We're going to start with the infinitive forms, or dictionary forms of the verbs. They all end in the syllable 다(-da) and can more or less be translated as "to verb" for example: to sleep, to read, to speak. They are the forms of the verb that you are most likely to find in a Korean - English dictionary.
So, once you have a verb in the infinitive form you need to classify it into one of three categories. To do that cut off the 다(-da) at the end of your verb and look at what is now the last syllable.
If the last syllable is 하(ha) you have a 하다(hada) verb,
if the last syllable contains ㅗ or ㅏ but is not 하(ha) that's an (-a) 아 verb,
or if you last syllable contains any vowel other than 오(o) and 아(a) that is an 어(-eo) verb...
and that is what we are going to learn today.
We will learn how to conjugate 어(eo) verbs into the present tense. Let's use the example
숨다(sum-da) "to hide".
We've already done the first step in our conjugation and that is cutting off the 다(da). The infinitive verb with the 다(-da) cut off is what's known as the root verb.
The next step is adding a new ending 어(eo) That's why we call them 어(eo) verbs... because we add an 어(eo)
숨어
(sum-eo)
and there you have it your present form of the word "hide".
But this isn't the only way to say hide in the present form in Korean. Korean has 3 different levels of respect: casual, polite, and formal. So there are 3 different ways to say a verb in the present tense.
This one is the casual way. If we want to make it polite we add 요(yo).
숨어요
(sum-eo-yo)
and now to make it formal:
Making a verb formal is a little different. It starts off the same way. You take the infinitive form and cut off the 다da. Then, if the last syllable ends in a vowel you add ㅂ니다(-m-ni-da) to the end, or, if the syllable ends in a consonant, you add 습니다(seum-ni-da).
숨습니다
(sum-seum-ni-da)
Hopefully, everyone's watched my lesson on consonant assimilation and this pronunciation is not confusing.
When we have a root verb that ends in a vowel things get much more interesting for the casual and polite conjugation, too. Let's look at another example. One that ends in a vowel.
to lose
지다
(ji-da)
When we take off the 다(da) our verb root ends in a vowel. Let's start with formal conjugation this time. It ends in a vowel so instead of adding 습니다(seum-ni-da) we add ㅂ니다(m-ni-da)
집니다
(jim-ni-da)
Now let's do the casual conjugation. Take off the 다(da) and add 어(eo)
지어(ji-eo)
Now say it quickly "ji-eo ji-eo ji-eo ji-eo"
It sounds like jyeo... and that is exactly what it is. When the root of your verb ends in ㅣ(i) and the verb ending is 어(eo) the 2 vowels blend together and become (yeo).
So, the casual present tense of lose is
져
(jyeo)
Other vowels blend with the 어(eo) ending in different ways
if your verb root ends in ㅜ(u)- the 2 vowels combine into (wo) 워
if your verb root ends in ㅡ(eu)- the (eu) simply disappears
if your verb root ends in ㅓ(eo)- only one (eo). Don't add another.
if your verb root ends in ㅐ(ae)- don't add the (eo) at all.
(and as far as I can tell there are no verb roots that end in (e)ㅔ Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
And that is how you conjugate into the casual form.
And for the polite form, just as before, you add a 요(yo) to the end. In our example:
져요
(jyeo-yo)
Let's make a sentence. "I hide"
"I" in Korean is 나(na) for casual situations and 저(Jeo) for polite/formal situations.
So to say "I hide" in the casual form you say
나 숨어
(na sum-eo)
but that is not it! We have another thing to learn in this lesson: subject markers.
Subject markers are suffixes that you attach to the end of the word that is the subject of the sentence. If you've never heard the term "subject of the sentence" before all it means is the thing in the sentence which is doing the action. In this sentence, the subject is "I", or 나(na). 나(na) is the thing that is doing the action, so "na" is the subject.
There are two types of subject markers the -neun/-eun 는/은 variety and the -ga/-i 가/이 variety.
