 지금 돈을 가지고 있어요 = I have money now
그 여자는 자연스러운 머리를 가지고 있어요 = That girl has natural hair
그는 항상 사진기를 가지고 다녀요 = He always carries his camera with him (while walking around)
열쇠를 가지고 나왔어요? = Did you bring your keys (did you come out while possessing your keys?)

작은 입으로 큰 생선을 먹을 수 있다는 게 너무 신기했다. 나는 펭귄에게 먹이를 주기 위해 천천히 다가갔다. 펭귄들은 내가 먹이를 가지고 있자 내 주위로 다가왔다.
= I was really amazed they could eat a big fish with their little mouth. I approached the penguins slowly with food, and as soon as I had food, the penguins drew close around me.

잠그다 = to lock

잠그다 follows the ㅡ irregular

Common Usages:
수도꼭지를 잠그다 = to turn the water (from a tap) off

Example:
저는 문을 잠갔어요 = I locked the door
아버지는 창문을 잠갔어요 = Dad locked the window
문을 잠가야 되었는데 깜박했어요! = I was supposed to lock the door, but I forgot!
수압이 너무 세서 수도꼭지를 잠가 놓으세요 = The water pressure is too strong, so turned off (“lock”) the faucet

잊다 = to forget

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “읻따”

Common Usages:
잊어버리다 = to forget

Notes: ~아/어버리다 is added to some verbs to express the emotion that something was done and “thrown away” at the same time. It is commonly attached to 잊다 to express that something was “forgotten and thrown away.”

Examples:
저를 지 마세요! = Don’t forget me!
저는 아빠의 죽음을 지 않았어요 = I didn’t forget the death of my father
열쇠를 어디 둔지 어버렸어요 = I forget where I put my keys
저는 사막에서 살았을 때를 잊어버리고 싶어요 = I want to forget the time I lived in the desert

바쁘게 살다 보면 가끔 중요한 일을 잊어버려요
= If you (continue to) live a busy life, sometimes you will forget important things/tasks/jobs

미술대회에 참가하는 신입생들은 잊지 말고 꼭 10시까지 모여주세요
= Freshmen participating in the art competition, don’t forget, and be sure to gather by 10 o’clock

우리 오빠는 나에게 잊지 말고 영국에서 유명한 기념품을 사서 한국에 보내 달라고 했다
= My brother told me not to forget to buy some famous souvenirs in England and send them to Korea

돕다 = to help

돕다 is an irregular ㅂ irregular. ㅂ changes to 오 when ~아/어 is added. However, ㅂ changes to 우 when any other vowel is added.

Common usages:
도와주다 = to give help

Notes: ~아/어주다 is commonly added to this word, because usually when one helps somebody, it is a form of “giving”

Examples:
도와주세요! = help me please!
제가 선생님이 아니라 학생을 도와주는 사람이에요 = I am not a teacher, I’m a student helper

곤경에 처한 사람을 도와주느라고 제시간에 학교에 가지 못했다
= I wasn’t able to go to school on time because I was helping a person going through some trouble

과학을 배우는 것은 중요해, 왜냐하면 내가 살고 있는 곳을 더욱 잘 이해할 수 있게 도와주기 때문이야
= It is important to learn science, because it helps me understand the place/environment that I live (in) better

나는 엄마를 도와 정리를 했다. 거실을 깨끗하게 정리하고 엄마한테 진심으로 감사하다는 말을 전했다 = I helped mom clean-up/organize. We organized the living room (cleanly), and thanked mom from the bottom of our hearts

주다 = to give

When giving something to a person who deserves respect, 드리다 is used.

Notes: Often conjugated in the imperative voice (for example, ~세요) to ask for something. For example:
밥을 많이 주세요 = Give me lots of rice

Often gets placed after a verb if somebody does an action for somebody. For example:
이것을 만들어 주세요 = Please, make this for me

See Lesson 41 for more information.

Examples:
그 그릇을 세요 = Give me that bowl, please
밥을 사 세요 = Buy me food, please
어머님은 너에게 돈을 줬어? = Did your mother give you money?
저는 저의 친구에게 돈을 줬어요 = I gave my friend money
아빠는 나에게 음식을 줬어 = Dad gave me food
그 선생님은 한국어를 저에게 가르쳐 줬어요 = That teacher taught me Korean

맞다 = to be correct

Common Usages:
입맛에 맞다 = to fit one’s taste in food

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “맏따”

Notes: In every way, 맞다looks, feels and sounds like an adjective. However, in Korean 맞다 is a verb. In most cases this is irrelevant, but keep this in mind when conjugating.

Example:
선생님! 이 거 맞아요? = Teacher! Is this correct?
고객님들은 항상 맞아요 = The customer is (customers are) always right
이 자세 맞아요? = Is this posture right/correct?
그 학설은 맞을 리가 없어요 = That theory cannot be right

Adjectives:
쉽다 = to be easy

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “쉽따”

쉽다 follows the ㅂ irregular

Examples:
그 일은 너무 쉬웠어요 = that task was very easy
저는 쉬운 일을 했어요 = I did easy work
누구나 그 쉬운 일을 잘 해요 = Anybody can do that easy job well

덥다 = to be hot

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “덥따”

덥다follows this ㅂ irregular

Common Usages:
날씨가 덥다 = the weather is hot

Notes: 덥다 is only used to talk about the weather or one’s body, not the temperature of objects.

Examples:
오늘 날씨가 너무 더워요 = Today the weather is too hot
오늘은 어제보다 더 더워 = Today is hotter than yesterday
너무 더워서 창문을 열었어요 = I opened a window because it is too hot
날씨가 춥다가 갑자기 더워졌어요 = The weather was cold, and then suddenly became hot
오늘 날씨가 너무 더워 가지고 약속을 취소했어요 = Because the weather is so hot today, I cancelled my plans

그립다 = to miss (a thing)

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “그립따”

그립다 follows this ㅂ irregular

Notes: “보고 싶다” can is used when one misses a person.

