어렵다 conjugation
to be difficult, to be hardeoryeopdaDescriptive verb (adjective)ㅂ irregular verb
| Form | Korean | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 어렵다 | |
| Polite present | 어려워요 | |
| Polite past | 어려웠어요 | |
| Polite future | 어려울 거예요 | |
| Formal | 어렵습니다 |
The polite forms end in 요 and suit most conversations; the formal form is for announcements, presentations and first meetings. The same form works for I, you, she or they.
How 어렵다 conjugates
- Find the stem. Take 다 off 어렵다 and you are left with 어렵.
- Apply the ㅂ irregular pattern. The ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel. That gives 어려워요.
- Build the rest on it. The past tense adds ㅆ to the same base, giving 어려웠어요, and the table above has the future and the formal form.
Using 어렵다
A ㅂ-irregular adjective, so 어렵다 becomes 어려워요. It's what most learners say about spelling, at least at first.
한국어 맞춤법은 어려워요.
Korean spelling is difficult.
어려운 질문이에요.
That's a difficult question.
More ㅂ irregular verbs
Conjugate any other verb with the Korean verb conjugator, or read the guide to Korean verb conjugation for the rules behind the table.