User:Chom.kwoy/Sandbox/Verbs
Basics
[edit]Every Korean verb stem must be combined with a final ending (어말어미). Between the stem and the final ending, zero or more pre-final endings (선어말어미) can be combined. After the final ending, zero or more postpositions (조사) can be combined, which can carry various nuances. Roughly, the order in which these endings are combined is shown below:
| Stem | Pre-final endings | Final ending | Postposition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject honorific | Time-Aspect-Mood | ||||
| Examples | 살 (sal-), 먹이 (meogi-), 공부하 (gongbuha-), 짓밟히 (jitbalpi-), 어려워지 (eoryeowoji-), ... | (으)시 (-(eu)si-) | 았/었 (-at/eot-), 겠 (-get-) | 더라 (-deora), 아/어 (-a/eo), 습니까 (-seumnikka), 구나 (-guna), ㄹ게 (-lge), (으)ㄴ (-(eu)n), 는 (-neun), (으)ㄹ (-(eu)l), 아/어도 (-a/eodo), 아/어야 (-a/eoya), (으)나 (-(eu)na), (으)니까 (-(eu)nikka), 도록 (-dorok), 게 (-ge), 고 (-go), (으)면 (-(eu)myeon), 거나 (-geona), 다가 (-daga), 되 (-doe), 기 (-gi), (으)ㅁ (-(eu)m), ... | (이)라고 ((i)rago), 마는 (maneun), 요 (yo), 들 (deul), 그려 (geuryeo), 도 (do), 는 (neun), 야 (ya), 이다 (ida)... |
Below are some examples of Korean verb forms.
| Verb form | Stem | Pre-final endings | Final ending | Postposition | Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject honorific | Time-Aspect-Mood | |||||
| 먹을 (meogeul) | 먹 (meok-) | (None) | (None) | (으)ㄹ (-(eu)l) | (None) | to eat |
| 주세요 (juseyo) | 주 (ju-) | (으)시 (-(eu)si-) | (None) | 아/어 (-a/eo) | 요 (yo) | give |
| 사셨겠더구나라고 (sasyeotgetdeogunarago) | 살 (sal-) | (으)시 (-(eu)si-) | 었 (-eot-) + 겠 (-get-) | 더구나 (-deoguna) | (이)라고 ((i)rago) | "(I) realized that (they) must have lived!" |
| 짓밟히겠습니다마는 (jitbalpigetseumnidamaneun) | 짓밟히 (jitbalpi-) | (None) | 겠 (-get-) | 습니다 (-seumnida) | 마는 (maneun) | although (they) would get stomped on |
| 올라가셨네그려 (ollagasyeonnegeuryeo) | 올라가 (ollaga-) | (으)시 (-(eu)si-) | 었 (-eot-) | 네 (-ne) | 그려 (geuryeo) | I see that (they) went up |
| 사람이어서는 (saramieoseoneun) | 사람이 (sarami-) | (None) | (None) | 어서 (-eoseo) | 는 (neun) | By being a person, |
Stem Shapes
[edit]Stems sometimes change shape depending on what endings follow directly after. These variant shapes can be either predictable just by the looking at the dictionary form of the verb, or unpredictable because it is specific to the word. In the formulation of grammar taught in South Korean public schools, the latter (unpredictable variant shapes) are called irregular conjugation (불규칙 활용).
Regular Stem Changes
[edit]ㄹ Elision
[edit]Stems that end with ㄹ (-l) in dictionary form drop the ㄹ (-l) when followed by certain endings. For example, 살 (sal-) "to live" becomes 사 (sa-) before the verb ending 는 (-neun), making 사는 (saneun) instead of *살는 (*salleun). This change happens regularly for all stems that end with ㄹ (-l). The list of endings that trigger this change are shown below. Note that they mostly consist of endings that start with (or historically started with) an alveolar consonant, although not all such endings trigger the change.