가(ga) and 는(neun) subject markers go after words that end in vowels
이(i) and 은(eun) subject markers go after words that end in consonants.
Both varieties are used to identify the subject, but the difference is that
the 가/이(-ga/-i) variety puts extra emphasis on the subject,
and the 는/은(neun/eun) variety puts the emphasis on the action.
If you want to say "I hide" in a way that makes it clear that you are "hiding", not doing something else. Then use the 는/은(neun/eun) variety.
나는 숨어 (na-neon sum-eo).
If you want to say "I hide" in a way that makes it clear to everyone that it is "I " who is hiding, not anyone else: "I". Then you use the 가/이(ga/i) variety of subject marker.
Let me give you an example situation because subject markers can be tricky to understand.
If I ask "what do you do?"
You answer "나는 숨어 (na-neun sum-eo)"
(I hide. That's what I do.)
If I ask "who hides?"
You answer "내가 숨어(nae-ga sum-eo)"
(I hide. That's who.)
Do you see the difference? 가(ga) emphasizes the subject, and 는(neun) emphasizes the action.
Let's look at our example with the 는/은 (neun/eun) variety of subject marker first.
You label the subject of the sentence with the ending 는(-neun) if the subject ends in a vowel or an 은(-eun) if the subject ends in a consonant. In this case we have a vowel so we use 는(neun).
(na-neun sum-eo) 나는 숨어
now the polite form:
(jeo-neun sum-eo-yo) 저는 숨어요
and in the formal form:
(jeo-neun sum-seum-ni-da) 저는 숨습니다
The 는/은(neun / eun) is actually optional. When you have a very short sentence like this it is obvious which word is the subject, so subject markers aren't necessary. If you have a more complex sentence the subject markers are really helpful in avoiding confusion.
Also, there is a shorthand way of adding subject markers
instead of 나는(na-neun) you may just see 난 (nan)
instead of 저는 (jeo-neun) you may just see 전 (jeon)
the shorthand subject marker is just a ㄴ(n) instead of a full 는(-neun). You might see the shorthand spelling with any noun that ends in a vowel.
You will hear people talk like this and write like this in email and other un-official forms of communication. But you won't see these shorthand subject markers printed in a book or in the president's speech or anything official like that. It's just one of those lazy habits.
Now let's talk about the 가/이(-ga/-i) variety.
Like I said before, you use the 가/이 (ga/i) ending if you want to put extra emphasis on the subject. The 가(-ga) goes at the end of subjects that end in vowels and the 이(i) goes at the end of subjects that end in consonants. But something special happens with the pronouns 저, 나, & 너 (jeo, na, & neo). They end in vowels, so you would expect them to get the 가(ga) subject marker, but they actually get both -i and -ga. Like this:
저+ㅣ+가
나+ㅣ+가
너+ㅣ+가
and now watch this magic!
the ㅣ joins theㅓ in 저 and 너 to make ㅔ
and the ㅣ joins the ㅏ in 나 to make ㅐ
So we have:
제가
내가
네가
Remember learning about the vowel (ae)ㅐ. It's meant to be pronounced "ay" but is often pronounced like "e".
Well, you really really don't want to get "I" 내가 and "you" 네가 mixed up. So, having two very similar sounding words is going to get confusing. So, here's what Koreans do
This one 내가 casual "I" with a (ga) subject marker is pronounced "neh" and "nay" Just like it's written.
and this one 네가 casual "you" with a (ga) subject marker is pronounced "ni". It's one of those words that is not pronounced the way it is written. It is "ni". Sometimes, in unofficial communication, like chatting on the internet, some people will even write it as 니. And yeah... a -ga subject marker after the ni. This is the word that makes English speakers a little uncomfortable. but we know what we mean.