In English “to miss” is a verb. 그립다 is an adjective in Korean that describes the feeling that is felt when one misses something. It is more commonly used when one misses a non-person. As an adjective, it must get treated as one. Therefore, in order to say that one misses something, it is commonly used in the Subject – Object – Adjective form that is taught in Lesson 15.

Examples:
저는 우리 학교가 그리워요 = I miss our school
저는 한국 음식이 그리워요 = I miss Korean food
저는 결혼한 게 좋지만 한편으로 결혼 전 생활도 그리워요  = I like being married, but, on the other hand, I also miss my life before I got married

귀엽다 = to be cute

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “귀엽따”

귀엽다follows this ㅂ irregular

Common Usages:
귀여운 여자 = cute girl

Examples:
저의 여자 친구는 너무 귀여워요 = My girlfriend is very cute
그 여자는 귀여워요 That girl is cute
저는 귀여운 여자를 좋아해요 = I like cute girls
그 강아지의 꼬리는 아주 귀여워요 = That puppy’s tail is very cute

동생이 너무 귀여워서 가끔씩 동생의 볼을 꼬집어요
= My younger sibling is so cute that sometimes I pinch his/her cheeks

 슬기의 볼이 통통하고 귀여워서 매일 뽀뽀해주고 싶어요
= Seulgi’s cheeks are very chubby and cute, so I want kiss them everyday

 길을 걷다가 시선이 느껴져서 쳐다보니 귀여운 남자가 저를 보며 서 있었어요
= I was walking down the street and I felt somebody looking at me, so I looked and saw a cute man standing there looking at me 

기린의 털 때문에 기린이 노란색 옷을 입은 것 같이 보였다. 나는 기린이 목이 길어서 무서울 줄 알았는데 오히려 귀여웠다.
= Because of their fur, it looked like the giraffes were wearing yellow clothes. Giraffes have long necks, therefore I thought they would be scary, rather, they were cute.

춥다 = to be cold

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “춥따”

춥다 follows this ㅂ irregular

Common Usages:
날씨가 춥다 = the weather is cold

Notes:
춥다 is only used to talk about the weather or one’s body, not the temperature of objects.

Examples:
캐나다는 겨울이 추운 나라예요 = Canada is a cold country in the winter
날씨는 주말에 추워졌어요 = The weather got cold over the weekend
너무 추워서 저는 겨울이 싫어요 = I don’t like winter because it is too cold
현재 날씨는 평소보다 조금 추워요 = The present/recent weather is colder than normal
요즘에 날씨가 점점 추워져요 = Lately, the weather is getting gradually colder
날씨가 추워서 따뜻한 옷을 입었어요 = The weather is cold, so I put on warm clothes

어렵다 = to be difficult

어렵다 follows the ㅂ irregular

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “어렵따”

Common Usages:
어려운 문제 = difficult problem

Examples:
수학은 너무 어려워요 = Math is too difficult
한국에서 대학교는 고등학교보다 덜 어려워요 = In Korea, University is not as hard as high school
저는 어려운 내용을 천천히 설명했어요 = I explained the difficult content slowly
부장님을 만족시키는 것은 어려워요 = Is it is difficult to satisfy our boss
고등학교는 한국에서 어려워요 = High school is difficult in Korea

더럽다 = to be dirty

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “더럽따”

더럽다 follows the ㅂ irregular

Example:
우리 집은 지금 매우 더러워요 = Our house is really dirty right now
쥐는 너무 더러워요 = Rats are very dirty
바다는 춥고 더러워요 = The ocean is cold and dirty
제가 세수를 하지 않았기 때문에 얼굴이 더러워 보여요 = My face looks dirty because I didn’t wash it

바쁘다 = to be busy

바쁘다 follows the ㅡ irregular

Examples:
제가 너무 바빠서 내일 못 가요 = I can’t go tomorrow because I am so busy
저는 어제 너무 바빴어요 = I was very/too busy yesterday

이달 초에 친구들과 모임이 많을 거여서 매우 바쁠 것 같아요
= I will probably be very busy at the beginning of this month because I have a lot of meetings with friends

우리가 원래 내일 만나기로 했는데 우리 둘 다 너무 바빠서 다음 주로 연기했어요
= We originally decided to meet tomorrow, but we delayed it to next week because we were both so busy

같다 = to be the same

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “갇따”

Common Usages:
~ㄹ 것 같다 grammatical principle (Introduced in Lesson 35)
똑같다 (exactly the same)

Notes: See Lesson 15 for more information

Example:
저는 같은 바지가 있어요 = I have the same pants
캐나다 사람들은 한국 사람들과 같아요 = Canadian people are the same as Korean people
이 학교는 우리 학교와 같아요 = This school and our school are the same
저 식당은 이 식당과 같아요 = That restaurant is the same as this one
우리 아빠는 저것을 싫어할 것 같아요 = Dad will probably not like that
선생님이 그 수업을 하지 않을 것 같아요 = The teacher probably won’t (teach) that lesson

안전하다 = to be safe

Common Usages:
안전띠 = safety belt, seat belt

Examples:
이 직업은 안전해서 좋아요 = This job is good because it is safe
저는 거리를 안전하게 건넜어요 = I crossed the street safely
우리 아버지는 차를 항상 안전하게 운전해요= Our dad always drives his car safely
주위가 안전하지 않아요 = This area/surrounding area isn’t safe

그 아파트가 경비 아저씨가 있지만 안전하지 않아요
= Even though that apartment (complex) has a security guard, it isn’t safe

사람들이 운전을 할 때 신호를 준수해야 안전해요
= When people drive, only when they obey the traffic signals is it safe

