Korean Language Tutorial

Lesson 25

Korean Lesson: Lessons 25
Irregulars
As with all languages, there are some irregular conjugations that you need to know. The irregulars apply any time you add 아/어/여 (or another vowel/consonant) to a verb/adjective stem (aside from conjugating, you have yet to learn other times when you must add another vowel/consonant to a word. You will learn about these later).
ㅅ Irregular
If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㅅ (짓다 = to make/build), the ㅅ gets removed when adding a vowel. This is only done with verbs. 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 (in this case – 어/아/여). When in the most basic (formal low respect), for example, you only add “는다” to the stem and thus ㅅ does not get removed:
저는 집을 짓는다 = I 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 very small. 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).
This is done to most stems ending in ㅅ, 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
ㄷ irregular
If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㄷ (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 is simply stays as 걷어. In addition, 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 Formal
걸었어요
걷었어요
걸었어요
Present Formal
걸어요
걷어요
걸어요
Future Formal
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 don’t worry about it too much.
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) = 저는 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
ㅂ Irregular
If the last letter of a word stem ends in ㅂ (쉽다 = easy), the ㅂ gets changed to 우 in all cases except for if the final vowel of the word stem is ㅗ. If the final vowel of the stem is ㅗ, the ㅂ is changed to 오. 우/오 then gets added to the next syllable in the conjugated word. This is most done with adjectives. Many verbs end with ㅂ but this rule is rarely applied to verbs (the only verb I can think of where this applies is 줍다 = pick up).
쉽다 = to be easy 쉽 + 어 = 쉬 + 우 + 어 = 쉬워 그 것은 쉬워 = That thing is easy
어렵다 = to be difficult 어렵 + 었어요 = 어려 + 우 + 었어요 = 어려웠어요 그 것은 어려워요 = That was difficult
돕다 = to help 돕 + 았어요 = 도 + 오 + 았어요 = 도왔어요 저는 저의 어머니를 도왔어요 = I helped my mother
Because this 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 = The apple is big 저는 큰 사과를 좋아한다 = I like big apples
In the first sentence, ‘big’ is an adjective that is acting on the noun (apple). In the second, ‘big’ describes the apple (as ‘a big apple’) and then “like” acts on the noun.
귀엽다 = cute 귀엽 + 어요 = 귀여 + 우 + 어요 = 귀여워요 그 여자는 귀여워요 That girl is cute
But when making an adjective that modifies a noun, we add ㄴ/은. When modifying nouns with the ㅂ irregular, 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 쉬 + 우 + ㄴ = 쉬운 저는 쉬운 일을 했어요 = I did easy work
부드럽다 = soft 부드러 + 우 + ㄴ = 부드러운 저는 부드러운 손이 있다 = I have soft hands
춥다 = cold 추 + 우 + ㄴ = 추운 저는 추운 날씨를 좋아해요 = I like cold weather
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, when pronouncing a syllable with the last letter ㅂ, you don’t really pronounce the ‘B’ sound. 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.
This is done to adjective stems ending in ㅂ. Adjectives in which this does not apply: 좁다 (narrow) = 이 방은 좁아요 = This room is narrow 넓다 (wide) = 이 방은 넓어요 = This room is wide (Korean people often describe a room/place being “big” by saying it is “wide”
ㅡ Irregular
If the final vowel in a stem is ㅡ (잠그다 = to lock), you can not determine whether you need to add 어 or 아 to the stem by looking at ㅡ. In order to determine this you must look at the vowel in the second last syllable.
