Does Korean conjugate verbs for I, you, he, or she?

No. A Korean verb form stays the same no matter who the subject is: 가요 means "I go," "you go," and "she goes." Context tells you who. That makes Korean conjugation far simpler than most European languages, since you learn one form per tense instead of six.

What is the 요 at the end of Korean verbs?

요 is the polite ending. 가요, 먹어요, and 해요 are all the everyday polite forms you'll use with most people. The same form does statements, questions, and suggestions; your intonation decides which. There are more formal and more casual styles, but the 요 form carries you through nearly every situation as a beginner.

How do you say "not" in Korean?

For verbs, put 안 before the verb to say you don't or won't do something (안 가요, "I'm not going"), or 못 to say you can't (못 가요, "I can't go"). For nouns, negate the copula with 이/가 아니에요 (학생이 아니에요, "I'm not a student"). 안 and 못 only work on verbs, never on nouns.

What about irregular Korean verbs?

This guide covers the regular pattern plus 하다, which is the most common verb and simply becomes 해요. Korean does have several irregular groups (ㅂ, ㄷ, 르, and others) that change the stem in predictable ways. They're worth learning once the regular pattern is automatic, and every one of them still uses the 아/어요 and 았/었어요 endings you learn here.

Is there a future tense in Korean?

Yes, and there are a couple of ways to express it, the most common being ~을/ㄹ 거예요. It builds on the same stems as the present and past, so it's a natural next step once these two tenses feel comfortable. This guide focuses on present and past because they carry the most everyday weight.

Free guide · 15 minute read

Korean verb conjugation for beginners: present, past, and negation

By Daniel · Updated 2026-07-24

Every Korean verb in the dictionary ends in 다: 가다 (to go), 먹다 (to eat), 하다 (to do). Nobody actually speaks in that form, though. To use a verb in a real sentence you change the ending, and Korean is refreshingly regular about how.

There is one large piece of good news up front. Korean verbs do not change for person or number. 가요 covers “I go,” “you go,” and “she goes” alike, so you learn one form per tense rather than a whole table. This guide covers the two tenses you will use most, the polite present and the past, plus how to make any of them negative.

The polite present: 아요 or 어요

Drop the 다 from the dictionary form and add 아요 or 어요. Which one depends on vowel harmony: look at the last vowel of the stem. If it is ㅏ or ㅗ (the “bright” vowels), add 아요. Otherwise, add 어요.

먹어요
eat: 먹 ends in a consonant, so 먹 + 어요
앉아요
sit: the last vowel is ㅏ, so 앉 + 아요

When the stem itself ends in a vowel, the ending fuses into it instead of doubling up. And the single most common verb bends the rule: 하다 becomes 해요, and every 하다 compound follows, so 공부하다 becomes 공부해요.

Dictionary	Polite present	Why
가다	가요	ㅏ + 아 merge
오다	와요	ㅗ + 아 become 와
주다	줘요	ㅜ + 어 become 워
마시다	마셔요	ㅣ + 어 become 여
먹다	먹어요	consonant stem + 어요
하다	해요	irregular, worth memorizing

Pick a verb below and watch the ending derive itself.

가다가·다

가요

to go

The past tense: add ㅆ

The past tense is built directly on the present form you just learned. Take the present base (everything before 요), tuck a ㅆ underneath its last syllable as a batchim, and add 어요.

갔어요
went: 가요 → 가 → 갔 → 갔어요
먹었어요
ate: 먹어요 → 먹어 → 먹었 → 먹었어요
했어요
did: 해요 → 해 → 했 → 했어요

Because the ㅆ rides on the merged present base, every contraction you already learned carries straight over: 와요 becomes 왔어요, 줘요 becomes 줬어요.

Dictionary	Present	Past
가다	가요	갔어요
오다	와요	왔어요
마시다	마셔요	마셨어요
먹다	먹어요	먹었어요
하다	해요	했어요

가다가·다

갔어요

to go

Making it negative: 안, 못, and 아니에요

There are two ways to negate a verb, and they mean different things. Put 안directly before the verb to say something doesn't happen or that you choose not to. Put 못 in the same spot to say you can't, because ability or circumstance is stopping you.

안 가요.
I'm not going. (by choice)
못 가요.
I can't go. (something prevents it)

The difference carries social weight. 안 먹어요 (“I don't eat it”) can sound like a firm refusal, while 못 먹어요 (“I can't eat it”) softens it to simple inability. One note on 하다 verbs: the 안 slips inside, so 공부해요 becomes 공부 안 해요.

Nouns are different. To say something “is not” a noun, you don't use 안 or 못 at all. You negate the copula with 이/가 아니에요:

학생이 아니에요.
(I'm) not a student.
제 가방이 아니에요.
It's not my bag.

Try the negation toggle on the tool below.

가다가·다

안 가요

to go

Common mistakes

Not merging the vowels. 가아요 should be 가요. When a stem ends in a vowel, it fuses with the ending instead of sitting next to it.
Forgetting that 하다 is special. It never takes 하아요 or 하어요; it is always 해요, and so is every 하다 compound.
Using 안 or 못 on a noun. 안 학생이에요is wrong; to say “not a student” you need 학생이 아니에요. 안 and 못 only attach to verbs.

Quick practice

Type each answer with the built-in keyboard. The negation and copula questions are multiple choice.

Quick check

1 / 8

Type the polite present of 먹다 (to eat)

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

A consonant stem, so add 어요.

Conjugation clicks when you meet verbs in real sentences

HanGeul teaches 2,000 Korean words, verbs included, the way this quiz works: you type the Korean, and when you miss, it shows you exactly what went wrong, then brings the word back on a schedule. The first three levels are free.

Start learning free →Next guide: Korean particles

Frequently asked questions

Does Korean conjugate verbs for I, you, he, or she?: No. A Korean verb form stays the same no matter who the subject is: 가요 means "I go," "you go," and "she goes." Context tells you who. That makes Korean conjugation far simpler than most European languages, since you learn one form per tense instead of six.
What is the 요 at the end of Korean verbs?: 요 is the polite ending. 가요, 먹어요, and 해요 are all the everyday polite forms you'll use with most people. The same form does statements, questions, and suggestions; your intonation decides which. There are more formal and more casual styles, but the 요 form carries you through nearly every situation as a beginner.
How do you say "not" in Korean?: For verbs, put 안 before the verb to say you don't or won't do something (안 가요, "I'm not going"), or 못 to say you can't (못 가요, "I can't go"). For nouns, negate the copula with 이/가 아니에요 (학생이 아니에요, "I'm not a student"). 안 and 못 only work on verbs, never on nouns.
What about irregular Korean verbs?: This guide covers the regular pattern plus 하다, which is the most common verb and simply becomes 해요. Korean does have several irregular groups (ㅂ, ㄷ, 르, and others) that change the stem in predictable ways. They're worth learning once the regular pattern is automatic, and every one of them still uses the 아/어요 and 았/었어요 endings you learn here.
Is there a future tense in Korean?: Yes, and there are a couple of ways to express it, the most common being ~을/ㄹ 거예요. It builds on the same stems as the present and past, so it's a natural next step once these two tenses feel comfortable. This guide focuses on present and past because they carry the most everyday weight.