Korean Tenses: Lessons, Rules and Examples

Key facts

• A Korean verb keeps one stem and changes only its ending to show time: 먹어요, 먹었어요, 먹을 거예요.
• Korean verbs do not change for person or number, so the same ending serves I, you, he and they.
• The present form also covers habits and, with a time word, the near future.
• This set contains 5 lessons at level A1 and above.

Listen to one verb in three tenses.

The next section defines the topic and shows the six main patterns on one verb.

What Are Korean Tenses?

Korean tenses are the endings that tell the listener when an event happens and what shape the event has. A tense places an event in time: before now, now or after now. An aspect describes its shape, such as in progress or finished with a lasting result. Korean marks both on the verb ending.

Pronunciation: 갔어요 is [가써요] (gasseoyo), 갈 거예요 is [갈꺼예요] (gal geoyeyo), 가고 있어요 is [가고 이써요] (gago isseoyo), 열려 있어요 is [열려 이써요] (yeollyeo isseoyo), and 한국에 가 봤어요 is [한구게 가 봐써요] (hanguge ga bwasseoyo).

Time words such as 어제 ("yesterday"), 지금 ("now") and 내일 ("tomorrow") often appear, but the ending alone already carries the tense. The polite ending -요 stays at the end of every form, as explained in Korean polite speech. For the wider area, see Korean grammar. The next section gives a route through the lessons.

Where Should You Start with Korean Tenses?

Start with the present, then the past, then the future, and finish with the forms that describe progress and result. Three stages cover the whole set.

1. Stage 1: the three simple tenses. Read Korean present tense, then Korean past tense, then Korean future tense.
2. Stage 2: the shape of the event. Read Korean progressive tense for -고 있다.
3. Stage 3: lasting results and experience. Read Korean aspect for -아/어 있다 and -아/어 보다.

Who can skip ahead? A learner who already forms 가요, 갔어요 and 갈 거예요 correctly can start at stage 2. A learner who has not met verb-final word order should first read basic Korean grammar, and a learner who is still learning particles should read Korean particles. The next section describes each lesson.

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Each lesson below has a short description, one example sentence with Revised Romanization (RR, the official Latin spelling, shown only as an aid) and audio.

Present Tense

This lesson set teaches the -아요/어요 present form, its habitual and near-future uses, and the plain present -ㄴ다/는다. Example: 매일 커피를 마셔요. (maeil keopireul masyeoyo.) "I drink coffee every day." Spoken [매일 커피를 마셔요].

Past Tense

This lesson set teaches the past infix -았/었-, the past of 이다 and the plain past -았다/었다. Example: 어제 영화를 봤어요. (eoje yeonghwareul bwasseoyo.) "I watched a movie yesterday." Spoken [어제 영화를 봐써요].

Future Tense

This lesson set teaches -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for plans and predictions and -겠- for intention and guesses. Example: 내일 갈 거예요. (naeil gal geoyeyo.) "I will go tomorrow." Spoken [내일 갈꺼예요].

Progressive

This lesson set teaches -고 있다 for actions in progress and the contrast with a habit. Example: 지금 먹고 있어요. (jigeum meokgo isseoyo.) "I am eating now." Spoken [지금 먹꼬 이써요].

Aspect and Experience

This lesson set teaches -아/어 있다 for a state that remains after an action, and -아/어 보다 for trying and experience. Example: 한국에 가 봤어요. (hanguge ga bwasseoyo.) "I have been to Korea." Spoken [한구게 가 봐써요].

The next section helps you choose a lesson for your own sentence.

Which Lesson Fits Your Sentence?

Match the sentence you want to say to the lesson in the table.

The next section shows the most useful contrast in the set.

How Do You Choose between Present, past and Future?

Choose the ending by when the event happens relative to now: -아요/어요 for now and habits, -았/었- for finished events, and -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for plans. The verb stem stays the same in all three.

Pronunciation: 먹었어요 is [머거써요] (meogeosseoyo), 먹을 거예요 is [머글꺼예요] (meogeul geoyeyo), and 할 거예요 is [할꺼예요] (hal geoyeyo). A time word can override the default. 내일 가요 uses the present form with the word 내일 ("tomorrow") and still means "I will go tomorrow". The lesson Korean past tense explains the middle column, and how to conjugate Korean verbs in past tense lists irregular stems. The next section lists the mistakes to avoid first.

Mistakes to Avoid First

Four mistakes appear in most beginner sentences in this area.

1. Memorising endings without the basics. An ending works only inside a verb-final sentence with the right particles. Say 어제 영화를 봤어요, not 봤어요 영화를 어제. The sentence pattern is taught in the basics hub.
2. Expecting the verb to change for the subject. Korean has no "I go, he goes" change. 가요 serves for I, you, he and they.
3. Reading the present as "now" only. The present covers habits and near plans too. Use -고 있다 when you need "right now".
4. Marking the past twice. 갔었어요 is a different form, the past perfect -았었-, which suggests a past that no longer holds ("I went there once, but that is over"). For an ordinary past, say 갔어요.

Each lesson in the set explains these in detail. The next section shows what the set leaves out.

Scope of This Set

The Korean tenses set covers time and aspect endings on the verb. It does not cover the connecting endings that join clauses, such as -고 and -아서/어서, or the respect infix -(으)시-, which are taught in the connectors and speech-level hubs. The speech-level system is described in Korean speech levels.

All Korean text, spoken forms and audio on this page were machine-generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. The next section shows how to practise.

How Do You Practise Korean Tenses?

Practise Korean tenses by saying one sentence in the present, past and future and checking each ending. A short routine works well across a week.

1. Read one lesson and say its model sentences aloud with the audio.
2. Write five sentences about your day, then move each one to yesterday and tomorrow.
3. Take the grammar quizzes to check the endings.
4. Review the forms with the grammar flashcard decks.
5. Print a grammar worksheet and fill it in by hand.
6. Check how a verb changes with the Korean verb conjugator.

Each lesson ends with a practice set and an answer key, so you can check your work immediately. After finishing the set, continue to the other lessons in Korean grammar.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Tenses Does Korean Have?

Korean has three simple tenses, present, past and future, marked by verb endings. It also has aspect forms for actions in progress (-고 있다), lasting results (-아/어 있다) and experience (-아/어 보다). Learners usually master the present, past and future first, then add the progressive and the aspect forms.

How Do You Show past Tense in Korean?

Add -았/었- between the verb stem and the final ending: 먹다 becomes 먹었어요, and 가다 becomes 갔어요. Use 았 after the vowels ㅏ and ㅗ, 었 after other vowels, and 했 for 하다 verbs. The same infix works with polite, formal and casual endings. The lesson on past tense gives all the rules.

How Do You Say the Future in Korean?

Use -(으)ㄹ 거예요 for plans and predictions, as in 내일 갈 거예요 (I will go tomorrow). The infix -겠- adds intention or a guess. The present form with a time word also works for the near future, so 내일 가요 can mean the same thing in everyday speech.

Does Korean Change the Verb for I, You and He?

No. Korean verbs do not change for person or number. 가요 can mean I go, you go, he goes or they go, and the subject comes from context or from a stated noun. Tense, politeness and mood change the ending, but the subject never does. This makes verb endings shorter to learn than in many languages.