Also, If the stem ends in ㅡ (that is, there is no consonant after it), the ㅡ gets removed and ㅓ/ㅏ takes its place. For example:
잠그다 = to lock Last vowel in the stem is ㅡ. The vowel in the second last syllable is ㅏ, so we add 아. 잠그 ends in ㅡ, so ㅡ gets removed and ㅏ takes its place: 잠그 + 았어요 = 잠갔어요 저는 문을 잠갔어요 = I locked the door
바쁘다 = to be busy Last vowel in stem is ㅡ. The vowel in the second last syllable is ㅏ, so we add 아. 바쁘 ends in ㅡ, so ㅡ gets removed and ㅏ takes its place: 바쁘 + 아요 = 바빠요 저는 바빠요 = I am busy
If there is a consonant after ㅡ in the stem (for example: 긁다 = to scratch), you just add the 어/아 as you would to a normal word:
저는 머리를 긁었어요 = I scratched my head
But, in that example, the stem only has one syllable (another example: 듣다 = to hear). In these cases there is no second last syllable to determine if you should add 어 or 아. But, as you can see in the above example you add 어 instead of 아 in these cases. For example:
듣다 = to hear Last vowel in stem is ㅡ. There is no syllable preceding 듣, so we must add 어. 듣 ends in a consonant, so 어 does not get added directly to the syllable. 듣 + 었어요 = 듣었어요 But! Don’t forget the ㄷ irregular. In this example, both ㅡ and ㄹ irregulars are used: 듣 + 었다 = 들었다 저는 쥐를 들었어요 = I heard a mouse
르 Irregular
If the final syllable in a stem is 르 (마르다), when adding a vowel to the stem, 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, and happens all the time (the only exception is 따르다 = to follow/to pour). This is difficult to explain, and much easier to show with examples:
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
ㄹ Irregular
If the final vowel of a stem ends in ㄹ AND you add ~ ㄴ/~ㅂ to that stem, the ㄹ is removed and the ㄴ /ㅂ get added on directly to the stem. However, if you are adding ‘는’ or something starting with ㅅ to the stem – the ㄹ is removed and ~는/~ㅅ is added directly after the stem. In addition, when adding ㄹ/을 to a stem that ends in ㄹ, you actually eliminate the ㄹ/을. That is a lot, so lets look at each in more detail:
ㄹ Irregular – Adding ㄴ to words
You have learned about adding ㄴ/은 to adjective stems when modifying nouns: 크다 = 큰 남자 작다 = 작은 남자
When adding ㄴ/은 to a stem that ends in ㄹ,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)
You have also learned about adding ㄴ/는다 to verb stems when conjugating in the Formal low respect form.
저는 집에 간다 = I go home 저는 잔다 = I sleep
But when adding ㄴ/는다 to a verb stem that ends in ㄹ, you must remove ㄹ and add ㄴ다 to the verb stem:
저는 문을 연다 = I open the door 저는 케이크를 만든다 = I make a cake
ㄹ Irregular – Adding ㅂ to words
You have also learned about adding ㅂ to verb and adjective stems when conjugating in the Formal high respect form: Verbs: 저는 집에 갑니다 = I go home 저는 잡니다 = I sleep
Adjectives: 그 여자는 예쁩니다 = That girl is beautiful 그 것은 불가능합니다 = That thing is impossible
But when adding ㅂ니다 to verbs or adjectives whose stems end in ㄹ, you must remove ㄹ and add ㅂ directly to the stem:
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 머리는 깁니다 = That girls hair is long (머리 can mean ‘head’ or ‘hair’ depending on the situation. 머리카락 always means the hair on your head)
ㄹ Irregular – Adding ~는 or ~ㅅ to words
As of now, you have not yet learned about adding ~는 or ~ㅅ to a stem, so don’t worry about this too much now. I will show you the examples, but you won’t be able to understand them. Just try to see how the irregular works within these examples, and I will re-present these again when you learn how to deal with adding ~는 and ~ㅅ.
When you add ~는 or ~ㅅ to a stem of a word that ends in ㄹ, you must drop the ㄹ from the stem, and add ~는 or ~ㅅ after the stem:
열다 + 는 = 여는
열다 + 세요 = 여세요
Again, that is just for your reference. I will teach you more about those irregulars when I teach you about the specific grammar within them.
ㄹ Irregular – Adding ~ㄹ/을to words
Just like the above (는/ㅅ) example, you have not learned about adding ~ㄹ/을 to a stem, so don’t worry about this too much now either. I will show you the examples, but you won’t be able to understand them. Just try to see how the irregular works within these examples, and I will re-present these again when you learn how to deal with adding ~ㄹ/을.
When you add ~ㄹ/을 to a stem of a word that ends in ㄹ, you actually drop the ㄹ/을 altogether:
갈다 + ㄹ/을 = 갈
빨다 + ㄹ/을 = 빨
Again, that is just for your reference.
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. For me, even though I learned , I am confused about these irregulars, maybe someday 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. -JLR-