딱딱하다 = to be hard, to be rigid

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “딱따카다”

Examples:
이 빵은 너무 딱딱해요 = This bread is too hard
다이아몬드는 딱딱하다 = Diamonds are hard
저는 반죽을 딱딱할 때까지 저었어요 = I stirred the batter until it was hard
바나나가 초록색일수록 딱딱해요 = The greener bananas are, the harder they are

저는 디스크가 있어서 딱딱한 바닥에서 자야 돼요
= I have a herniated disk, so I need to sleep on a hard floor

너무 딱딱한 음식을 많이 먹으면 턱에 무리가 가서 좋지 않아요
= If you eat a lot of hard food, it puts too much stress on your chin so it is not good

부드럽다 = to be soft

The pronunciation of this word is closer to “부드럽따”

부드럽다 follows the ㅂ irregular

Examples:
그녀의 손은 부드러워요 = Her hands are very soft
그 여자의 피부가 너무 부드러워요 = That girl’s skin is very smooth/soft
손이 부드럽지 않아서 로션을 발랐어요 = I put lotion on my hands because they weren’t soft
매우 부드럽고도 이상한 느낌이었다 = It had a very soft, but also a very strange feel
이 베개를 저것과 비교하면 이 베개가 훨씬 부드러워요 = If you compare this pillow with that one, this pillow is much softer

가능하다 = to be possible

Common Usages:
가능성 = possibility
환불 가능 = refunds are possible (you would see this on a sign in a store)
교환 가능 = exchanges are possible (usually seen on a sign at a store)

Examples:
그것이 가능하다고 생각해요? = Do you think that is possible?
그것은 경제적으로 가능하지 않아요 = That isn’t economically possible
교환은 1주일 이내 가능합니다 = Exchanges are possible within one week

정부는 지진 가능성 때문에 적색 경보를 내렸어요
= The government issued a red alert because of the possibility of an earthquake

북한 사람들이 북한에서 탈출할 때도 잡혀서 죽을 가능성이 있어요
= It is possible for North Korean people to be captured and killed even when they are trying to escape the country

불가능하다 = to be impossible

Example:
그것을 움직이는 것이 불가능해요 = It is impossible to move that

예쁘다 = to be pretty

예쁘다 follows the ㅡ irregular

Common Usages:
예쁜 여자 = pretty girl

Example:
그 여자가 너무 예뻐요 = That girl is very pretty
저의 여자 친구는 귀엽고 예뻐요 = My girlfriend is cute and pretty
그 여자의 구두가 예뻐요 = That girl’s boots are pretty
여자 친구는 얼마나 예뻐요? = How pretty is your girlfriend?
그 여자들은 예뻐요 = Those girls are pretty

Adverbs:
일찍 = early

Notes: 일찍 is an adverb. The opposite of “early” is typically 늦다 which is an adjective. 늦게 can be used as the adverb to have the meaning of “late.” For example:
우리는 일찍 도착했어요 = We arrived early
우리는 늦게 도착했어요 = We arrived late (it would be awkward to say “lately” in English)

Examples:
우리는 내일 일찍 일어나야 돼요 = We need to wake up early tomorrow morning
왜 이렇게 일찍 가요? = Why are you going so early (like this)?
제가 일찍 가도 돼요? = May I go early?
저는 아침에 일찍 일어났어요 = I woke up early in the morning
그는 직장에서 일찍 퇴근했어요 = He left work early
밖에 일찍 나가려고 숙제를 빨리 했어요 = I did my homework fast in order to go out early

매일 = everyday

Examples:
저는 매일 운동하겠습니다 = I will exercise everyday
저는 매일 운동해요 = I exercise everyday
매일
같은 운동을 하지 말고 많이 쉬세요 = Don’t do the same exercise every day, and get lots of rest
그 남자는 매일 까만색 옷을 입어요 = That man wears black clothes everyday
저는 공휴일을 빼고 매일 일해요 = I work every day except for public holidays
저의 엄마는 매일 운동해요 = My mother exercises every day

There are 1050 vocabulary entries in Unit 1. All entries are linked to an audio file.
You can download all of these files in one package here.

For help memorizing these words, try using our mobile app.

You might also want to try listening to all of the words on loop with this Vocabulary Practice video.

 

Irregulars

As with all languages, there are some irregular conjugations that you need to know. Irregulars are applied to certain verbs or adjectives when adding something to the stem of the word. Korean grammar is based on these “additions” that are added to stems. I mentioned this in Lesson 5, but I want to reiterate it here.

There are hundreds of additions that you can add to the stem of a verb or adjective. Some of these additions are conjugations and some of them are grammatical principles that have meaning in a sentence.

You have learned about some of these additions now. For example:

  • ~ㄴ/는다 to conjugate to the plain form
  • ~아/어 to conjugate to the informal low respect form
  • ~아/어요 to conjugate to the informal high respect form
  • ~ㅂ/습니다 to conjugate to the formal high respect form
  • ~았/었어 to conjugate to the informal low respect form in the past tense
  • ~ㄴ/은 added to an adjective to describe an upcoming noun

In future lessons, you will learn about many more of these additions. For example, some of them are:

  • ~ㄴ/은 후에 to mean “after”
  • ~기 전에 to mean “before”
  • ~기 때문에 to mean “because”
  • ~아/어서 to mean “because”
  • ~(으)면 to mean “when”
  • ~아/어야 하다 to mean “one must”
  • ~아/어서는 안 되다 to mean “one should not”

Notice that some of these additions start with a vowel, and some of them start with a consonant. Most of the irregulars are applied when adding a vowel to a stem. The ㄹ irregular that is introduced at the end of the lesson is the only irregular that applies when adding a consonant to a stem.

