Korean Past Tense: 았어요 / 었어요 Made Simple
Learn how to say what happened in Korean. One simple vowel rule picks 았어요 or 었어요, plus 했어요 for 하다, common contractions like 갔어요, and "was" with 였어요.
Beginner7 min readTap any Korean word to see it explained
The short answer
To talk about the past, add 았 or 었 to the verb stem. If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 았어요. Otherwise use 었어요. Verbs ending in 하다 become 했어요.
The good news: Korean past tense is very regular. There is one vowel rule, one special case for 하다, and a few spots where sounds squeeze together. Once you see the pattern, you will spot it in every drama and song. Tap the endings below to see each part.
1. The vowel rule: 았 or 었
Start with the dictionary form, like 먹다 (to eat). Drop 다 to get the stem: 먹. Now look at the last vowel in that stem.
- ㅏ or ㅗ: add 았어요. 받다 → 받았어요 (received)
- Any other vowel: add 었어요. 먹다 → 먹었어요 (ate)
2. 하다 always becomes 했어요
Many Korean verbs end in 하다: 공부하다 (study), 일하다 (work), 좋아하다 (like). In the past, the 하 part always turns into 했어요. You don’t need the vowel rule at all.
3. When sounds squeeze together
If the stem ends in a vowel, the past ending often merges into it. This is why you rarely see the full 았 or 었 spelled out.
| Verb | Meaning | What happens | Past (polite) | Past (casual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | go | 가 + 았 → 갔 | 갔어요 | 갔어 |
| 만나다 | meet | 나 + 았 → 났 | 만났어요 | 만났어 |
| 보다 | see, watch | 보 + 았 → 봤 | 봤어요 | 봤어 |
| 오다 | come | 오 + 았 → 왔 | 왔어요 | 왔어 |
| 마시다 | drink | 시 + 었 → 셨 | 마셨어요 | 마셨어 |
| 배우다 | learn | 우 + 었 → 웠 | 배웠어요 | 배웠어 |
| 하다 | do | 하 → 했 | 했어요 | 했어 |
가 + 았어요 becomes 갔어요. The two ㅏ sounds merge into one.
보 + 았어요 becomes 봤어요. Same ending for questions and answers. Your voice goes up for a question.
마시 + 었어요 becomes 마셨어요. ㅣ and ㅓ blend into ㅕ.
4. “Was” with a noun: 이었어요 / 였어요
To say someone or something was a noun, attach the ending straight to the noun. Use 이었어요 after a consonant and 였어요 after a vowel. It is the past of 이에요/예요 (“am, is”).
5. Casual past: just drop 요
With close friends, drop 요, just like in the present tense. You get 먹었어, 갔어, 했어. For nouns, 이었어요/였어요 becomes 이었어/였어.
A friendly way to say hi to someone close. It means something like "how are you doing?"
Keep going
K-pop lyrics are full of the past tense, because so many songs look back on love and memories. Open a song in Hanbok Lyrics and tap a line: the breakdown points out every 았 and 었. To review the present tense this builds on, see Korean present tense (아요 / 어요). Ready to talk about plans? Try Korean future tense (을 거예요).
Check yourself
Quick check · 1 of 4가다 (to go) in the polite past = ?
I went.
Questions learners ask
How do you make the past tense in Korean?
Take the verb stem and add 았 or 었, then the ending. For polite speech that is 았어요 or 었어요: 받다 becomes 받았어요 (received), 먹다 becomes 먹었어요 (ate).
When do you use 았어요 and when 었어요?
Look at the last vowel of the stem. If it is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 았어요 (받았어요, 갔어요, 봤어요). With any other vowel, use 었어요 (먹었어요, 마셨어요). Verbs ending in 하다 always become 했어요.
What is the past tense of 하다?
했어요 in polite speech and 했어 in casual speech. Every 하다 verb follows it: 공부하다 becomes 공부했어요 (studied), 일하다 becomes 일했어요 (worked).
How do you say "was" in Korean?
After a noun, use 이었어요 if the noun ends in a consonant and 였어요 if it ends in a vowel: 학생이었어요 (was a student), 가수였어요 (was a singer).