5. Korean Verb Tenses Explained 시제

 

Korean Verb Tenses Explained for Beginners

Korean verbs change their endings to show tense. There are four basic tenses that every learner should know:

✅ Present Tense (현재형) – What is happening now or regularly.
✅ Past Tense (과거형) – What happened in the past.
✅ Future Tense (미래형) – What will happen in the future.
✅ Present Progressive Tense (현재 진행형) – What is happening right now.

Let’s go through each one with examples!

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1. Present Tense (현재형)

The present tense is used for things happening now or things that happen regularly.

🔹 How to Form the Present Tense

Take the verb stem + 아/어/해요

Verb Dictionary Form Present Tense Pronunciation

가다 (to go)	가다	가요	ga-yo
먹다 (to eat)	먹다	먹어요	meo-geo-yo
공부하다 (to study)	공부하다	공부해요	gong-bu-hae-yo

📝 Example Sentences

🔹 저는 한국어를 공부해요. (I study Korean.)
🔹 친구를 만나요. (I meet my friend.)
🔹 매일 커피를 마셔요. (I drink coffee every day.)

📌 Tip: The present tense in Korean can also mean the present continuous in English!

• 저는 책을 읽어요. → "I read books." or "I am reading a book."

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2. Past Tense (과거형)

The past tense is used for actions that already happened.

🔹 How to Form the Past Tense

Take the verb stem + 았/었/했어요

Verb Dictionary Form Past Tense Pronunciation

가다 (to go)	가다	갔어요	ga-sseo-yo
먹다 (to eat)	먹다	먹었어요	meo-geo-sseo-yo
공부하다 (to study)	공부하다	공부했어요	gong-bu-hae-sseo-yo

📝 Example Sentences

🔹 어제 친구를 만났어요. (I met my friend yesterday.)
🔹 아침에 빵을 먹었어요. (I ate bread in the morning.)
🔹 저는 지난주에 한국에 갔어요. (I went to Korea last week.)

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3. Future Tense (미래형)

The future tense is used for actions that will happen.

🔹 How to Form the Future Tense

Take the verb stem + ㄹ/을 거예요

Verb Dictionary Form Future Tense Pronunciation

가다 (to go)	가다	갈 거예요	gal geo-ye-yo
먹다 (to eat)	먹다	먹을 거예요	meo-geul geo-ye-yo
공부하다 (to study)	공부하다	공부할 거예요	gong-bu-hal geo-ye-yo

📝 Example Sentences

🔹 내일 한국어를 공부할 거예요. (I will study Korean tomorrow.)
🔹 주말에 영화를 볼 거예요. (I will watch a movie on the weekend.)
🔹 내년에 일본에 갈 거예요. (I will go to Japan next year.)

📌 Tip: Koreans often use -(으)려고 해요 to express near future plans!

• 오늘 친구를 만날 거예요. (I will meet my friend today.)
• 오늘 친구를 만나려고 해요. (I am planning to meet my friend today.)

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4. Present Progressive Tense (현재 진행형)

The present progressive is used for actions happening right now (like "-ing" in English).

🔹 How to Form the Present Progressive

Take the verb stem + 고 있어요

Verb Dictionary Form Present Progressive Pronunciation

가다 (to go)	가다	가고 있어요	ga-go i-sseo-yo
먹다 (to eat)	먹다	먹고 있어요	meok-go i-sseo-yo
공부하다 (to study)	공부하다	공부하고 있어요	gong-bu-ha-go i-sseo-yo

📝 Example Sentences

🔹 지금 한국어를 공부하고 있어요. (I am studying Korean right now.)
🔹 친구랑 전화하고 있어요. (I am talking on the phone with my friend.)
🔹 비가 오고 있어요. (It is raining.)

📌 Tip: Sometimes, the present tense is used instead of the present progressive in casual speech.

• 지금 뭐 해요? (What are you doing now?)
• 책을 읽어요. (I am reading a book.)

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⏳ Comparing the Four Tenses

Tense Example Sentence Meaning

Present	저는 한국어를 공부해요.	I study Korean. / I am studying Korean.
Past	저는 한국어를 공부했어요.	I studied Korean.
Future	저는 한국어를 공부할 거예요.	I will study Korean.
Present Progressive	저는 한국어를 공부하고 있어요.	I am studying Korean (right now).

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🎯 Quick Quiz (Test Yourself!)

1️⃣ Choose the correct tense:
🔹 저는 어제 김밥을 (먹어요 / 먹었어요 / 먹을 거예요).
🔹 내일 친구를 (만나요 / 만났어요 / 만날 거예요).
🔹 지금 책을 (읽어요 / 읽고 있어요 / 읽을 거예요).

2️⃣ Translate into Korean:
🔹 "I will go to the park tomorrow."
🔹 "I ate ramen yesterday."
🔹 "I am watching a movie right now."

Comment your answers below! ⬇️😊