- ㄴ (n): (으)니 (-(eu)ni), (으)니까 (-(eu)nikka), 는 (-neun), 느냐 (-neunya), 는데 (-neunde), ...
- ㄹ (l): (으)ㄹ (-(eu)l), (으)ㄹ수록 (-(eu)lsurok), ...
- ㅅ (s): (으)시 (-(eu)si-), (스)ㅂ니다 (-(seu)mnida), (사)오니 (-(sa)oni), 오/소 (-o/so), ...
- Others: (으)ㅂ시다 (-(eu)psida), (으)오 (-(eu)o), ...
ㅡ Elision
[edit]Stems that end with the "ㅡ" (eu") vowel in dictionary form drop the "ㅡ" (eu") when followed by endings that start with 아/어 (-a/eo). For example, 크 (keu-) "big" becomes 커 (keo) when combined with 아/어 (-a/eo), instead of *크어 (*keueo). Similarly, 담그 (damgeu-) "to dip" becomes 담가 (damga) when combined with 아/어 (-a/eo), instead of *담그어 (*damgeueo). This change happens regularly for all regular stems that end with "ㅡ" (eu").
Note that in these cases, which one between 아 (-a) and 어 (-eo) is chosen depends on the vowel in the second-to-last syllable of the stem, instead of the final one. If the stem is only one syllable long, i.e. 크 (keu-) "big", 어 (-eo) is always chosen.
Irregular Stem Changes
[edit]A limited number of verbs are irregular, which means that their conjugated forms cannot be predicted solely from the dictionary form of the verb. For example, the two words 걷다 (geotda) "to walk" and 걷다 (geotda) "to harvest" have identical dictionary forms, but some of their conjugated forms are different: 걷 (geot-) "to walk" + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) becomes 걸으니 (georeuni), whereas 걷 (geot-) "to harvest" + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) becomes 걷으니 (geodeuni).
ㄷ-Irregular
[edit]Some (but not all) verbs whose stem looks like "...ㄷ" (...t-) in dictionary form change its form to "...ㄹ" (...r-) before a vowel.
| Type | Dictionary Stem | + 고 (-go) | + 아/어 (-a/eo) | + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular | 걷 (geot-) "to walk" | 걷고 (geotgo) | 걸어 (georeo) | 걸으니 (georeuni) |
| 듣 (deut-) "to hear" | 듣고 (deutgo) | 들어 (deureo) | 들으니 (deureuni) | |
| Regular | 걷 (geot-) "to harvest" | 걷고 (geotgo) | 걷어 (geodeo) | 걷으니 (geodeuni) |
| 뜯 (tteut-) "to rip" | 뜯고 (tteutgo) | 뜯어 (tteudeo) | 뜯으니 (tteudeuni) |
ㅂ-Irregular
[edit]Some (but not all) verbs whose stem looks like "...ㅂ" ("...p-") in dictionary form changes when preceding a vowel. In particular, they change to "...w-" preceding 아/어 (-a/eo), or the final ㅂ (b) drops completely while turning the following 으 (eu) into 우 (u).
When selecting between 아 (-a) and 어 (-eo) forms, only two verbs, 곱다 (gopda, “beautiful”) and 돕다 (dopda, “to help”), choose 아 (-a), and all other ㅂ-irregular verbs choose 어 (-eo).
| Type | Dictionary Stem | + 고 (-go) | + 아/어 (-a/eo) | + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular | 돕 (dop-, “to help”) | 돕고 (dopgo) | 도와 (dowa) | 도우니 (douni) |
| 굽 (gup-, “to fry”) | 굽고 (gupgo) | 구워 (guwo) | 구우니 (guuni) | |
| 차갑 (chagap-, “cold”) | 차갑고 (chagapgo) | 차가워 (chagawo) | 차가우니 (chagauni) | |
| Regular | 굽 (gup-, “bent”) | 굽고 (gupgo) | 굽어 (gubeo) | 굽으니 (gubeuni) |
| 잡 (jap-, “to catch”) | 잡고 (japgo) | 잡아 (jaba) | 잡으니 (jabeuni) |
ㅅ-Irregular
[edit]Some (but not all) verbs whose stem looks like "...ㅅ" ("...t-") in dictionary form drop the final ㅅ (s) before a vowel. Note that the changed stem and the ending's vowel are not contracted into one syllable.