Let’s look at one example before I introduce each irregular one by one. Let’s say we want to conjugate the word “어렵다” into the past tense using the informal low respect form. The following would happen:

어렵다 + ~았/었어 = 어려웠어

Here, you can see that the actual stem of the word changed. This is referred to as the “ㅂ irregular” because the same phenomenon happens with many (but not all) words whose stem ends in “ㅂ”.

As I mentioned previously, most of these irregulars are applied when adding a vowel to a stem.  There are many additions that start with a vowel, and you got a start on learning some of those conjugations in Lessons 5 and 6:

  • ~아/어
  • ~아/어요
  • ~았/었어
  • ~았/었어요
  • ~았/었습니다
  • ~았/었다

As such, this lesson will present the Korean irregulars and how they change as a result of adding these conjugations. In later lessons when you learn about other additions, you can apply what you learned in this lesson to those concepts. For now, let’s get started.

ㅅ Irregular

If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㅅ (for example: 짓다 = to build), the ㅅ gets removed when adding a vowel. For example, when conjugating:

짓다 = to make/build
짓 + 어 = 지어
나는 집을 지어 = I build a house

짓 + 었어요 = 지었어요
저는 집을 지었어요 = I built a house

Notice that this only happens when adding a vowel. When conjugating to the plain form, for example, you only add “~는다” to a stem and thus ㅅ does not get removed. For example:

집을 짓는다 = to  build a house

The reason this irregular is done is to avoid changing the sound of a word completely after conjugating it.

Pronouncing 짓다 sounds like ‘jit-da.’
Pronouncing 지어 sounds like ‘ji-uh’
Pronouncing 짓어 sounds like ‘jis-suh’

The third one (which is incorrect) completely changes the sound of the word stem when a vowel is added (from ‘jit’ to ‘jis.’ Whereas in the second one, the sound of the word stem only changes from ‘jit’ to ‘ji,’ which is much smaller of a difference (especially considering the ‘t’ in the pronunciation of 짓 is not aspirated – which makes it barely audible). I know that is confusing, but if you can’t understand why it is done, that’s fine. Just know that it must be done.

Some other examples of words that follow this irregular are (these words are too difficult for you right now, but I’m just showing you):

낫다 = better (adjective) – You will learn more about this word in Lesson 19
잇다 = to continue (verb)

Common words that this does not apply to are:

웃다 (to laugh) = 저는 웃었어요 = I laughed
벗다 (to take off clothes) = 저는 저의 옷을 벗었어요 = I took off my clothes
씻다 (to wash) = 저는 저의 손을 씻었어요 = I washed my hands

Here is a table with the word “짓다 (to build)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

짓다 = build Past Present Future
Informal low 지었어 지어 짓겠어
Informal high 지었어요 지어요 짓겠어요
Plain form 지었다 짓는다 짓겠다
Formal high 지었습니다 짓습니다 짓겠습니다

Note that when a word stem has as the fourth consonant, this irregular does not apply. For example, this does not apply to 없다, which you will learn about in the next lesson.

 

 

ㄷ irregular

If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㄷ (for example: 걷다 = to walk), the ㄷ gets changed to ㄹ when adding a vowel. This is only done with verbs. For example:

걷다 = to walk
걷 + 어 = 걸어
저는 걸어요 = I walk

걷 + 었어요 = 걸었어요
저는 걸었어요 = I walked

I don’t mean to confuse you, but I will:

걷다 means “to walk.” When conjugating, by adding a vowel it changes to 걸어
Another meaning of 걷다 is “to tuck.” But this meaning of 걷다 does not follow the irregular rule. So when conjugating by adding a vowel, it simply stays as 걷어.
걸다 means “to hang.” When conjugating, by adding a vowel it stays as 걸어

Confusing enough? Let’s look at all three:

걷다
To walk
걷다
To tuck
걸다
To hang
Past (Informal High) 걸었어요 걷었어요 걸었어요
Present (Informal High) 걸어요 걷어요 걸어요
Future (Informal High) 걷겠어요 걷겠어요 걸겠어요

Honestly, though, the whole 걷다/걷다/걸다 thing is probably the most confusing part of this conjugation, and don’t worry too much about it. “Walk” is a word that is used much more frequently than “tuck,” so it is not something that comes up a lot.

The reason this conjugation is done is simply because the sounds flows off your tongue better. It is similar to pronouncing the word “butter” in English. When pronouncing “butter” we don’t say “butt-tter,” we just say “bud-er.” Like the ㄷ irregular, it is simply to avoid saying a hard consonant.

This is done to most stems ending in ㄷ. Common words that this does not apply to (like 걷다 = to tuck) are:

받다 (to get/receive) = 돈을 받았어요 = I received money
묻다 = 묻어요 (to bury) = 저는 저의 강아지를 묻었어요 = I buried my dog
닫다 = 닫아요 (to close) = 저는 문을 닫았어요 = I closed the door

Here is a table with the word “걷다 (to walk)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

걷다 = walk Past Present Future
Informal low 걸었어 걸어 걷겠어
Informal high 걸었어요 걸어요 걷겠어요
Plain form 걸었다 걷는다 걷겠다
Formal high 걸었습니다 걷습니다 걷겠습니다

 

 

ㅂ Irregular

If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㅂ (쉽다 = easy), the ㅂ changes to 우 when adding a vowel. 우 then gets added to the next syllable in the conjugated word.

