🎭 Korean Verb Fundamentals: Your Verb Toolbox

Imagine you have a magic toy box. Inside are special LEGO pieces called verbs. These pieces are the “action” or “being” parts of every Korean sentence. Today, we’ll learn how to find them, take them apart, and snap them together!

🧩 The Big Picture: What Are Korean Verbs?

Think of Korean verbs like Swiss Army knives. Each verb has:

• A dictionary form (the closed knife)
• A stem (the knife handle you hold)
• Endings (the blades you flip out for different jobs)

Every single Korean sentence needs a verb. No verb? No sentence!

📖 1. Verb Dictionary Form (사전형)

The dictionary form is like finding a word in a word book. Every Korean verb ends in -다.

What It Looks Like

The Rule

All dictionary verbs end in 다.

That’s it! When you see a Korean word ending in 다, you’ve found a verb in its “sleeping” form.

✂️ 2. Verb Stem Identification

The stem is what’s left when you chop off 다.

How to Find the Stem

가다 → 가 (stem)
먹다 → 먹 (stem)
마시다 → 마시 (stem)
예쁘다 → 예쁘 (stem)

Why Does This Matter?

The stem is your building block. You attach different endings to it to make past tense, polite speech, questions, and more!

graph TD
    A[Dictionary Form: 가다] --> B[Remove 다]
    B --> C[Stem: 가]
    C --> D[Add endings!]
    D --> E[가요 = go politely]
    D --> F[갔어요 = went]
    D --> G[갈까요? = shall we go?]

🏃 3. Action vs Descriptive Verbs

Korean has two types of verbs. Think of them like:

The Difference

Action verbs = Things you DO

• 나는 먹어요. (I eat.)
• 그는 달려요. (He runs.)

Descriptive verbs = Things that ARE

• 꽃이 예뻐요. (The flower is pretty.)
• 집이 커요. (The house is big.)

💡 Fun Fact: English uses “is + adjective” (The house IS big). Korean just uses the descriptive verb directly (The house bigs).

🔀 4. Vowel Contraction Rules

When you add endings to stems, sometimes vowels squeeze together like friends in a crowded bus!

The Main Contractions

Visual Example

graph TD
    A[마시다 to drink] --> B[Stem: 마시]
    B --> C[마시 + 어요]
    C --> D[시 + 어 = 셔]
    D --> E[마셔요!]

🎯 5. 이다 (To Be)

이다 is the Korean “to be” verb. It’s like a label maker—it sticks labels onto things!

The Formula

Noun + 이다 = Noun IS

Examples

The Secret Rule

• After consonant: use 이에요/입니다
• After vowel: use 예요/입니다

학생 (ends in ㅇ) + 이에요 → 학생이에요
의사 (ends in ㅏ) + 예요 → 의사예요

📝 6. Noun + 이다 Conjugation

Let’s see 이다 in action with real polite forms!

Polite Form Chart

Formal Version

For extra politeness, use 입니다:

• 학생입니다 (I am a student - formal)
• 의사입니다 (I am a doctor - formal)

Making Sentences

저는 학생이에요.
= I am a student.

그녀는 가수예요.
= She is a singer.

📍 7. 있다/없다 (Existence)

These are your “have” and “don’t have” / “there is” and “there isn’t” verbs!

있다 = There is / I have

없다 = There isn’t / I don’t have

Visual Comparison

graph TD
    A[있다] --> B[EXISTS]
    B --> C[돈이 있어요 = Have money ✅]

    D[없다] --> E[DOESN'T EXIST]
    E --> F[돈이 없어요 = No money ❌]

Pro Tip! 🌟

These verbs also show location:

• 책이 책상 위에 있어요. (The book IS on the desk.)
• 책이 책상 위에 없어요. (The book ISN’T on the desk.)

🔧 8. 하다 Verbs

하다 means “to do.” But here’s the magic: when you stick it after a noun, you create a new verb!

The Formula

Action Noun + 하다 = To do [that action]

Common 하다 Verbs

Why 하다 Is Awesome

Once you know 하다, you can make hundreds of verbs! See a Korean-Chinese word (한자어)? Just add 하다!

graph TD
    A[공부 = study noun] --> B[+ 하다]
    B --> C[공부하다 = to study]
    C --> D[Stem: 공부하]
    D --> E[공부해요 = study politely]

Conjugating 하다

하다 is special! Its polite form is:

• 하다 → 해요 (not 하아요!)

The ㅏ in 하 meets 여 to become 해.

🎁 Wrap-Up: Your Verb Toolkit

You now have 8 powerful tools in your Korean verb toolbox:

🚀 Quick Practice Check

Can you identify these?

1. 먹다 → Stem is: 먹
2. 예쁘다 → Action or Descriptive? Descriptive!
3. 학생 + polite 이다 → 학생이에요
4. 공부 + 하다 polite → 공부해요
5. 돈이 없어요 → I don’t have money

🌟 You did it! You now understand the building blocks of every Korean verb. Every time you meet a new verb, you can take it apart, find its stem, and build new sentences. That’s the power of knowing verb fundamentals!