Korean Present Tense: The 아요/어요 Rule Made Easy
One simple rule decides between 아요 and 어요 for every Korean verb. Learn it, plus why 하다 becomes 해요, the vowel shortcuts behind 가요 and 봐요, and 이에요/예요.
Beginner8 min readTap any Korean word to see it explained
The short answer
Take the verb, drop 다, and look at the last vowel that is left. If it is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아요. For anything else, add 어요. Verbs ending in 하다 always become 해요.
The polite present tense is the most useful verb form in Korean. You will use it to order food, ask directions and chat with new friends. It also covers more ground than the English present: one form means “I eat,” “I am eating” and, with a time word, “I will eat.” Tap the endings in the examples below to see how each one was built.
1. Find the stem
Every Korean verb in the dictionary ends in 다. Remove it and you have the stem: 먹다 → 먹 (eat), 가다 → 가 (go), 마시다 → 마시 (drink). Describing words like 좋다 (to be good) work exactly the same way.
Now look at the last vowel of the stem. In 먹 it is ㅓ. In 살 it is ㅏ. In 마시 it is ㅣ. That one vowel decides everything.
2. ㅏ or ㅗ? Add 아요. Anything else? Add 어요.
Korean likes vowels that sound alike to stay together. The “bright” vowels ㅏ and ㅗ pair with 아요. All the others pair with 어요.
| Verb | Stem | Last vowel | Polite present |
|---|---|---|---|
| 살다 (live) | 살 | ㅏ | 살아요 |
| 좋다 (be good) | 좋 | ㅗ | 좋아요 |
| 앉다 (sit) | 앉 | ㅏ | 앉아요 |
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹 | ㅓ | 먹어요 |
| 읽다 (read) | 읽 | ㅣ | 읽어요 |
| 있다 (have, be there) | 있 | ㅣ | 있어요 |
Same form for 'eats' and 'is eating'. Context tells you which.
3. 하다 always becomes 해요
하다 means “to do,” and it breaks the rule: it becomes 해요, never 하아요. This is great news. Thousands of verbs are a noun plus 하다: 공부하다 (study), 일하다 (work), 운동하다 (exercise), 좋아하다 (like). Learn one ending and you can use all of them.
Questions use the same form. Just raise your voice at the end.
4. When the stem ends in a vowel, they merge
If the stem ends in a vowel, the two vowels usually squeeze together into one syllable. It sounds more natural and it is how everyone speaks. These are the patterns you will meet most:
| Vowels | Verb | Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ + 아 → ㅏ | 가다 (go) | 가요 |
| ㅓ + 어 → ㅓ | 서다 (stand) | 서요 |
| ㅗ + 아 → ㅘ | 오다 (come), 보다 (see) | 와요, 봐요 |
| ㅜ + 어 → ㅝ | 배우다 (learn), 주다 (give) | 배워요, 줘요 |
| ㅣ + 어 → ㅕ | 마시다 (drink) | 마셔요 |
| ㅐ + 어 → ㅐ | 보내다 (send) | 보내요 |
| ㅚ + 어 → ㅙ | 되다 (become) | 돼요 |
오 + 아요 always becomes 와요. If you hear 와요, look up 오다.
마시 + 어요 shrinks to 마셔요. The same thing happens in 기다려요 (wait).
A small group of verbs are irregular and change their stem first, like 듣다 → 들어요 (listen) and 덥다 → 더워요 (be hot). Learn the main rule first. These are easier once the rule feels automatic.
5. “Am, is, are” with nouns: 이에요/예요
To say “X is Y” with a noun, Korean uses 이에요 after a consonant and 예요 after a vowel. The negative is 아니에요 (“is not”).
Quick cheat sheet
- Drop 다 and find the last vowel of the stem.
- ㅏ or ㅗ: add 아요 (살아요, 좋아요).
- Any other vowel: add 어요 (먹어요, 읽어요).
- 하다: always 해요.
- Stem ends in a vowel? Let them merge: 가요, 와요, 마셔요.
Hear it in songs
Song lyrics are full of present tense verbs, often without the 요. Open a song in Hanbok Lyrics and tap through a line: the breakdown shows the dictionary form of every verb. Ready for more? See how the same rule builds the Korean past tense, or read about Korean speech levels to learn when to drop the 요.
Check yourself
Quick check · 1 of 4앉다 (to sit) in the polite present = ?
Questions learners ask
How do you conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense?
Remove 다 to get the stem. If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, add 아요. For any other vowel, add 어요. Verbs ending in 하다 become 해요. So 살다 is 살아요, 먹다 is 먹어요 and 공부하다 is 공부해요.
What is the 아요/어요 rule?
It is the rule for the polite present tense. Look only at the last vowel of the verb stem: ㅏ or ㅗ takes 아요 (좋아요), everything else takes 어요 (읽어요). When the stem ends in a vowel, the two vowels usually merge: 가 + 아요 = 가요, 보 + 아요 = 봐요.
Why does 하다 become 해요?
하다 is a special verb with its own form: it always becomes 해요, never 하아요. Because thousands of verbs end in 하다, like 공부하다 (study) and 일하다 (work), this one form covers a huge part of the language.
Does the Korean present tense also mean "I am doing" or "I will do"?
Yes. 가요 can mean "I go", "I am going" or, with a time word like 내일 (tomorrow), "I am going tomorrow". Context and time words do the work that English does with extra verb forms.