This is mostly done with adjectives. Many verbs end with ㅂ but this rule is rarely applied to verbs (some of the few verbs where this rule applies are: 줍다 (to pick up), 눕다 (to lie down)). For example:

쉽다 = to be easy
쉽 + 어 = 쉬 + 우 + 어 = 쉬워
그것은 쉬워 = That is easy

어렵다 = to be difficult
어렵 + 어요 = 어려 + 우 + 어요 = 어려워요
그것은 어려워요 = That is difficult

귀엽다 = cute
귀엽 + 어요 = 귀여 + 우 + 어요 = 귀여워요
그 여자는 귀여워요 = That girl is cute

In the words “돕다” (to help) and “곱다” (an uncommon way to say “beautiful”) ㅂ changes to 오 instead of 우. For example:

돕다 = to help
돕 + 았어요 = 도 + 오 + 았어요 = 도왔어요
저는 저의 어머니를 도왔어요 = I helped my mother

Note: The in 돕다 and 곱다 changes to only when ~아/어 (or any derivative like ~았/었다 or ~아/어요) is added. When adding any other vowel, changes to . As of now, you haven’t learned when you would need to add a different vowel. For example, in future lessons you will learn about adding ~ㄹ/을 to verbs. When this gets added to 돕다, it changes to 도울. This isn’t immediately pressing to you now, but you should make a mental note of it.

Because the ㅂ irregular is found in adjectives, you will be conjugating it not only at the end of a sentence, but also in the middle of a sentence (before a noun). Remember the difference between these two sentences.

사과는 크다 = Apples are big
나는 큰 사과를 좋아한다 = I like big apples

In the first sentence, ‘big’ is an adjective that describes the noun (apple) at the end of the sentence.
In the second, ‘big’ describes the apple (as ‘a big apple’) and then “like” acts on the noun. In Lesson 4, you learned how to describe a noun by placing an adjective with ~ㄴ/은 before it. Adding ~ㄴ/은 to adjectives where the stem ends in “ㅂ” causes this irregular to come into play.

When placing an adjective (who’s stem ends in “ㅂ”)  before a noun to describe it, you add ~ㄴ to the newly formed 우/오 syllable:

귀엽 + ㄴ = 귀여 + 우 + ㄴ = 귀여운
저는 귀여운 여자를 좋아해요 = I like cute girls

More examples:
쉽다 = easy
쉽 + ㄴ = 쉬 + 우 + ㄴ = 쉬운
저는 쉬운 일을 했어요 = I did easy work

부드럽다 = soft
부드럽 + ㄴ = 부드러 + 우 + ㄴ = 부드러운
나는 부드러운 손이 있어= I have soft hands

춥다 = cold
춥 + ㄴ = 추 + 우 + ㄴ = 추운
저는 추운 날씨를 좋아해요 = I like cold weather

Note that in most irregulars, the word changes differently if the last vowel in the stem is ㅗ OR ㅏ. However, in the ㅂ irregular, except for 돕다 and 곱다, all applicable words are changed by adding 우. Therefore, even in words where the last vowel in the stem is ㅏ (ex: 아름답다) or ㅗ (ex: 새롭다), 우 is added. For example:

아름답다 = beautiful:
아름답 + 어요 = 아름다 + 우 + 어요 = 아름다워요
그 여자는 아름다워요 = That girl is beautiful

새롭다 = new
새롭 + 어요 = 새로 + 우 + 어요 = 새로워요
그 학교는 새로워요 = That school is new
그것은 새로운 학교예요 = That (thing) is a new school

Probably the most confusing of all irregulars, mainly because it seems strange that ㅂ can change to 우/오. The reason this happens is similar to the ㅅ irregular. As you know already, when pronouncing a syllable with the last letter ㅂ, you don’t really pronounce the ‘B’ sound. If you don’t know what I mean, check out the Pronunciation guide. But, if you add a vowel after ㅂ the sound of ‘B’ would be pronounced. The purpose of the irregular is to eliminate the ‘B’ sound which isn’t actually in the word. Confusing? Yes, I know, but again, you don’t really need to care about why it is done.

This is done to some words ending in ㅂ. Some common words in which this does not apply:

좁다 (narrow) = 이 방은 좁아요 = This room is narrow
잡다 (to catch/grab) = 저는 공을 잡았어요 = I caught the ball
넓다 (wide) 이 방은 넓어요 = This room is wide
(Korean people often describe a room/place being “big” by saying it is “wide”)

Here is a table with the word “춥다 (cold)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

춥다 = cold Past Present Future
Informal low 추웠어 추워 춥겠어
Informal high 추웠어요 추워요 춥겠어요
Plain form 추웠다 춥다 춥겠다
Formal high 추웠습니다 춥습니다 춥겠습니다
Adjective form 추운 날씨 = cold weather

 

ㅡ Irregular

If the final letter in a stem is ㅡ (for example: 잠그다 = to lock), when adding ~아/어, you can not determine whether you need to add ~어 or ~아 to the stem by looking at ㅡ. Instead, you must look at the vowel in the second last syllable. For example, in the word 잠그다, the second last syllable in the stem is 잠, and the vowel here is ㅏ. We use the same rules as above to determine  whether 아 or 어 is added. If the vowel in the second last syllable is ㅏ or ㅗ, 아 is added. If the vowel in the second last syllable is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 is added. For example:

Where the vowel in the second last syllable is ㅏ or ㅗ:
잠그다 + ~아/어
= 잠그아

Where the vowel in the second last syllable is anything butㅏ or ㅗ:
슬프다 + ~아/어
= 슬프어

Unfortunately, that is not all that happens. When ~아/어 is added to a stem where the last letter is ㅡ, ~아/어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated. That is quite confusing, so let’s look at examples of how this is done.