| Type | Dictionary Stem | + 고 (-go) | + 아/어 (-a/eo) | + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular | 낫 (nat-, “to get better”) | 낫고 (natgo) | 나아 (naa) | 나으니 (na'euni) |
| 붓 (but-, “to pour”) | 붓고 (butgo) | 부어 (bueo) | 부으니 (bueuni) | |
| Regular | 솟 (sot-, “to soar”) | 솟고 (sotgo) | 솟아 (sosa) | 솟으니 (soseuni) |
| 웃 (ut-, “to laugh”) | 웃고 (utgo) | 웃어 (useo) | 웃으니 (useuni) |
르- and 러-Irregular
[edit]Some (but not all) verbs whose stem looks like "...르" (...reu-") in dictionary form changes into "...ㄹㄹ" ("...ll-") when an ending that starts with 아/어 (-a/eo) follows. This is called 르-irregular conjugation (르 불규칙 활용).
Additionally, some (but not all) verbs whose stem looks like "...르" (...reu-") in dictionary form changes into "...르ㄹ" ("...reur-") when an ending that starts with -아/어 follows. This is called 러-irregular conjugation (러 불규칙 활용).
| Type | Dictionary Stem | + 고 (-go) | + 아/어 (-a/eo) | + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 르-Irregular | 모르 (moreu-, “not know”) | 모르고 (moreugo) | 몰라 (molla) | 모르니 (moreuni) |
| 이르 (ireu-, “early”) | 이르고 (ireugo) | 일러 (illeo) | 이르니 (ireuni) | |
| 러-Irregular | 푸르 (pureu-, “green/blue”) | 푸르고 (pureugo) | 푸르러 (pureureo) | 푸르니 (pureuni) |
| 이르 (ireu-, “to reach”) | 이르고 (ireugo) | 이르러 (ireureo) | 이르니 (ireuni) | |
| Regular | 치르 (chireu-, “to carry out”) | 치르고 (chireugo) | 치러 (chireo) | 치르니 (chireuni) |
| 따르 (ttareu-, “to follow”) | 따르고 (ttareugo) | 따라 (ttara) | 따르니 (ttareuni) |
ㅜ-Irregular
[edit]Only one verb, 푸다 (puda, “to scoop”) drops the ㅜ (u) vowel before 아/어 (-a/eo).
| Type | Dictionary Stem | + 고 (-go) | + 아/어 (-a/eo) | + (으)니 (-(eu)ni) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular | 푸 (pu-, “to scoop”) | 푸고 (pugo) | 퍼 (peo) | 푸니 (puni) |
| Regular | 주 (ju-, “to give”) | 주고 (jugo) | 주어 (jueo) > 줘 (jwo) | 주니 (juni) |
Ending Shapes
[edit]Some endings alternate their shapes depending on what they are attached to. These alternations can be largely classified as three types: vowel epenthesis, vowel harmony, and alternations related to the historical humble ending.
Additionally, some endings irregularly change their shapes depending on the word they are attached to.
Regular Ending Shape Alternations
[edit]Vowel Epenthesis
[edit]Some endings, such as (으)ㄴ (-(eu)n), (으)ㄹ (-(eu)l), (으)ㅁ (-(eu)m), (으)오 (-(eu)o), (으)니까 (-(eu)nikka), (으)리라 (-(eu)rira), (으)면 (-(eu)myeon), etc, have an optional "으" (eu") vowel in the beginning. This vowel is inserted whenever the previous part ends in a consonant. For example, 주 (ju-) + (으)면 (-(eu)myeon) becomes 주면 (jumyeon) whereas 죽 (juk-) + (으)면 (-(eu)myeon) becomes 죽으면 (jugeumyeon).