So let's do our example with the i/ga subject marker
the casual form of "I hide" is
nae-ga sum-eo 내가 숨어
and the polite form of "I hide" is
je-ga sum-eo-yo 제가 숨어요
and in the formal form
제가 숨습니다 je-ga sum-seum-ni-da
So, subject markers in sum:
Put them at the end of the subject (ie. noun that is doing the verb)
When emphasizing the action: use -eun if the subject ends in a consonant, or -neun if the subject ends in a vowel
neun is often shortened to just (n) in unofficial communication.
When emphasizing the subject: use -i if the subject ends in a consonant, or -ga if the subject ends in a vowel
You must add both -i and -ga to the the pronouns 저 나 너 when emphasizing the subject to get 제가(je-ga) 내가(nae-ga) 네가("ni"-ga)
subject markers are optional and can be omitted if the subject of the sentence is already obvious and you don't want to draw extra attention to either the action or the subject.
alright so "I hide"
I guess next we have to learn
you hide
he or she hides
we hide they hide
Well, actually no. In Korean we don't need to conjugate the verb when we switch from first person, to second person, to third person, or from singular, to plural.
The verb stays exactly the same. This makes it easier than English in a sense... and way the heck easier than the French or Spanish me and my friends had to study in school.
Also, remember that Korean is a pronoun drop language if you just say the verb all by itself the implied pronoun is "I" or if the subject was identified in the previous sentence you can assume that you are still talking about the same person. for example:
In English you might say
Joe loses. He hides.
In Korean you would say it like
Joe loses. hides.
No need to say Joe's name again because we already identified the subject in the 1st sentence. We don't even need to say he instead! That is the convenience of pronoun drop languages.
I'm going to provide you with a list of (eo) verbs You can practice conjugating them into the casual, polite, and formal forms of the present tense. And memorize any of them that you think might be useful.
We're done for now. These links are in the description and thank you for studying with me. If you want my advice on how to use this list. I would recommend that you conjugate all of them to get lots of practice conjugating. Also, try pronouncing them all. It's a good way to remind yourself of all the pronunciation rules. When it comes to memorizing them memorize the infinitive form, not the conjugated form. The infinitive form is more versatile. and when we learn future tense conjugation and past tense conjugation, and so on we will always be starting with the infinitive form of the verb. So if you memorize the infinitive form you won't have to memorize anything new when we learn those new tenses. Trust me on this, memorize infinitive forms of the verbs and learn the conjugation rules. It's the best way.
and I caution you, don't try to memorize all the verbs on the list at once. Pick 10 or less and start with that. You're better off learning a small number of verbs and learning them really, really well rather than trying to memorize a large number of verbs and not being able to recall a single one of them. I started out with 5 and when I felt like I had those thoroughly memorized I added another, and then repeat, and repeat.
Memorizing things requires lots of repetition.
So when memorizing these words
if I had a spare moment during the day when I wasn't doing anything with my brain I would try to to recall all the words on my list and their translations and then try to conjugate them and make little two word sentences. Then if I was feeling really creative I would come up with a little story where I imagined I was in a situation where I would have to say one of these words to someone in Korean. So, that's a fun way to learn. I think.
Share your tips for memorizing vocabulary in the comments.
AND another thing... post script. You may be tempted to add a third word to your sentences.... but don't do it! This lesson teaches you to make 2 word sentences. I'll teach you how to make three word sentences eventually. It isn't as easy as you might think, so hang on until you've actually had a lesson on it.
and one final thing. Post-post script. 제가 내가 네가 look like they contain the possessive pronouns 제 내 네. I assure you they do not. It is merely a coincidence that they ended up being the same words. They are derived from different vowel combinations, as i explained earlier in this video and in the possessive pronoun video. If you don't understand what I'm talking about. Don't worry about it.
We're finally done, please take advantage of the links in the description and annyeonghi gyesipsio thanks for studying with me.
WATCH THE LESSON:https://youtu.be/MHcjBZ-wTWg
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