잠그다 = to lock
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the second last syllable, which is 잠. The vowel in this syllable is ㅏ, so ~아 needs to be added to the stem.
잠그 + 아
~아 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
잠그 + 아 = 잠가

바쁘다 = to be busy
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the second last syllable, which is 바. The vowel in this syllable is ㅏ, so ~아 needs to be added to the stem.
바쁘 + 아
~아 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
바쁘 + 아 = 바빠

예쁘다 = pretty
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the second last syllable, which is 예. The vowel in this syllable is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so ~어 needs to be added to the stem.
예쁘 + 어
~어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
예쁘 + 어 = 예뻐

슬프다 = to be sad
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the second last syllable, which is 슬. The vowel in this syllable is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so ~어 needs to be added to the stem.
슬프 + 어
~어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
슬프 + 어 = 슬퍼

This merging of ~아/어 to the stem occurs when ~아/어 is added, or any of its derivatives, including ~아/어요 and past tense conjugations like ~았/었어 or ~았/었어요. For example:

저는 문을 잠갔어요 = I locked the door
저는 바빠요 = I am busy
그 여자는 예뻐요 = That girl is pretty
저는 아주 슬퍼요 = I am very sad

Some stems only have one syllable. For example, the stem of 크다 is just 크. In this case, we know that we need to use the ㅡ irregular, but there is no previous syllable to draw on to determine what should be added to the stem. In these cases, ~어 is added to the stem. For example:

크다 = to be big
This stem ends in ㅡ. If we were to add ~아/어, we need to look at the second last syllable, but there is none, so ~어 needs to be added to the stem.
크 + 어
~어 merges to the stem and the ㅡ is eliminated:
크 + 어 = 커
그 집은 커요 = That house is big

Sometimes the last vowel of a stem is ㅡ, but the stem ends in a consonant. In these cases, there is no merging and ~어 is always chosen instead of ~아. For example:

긁다 = to scratch
The last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. However, the stem does not end in ㅡ and instead ends with a consonant. Therefore, 어 is added.
긁 + 어요 = 긁어요
저는 머리를 긁었어요 = I scratched my head

듣다 = to hear
The last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. However, the stem does not end in ㅡ and instead ends with a consonant. Therefore, 어 is added.
듣 + 었어요 = 듣었어요

But wait! Don’t forget the ㄷ irregular.

듣 + 었다 = 들었다
저는 쥐를 들었어요 = I heard a mouse

만들다 = to make
The last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. However, the stem does not end in ㅡ and instead ends with a consonant. Therefore, 어 is added. Regardless of what the vowel in the previous stem is, because the stem ends in a consonant, 어 is added.
만들다 + ~아/어요
= 만들어요

Here is a table with the word “잠그다 (to lock – which is a verb)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

잠그다 = lock Past Present Future
Informal low 잠갔어 잠가 잠그겠어
Informal high 잠갔어요 잠가요 잠그겠어요
Plain form 잠갔다 잠근다 잠그겠다
Formal high 잠갔습니다 잠급니다 잠그겠습니다

And here is a table with the word “예쁘다 (pretty – which is an adjective)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

예쁘다 = pretty Past Present Future
Informal low 예뻤어 예뻐 예쁘겠어
Informal high 예뻤어요 예뻐요 예쁘겠어요
Plain form 예뻤다 예쁘다 예쁘겠다
Formal high 예뻤습니다 예쁩니다 예쁘겠습니다

Finally, here is a table with the word “만들다 (to make – which is a verb)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far.

만들다 = to make Past Present Future
Informal low 만들었어 만들어 만들겠어
Informal high 만들었어요 만들어요 만들겠어요
Plain form 만들었다 만든다 만들겠다
Formal high 만들었습니다 만듭니다 만들겠습니다

You will learn how 만든다 and 만듭니다 are formed later in the lesson when you learn about the irregular.

 

르 Irregular

If the final syllable in a stem is 르 (마르다), it is conjugated differently when adding ~아/어. This irregular only applies when adding ~아/어(or any of its derivatives) to a stem and not when adding any other grammatical principles that starts with a vowel or consonant. Up until now, you haven’t learned about any of these other grammatical principles, that can start with anything other than ~아/어~, so don’t worry about this distinction too much.

When adding ~아/어 to these words, an additional ㄹ is created and placed in the syllable preceding 르 as the last consonant. The 르 also gets changed to either 러 or 라 (depending on if you are adding 어 or 아). This is done to both verbs and adjectives (the only exceptions are 따르다 = to follow/to pour; and 푸르다 = to be calming blue). This is difficult to explain, and much easier to show with examples:

다르다 = different
다르 + 아요 = 다 + ㄹ + 라요 = 달라요
그것은 달라요 = That thing is different

빠르다 = to be fast
빠르 + 아요 = 빠 + ㄹ + 라요 = 빨라요
그 남자는 빨라요 = That man is fast

부르다 = to call somebody’s name
부르 + 었어요 = 부 + ㄹ + 렀어요 = 불렀어요
저는 저의 누나를 불렀어요 = I called my sister

Here is a table with the word “고르다 (to choose – which is a verb)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

고르다 = choose Past Present Future
Informal low 골랐어 골라 고르겠어
Informal high 골랐어요 골라요 고르겠어요
Plain form 골랐다 고른다 고르겠다
Formal high 골랐습니다 고릅니다 고르겠습니다

And here is a table with the word “마르다 (thin – which is an adjective)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~아/어 (or one of its derivatives like ~았/었어요) is added to the verb stem.

마르다 = thin Past Present Future
Informal low 말랐어 말라 마르겠어
Informal high 말랐어요 말라요 마르겠어요
Plain form 말랐다 마르다 마르겠다
Formal high 말랐습니다 마릅니다 마르겠습니다
Adjective form 마른 여자 = thin girl

 

 

ㄹ Irregular

Okay, last one, I promise.

As you know, there are times when you must choose between two things to add to a stem. For example:

~아/어 means you must choose between adding ~아 or ~어
~ㄴ/은 means you must choose between adding ~ㄴ or ~은
~ㅂ/습 means you must choose between adding ~ㅂ or ~습
~ㄹ/을 means you must choose between adding ~ㄹ or ~을

As you know, you choose the correct addition based on the stem.