Vowel Harmony
[edit]Endings that start with 아/어 (-a/eo), such as 아/어 (-a/eo) itself, 았/었 (-at/eot-), 아/어도 (-a/eodo), 아/어라 (-a/eora), 아/어야 (-a/eoya), etc, have an alternating component in the beginning. Whether '아' (a) or '어' (eo) is chosen depends on the vowel of the preceding syllable. If the preceding syllable has the vowel 'ㅏ' (a) or 'ㅗ' (o), then '아' (a) is selected, and for all other vowels, '어' (eo) is selected.
If the preceding syllable ends in a vowel, then it may go additional vowel contractions, which may be mandatory or optional. Refer to the table below:
| Vowel | Stem | 아/어 (-a/eo) | Final form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 아 (a) | 가 (ga-) "to go" | 아 (-a) | *가아 (*gaa) > 가 (ga) |
| 애 (ae) | 배 (bae-) "to bear" | 어 (-eo) | 배어 (baeeo) > 배 (bae) |
| 어 (eo) | 서 (seo-) "to stand" | 어 (-eo) | *서어 (*seo'eo) > 서 (seo) |
| 에 (e) | 세 (se-) "to count" | 어 (-eo) | 세어 (seeo) > 세 (se) |
| 오 (o) | 쏘 (sso-) "to shoot" | 아 (-a) | 쏘아 (ssoa) > 쏴 (sswa) |
| 외 (oe) | 되 (doe-) "to become" | 어 (-eo) | 되어 (doeeo) > 돼 (dwae) |
| 우 (u) | 주 (ju-) "to give" | 어 (-eo) | 주어 (jueo) > 줘 (jwo) |
| 위 (wi) | 쉬 (swi-) "to rest" | 어 (-eo) | 쉬어 (swieo) |
| 이 (i) | 비비 (bibi-) "to rub" | 어 (-eo) | 비비어 (bibieo) > 비벼 (bibyeo) |
Disappearing 스, 사, and ㅅ
[edit]Some "polite" endings like (스)ㅂ니다 (-(seu)mnida), (사)오니 (-(sa)oni), and 오/소 (-(s)o) alternate depending on the previous segment. If followed by a syllable that ends in a vowel or ㄹ (-l), then the "스" (seu"), "사" (sa"), or "ㅅ" (s") part is elided, and otherwise, it is kept. For example, 주 (ju-) + (스)ㅂ니다 (-(seu)mnida) becomes 줍니다 (jumnida) instead of *주습니다 (*juseumnida). Similarly, 살 (sal-) + (스)ㅂ니다 (-(seu)mnida) becomes 삽니다 (samnida) instead of *살습니다 (*salseumnida).
Irregular Ending Shape Changes
[edit]여-Irregular
[edit]One verb, 하다 (hada, “to do”), and all verbs derived from 하다 (-hada) conjugate differently. That is, 아/어 (-a/eo) changes into 여 (-yeo) when following this 하 (ha-), making the shape 하여 (hayeo). This 하여 (hayeo) is commonly contracted into 해 (hae) in colloquial settings.
ㅎ-Irregular
[edit]Some (but not all) verbs that look like "...앟" ("...ah-") and "...엏" ("...eoh-"), mostly stative verbs, conjugate differently. That is, when combined with 아/어 (-a/eo), they each become "...애" (...ae") and "...에" (...e"), respectively. For example, 그렇다 (geureota, “like so”) + 아/어서 (-a/eoseo) becomes 그래서 (geuraeseo), and 허옇다 (heoyeota, “white”) + 아/어서 (-a/eoseo) becomes 허예서 (heoyeseo).
Final Endings
[edit]Sentence-Final Endings
[edit]Sentence-final endings primarily express three notions: grammatical mood, politeness towards the listener, and formality. Additionally, it can express other notions such as mirativity, evidentiality, and other various modalities.