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