If the final letter of a stem is ㄹ AND you add any of the following:

~ㄴ/은
~ㄴ/는
~ㅂ/습
~ㄹ/을

The first option (~ㄴ/ ~ㅂ / ~ㄹ ) should be used. In addition, the ㄹ is removed from the stem and the ~ㄴ / ~ㅂ / ~ㄹ is added directly to the stem. Let’s look at each one individually.

 

ㄹ Irregular: Adding ~ㄴ/은 to words

You have learned about adding ~ㄴ/은 to adjective stems when describing nouns. Usually, you add ~ㄴ directly to the stem of an adjective ending in a vowel, and ~은 to the stem of an adjective ending in a consonant, for example:

크다 = 큰 남자
작다 = 작은 남자

When adding ~ㄴ/은 to a stem which ends in ㄹ, the ㄹ is removed and ㄴ is added to the stem:

길다 = long
길 + ㄴ = 긴
저는 긴 거리를 건넜어요 = I crossed the long street

멀다 = far away
멀 + ㄴ = 먼
저는 먼 병원에 갔어요 = I went to a far away hospital (a hospital that is far away)

There will be times when you have to add ~ㄴ/은 to verbs stems as well, but you haven’t learned about this yet. I introduce this concept in Lesson 26, and then talk about the irregular being applied in Lesson 28. I don’t want you to think about this too much until those lessons, but just so you know, the concept is the same as adding ~ㄴ/은 to an adjective. For example:

열다 = to open
열 + ㄴ = 연

Although you haven’t learned about adding ~ㄴ/은 to stems, you have learned about adding ~ㄴ/는다 to verb stems. Normally, you add ~ㄴ다 to the stem of a verb ending in a vowel, and ~는다 to the stem of a verb ending in a consonant. For example:

나는 집에 간다 = I go home
나는 밥을 먹는다 = I eat rice

But when adding ~ㄴ/는다 to a verb stem that ends in ㄹ, you must remove ㄹ and add ~ㄴ다 to the verb stem:

나는 문을 연다 = I open the door
나는 케이크를 만든다 = I make a cake

 

ㄹ Irregular: Adding ~ㅂ/습 to words

You have also learned about adding ~ㅂ/습니다 to verb and adjective stems when conjugating in the Formal high respect form: Normally, you add ~ㅂ니다 to the stem of a word ending in a vowel, and ~습니다 to the stem of a word ending in a consonant. For example:

Verbs:
저는 집에 갑니다 = I go home
저는 밥을 먹습니다 = I eat rice

Adjectives:
그 여자는 예쁩니다 = That girl is pretty
이 방은 넓습니다 = This room is big/wide

But when adding ~ㅂ니다 to the stem of a word that ends in ㄹ, you must remove ㄹ and add ~ㅂ directly to the stem. For example:

Verbs:
저는 문을 엽니다 = I open the door
저는 케이크를 만듭니다 = I make a cake

Adjectives:
그 병원은 멉니다 = That hospital is far
그 여자의 머리카락은 깁니다 = That girls hair is long

머리 can mean ‘head’ or ‘hair’ depending on the context. If you want to specifically mention your hair, you can say 머리카락, which always means the hair on one’s head. 머리 or 머리카락 does not refer to the hair on an animal, or the body hair of a human. This hair is referred to as “털” and extends to most of the hair that can be found on animals (fur, the wool on a sheep, etc).

The addition of ~ㅂ/습니다 only affects words that end in ㄹ. There is no irregular that occurs if adding ~ㅂ/습니다 to any other type of stem. For example, notice how only the stem of 길다 changes as a result of adding this:

Irregular Example Word + ~ㅂ/습니다
ㅅ Irregular 짓다 짓습니다
ㄷ Irregular 걷다 걷습니다
ㅂ Irregular 쉽다 쉽습니다
ㅡ Irregular 예쁘다 예쁩니다
르 Irregular 마르다 마릅니다
ㄹ Irregular 길다 깁니다

 

Here is a table with the word “열다 (to open – which is a verb)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. The irregular conjugations are in bold. Notice that this only occurs when ~ㄴ or ~ㅂ is added to the verb stem.

열다 = open Past Present Future
Informal low 열었어 열어 열겠어
Informal high 열었어요 열어요 열겠어요
Plain form 열었다 연다 열겠다
Formal high 열었습니다 엽니다 열겠습니다

And here is a table with the word “길다 (long – which is an adjective)” being conjugated using all the honorific forms you have learned so far. Notice that this only occurs when ~ㄴ or ~ㅂ is added to the verb stem (it would happen when ~ㄴ is added, but you don’t add ~ㄴ/는 to an adjective when you conjugate it like this. There are times, however, when this would happen, but you haven’t even gotten close to learning about them yet. For example, in Lesson 76, we talk about the addition of ~ㄴ/는데 to clauses. This would make 길다 turn into 긴데. Please don’t even think about looking ahead to Lesson 76 until you’ve finished with this lesson, and the 69 lessons in between.

길다 = long Past Present Future
Informal low 길었어 길어 길겠어
Informal high 길었어요 길어요 길겠어요
Plain form 길었다 길다 길겠다
Formal high 길었습니다 깁니다 길겠습니다
Adjective form 거리 = long road

I don’t want to confuse you too much more because I am sure you are already really confused. Just the amount of content on this page alone is enough to make somebody cry. That being said, I think it is a very good exercise to try to compare how the words 듣다 and 들다 differ in their conjugations. Don’t worry about the meaning of 들다 yet (it is a very complex word that has many meanings), but just assume it is a verb in this case. For now, let’s just focus on how they are conjugated.

Notice that when conjugating 듣다, you need to consider the following irregular patterns:

  • ㄷ irregular (because it ends in ㄷ)
  • ㅡ irregular (because the final vowel is ㅡ)

The following table shows how 듣다 should be conjugated across the honorifics and tenses you have learned so far: (Irregular conjugations are in bold)

듣다 = to hear Past Present Future
Informal low 들었어 들어 듣겠어
Informal high 들었어요 들어요 듣겠어요
Plain form 들었다 듣는다 듣겠다
Formal high 들었습니다 듣습니다 듣겠습니다

Notice when conjugating 들다, you need to consider the following irregular patterns:

  • ㄹ irregular (because it ends in ㄹ)
  • ㅡ irregular (because the final vowel is ㅡ)

The following table shows how 들다 should be conjugated across the honorifics and tenses you have learned so far: (Irregular conjugations are in bold)

들다 Past Present Future
Informal low 들었어 들어 들겠어
Informal high 들었어요 들어요 들겠어요
Plain form 들었다 든다 들겠다
Formal high 들었습니다 듭니다 들겠습니다

I feel that comparing these two is a very good exercise because you can see that sometimes, because of the irregular conjugations, 듣다 might look exactly like 들다. For example, in all of the past tense conjugations, there is no way to distinguish between the two based on sound, and the only way to distinguish them is by context in a sentence.

There is no easy way around memorizing stuff like this. The only words of encouragement I can give you is that – as you become more and more familiar with the language, and as you expose yourself to it more and more, it does become second nature. I know you can’t believe that now, but it does.

 

 

 

 

Adding ~ㄴ/은 to Adjectives

I mentioned this in some of the sections above, but I would like to organize it all here. In Lesson 4, you learned how to add ~ㄴ/은 to adjectives to describe an upcoming noun. Some irregulars will come into play when doing this because of the possibility of adding a vowel to a stem. Let’s look at the word “어렵다” as an example. 어렵다 has a consonant as its final letter, which means that ~은 must be added (instead of ~ㄴ). Therefore, we end up with:

어렵은

Because of this, we now have the final consonant “ㅂ” followed by a vowel, which causes the ㅂ irregular to be applied. The correct conjugation of 어렵다 + ~ㄴ/은 is therefore “어려운.”

Below is a table that shows how irregular adjectives can change because of adding ~ㄴ/은:

Irregular Example Word Does this apply? Application
ㅅ Irregular 낫다 (better) YES 나은
ㄷ Irregular NA NA NA
ㅂ Irregular 쉽다 (easy) YES 쉬운
ㅡ Irregular 바쁘다 (busy) NO 바쁜
르 Irregular 빠르다 (fast) NO 빠른
ㄹ Irregular 길다 (long) YES

 


Looking Ahead to Grammatical Principles that you will Learn in Future Lessons

There are many additions that you will learn in future lessons. You will learn the meaning and usage of all of these when they become important for your level of study. When you learn about a new addition in a future lesson, I will explain how it causes irregular words to change.

The good thing is – if you learn how one format of addition causes irregulars to change, every addition with the same initial letters will cause the same change. For example, adding ~아/어 causes ㅅ to be eliminated in words that follow the ㅅ irregular. Likewise, any other addition that starts with ~아/어 causes the same change. For example, if I add ~아/어 or ~았/었다 to 짓다, we see the same change to the word stem – that is 짓다 changes to 지어 and 지었다 respectively.

This same idea can be applied to grammatical additions that will be introduced in later lessons. For example, in Lesson 43 you will learn how ~(으)면 causes irregular words to change. The change that results from adding ~(으)면 is exactly the same as the change that results from adding similar additions like ~(으)며 and ~(으)면서. Therefore, you don’t need to memorize how each one affects irregulars, but rather how the general format of adding ~(으)ㅁ… will affect irregulars. I know the road ahead to memorizing these new additions and their effects on irregulars looks daunting, but this grouping of formats will allow your brain to compartmentalize the information.

Each time a new format/style of addition is introduced in my lessons, I will explain how irregulars adapt to it. This only needs to be done once for each format, because each successive addition with the same format will create the same change to irregulars. Below is a list of grammatical principles you will learn in future lessons. Each one follows a particular style. In each of these lessons, I will explain how they cause irregular words to change. Furthermore, I will explain the other grammatical principles that follow the same format that will create the same change:

~ㄹ/을 (Lesson 9)
~니 (Lesson 21)
~ㅁ/음 (Lesson 29)
~(으)려고 (Lesson 32)
~(으)시다 (Lesson 39)
~(으)면 (Lesson 43)
~(으)니까 (Lesson 81)

For now, focus on the concepts that were introduced in this lesson. When you reach each of the lessons above, I will bring up the discussion of irregulars again. At that point, we can talk about how that grammatical principle causes irregular words to change.

Check out our Irregular Guide if you are confused (I’m sure you are!).

Everybody is confused when they learn these irregulars. Eventually you will reach a point where all of these will come natural to you. Whenever you learn a new word where the stem ends in ㅅ/ㄹ/ㅂ/ㄷ/르/ㅡ just make a mental note about how you should conjugate that word in the future. I don’t even have to think about these irregulars anymore because they just flow out naturally. If you can’t memorize them all right now, just try to understand them, which will allow you to recognize them later. Eventually, you will memorize them simply from using and hearing them so much.

There are 1250 example sentences in Unit 1.
All entries are linked to an audio file. You can download all of these files in one package here.

Okay, I got it! Take me to the next lesson! Or,
Click here for a workbook to go along with this lesson.


Want to try to create some sentences using the vocabulary and grammar from this lesson?

This YouTube video will prompt you to translate English sentences into Korean using the concepts from this lesson.

 

 


This lesson focused on conjugations. You might want to try practicing the conjugations by watching this video.

I will prompt you with verbs and adjectives to conjugate into the past, present and future tenses.

 

 


Want to practice your listening skills?

This YouTube video will prompt you with Korean sentences to dictate using the concepts from this lesson.

 

 

 

We just released a massive update for our app that was 9 months in the making. We added a ton of new content and features. Learn about the updates here, and everything the app can do here.