Past Perfect -았었-: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -았었-, -었었- and -했었- on any verb, adjective or 이다.
• Hear the difference between 살았어요 and 살았었어요.
• Use -았었- with contrast, such as -았었는데 ("but now...").
• Avoid the most common mistake: using -았었- for something recent or still true.

Before you start: you should know the plain past -았/었- and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 30 minutes. This site places the pattern at level B1, which is an editorial estimate. The official TOPIK information is published at topik.go.kr.

What Does the past Perfect -았었- Mean?

The past perfect -았었- marks a past event or state that has ended and no longer matters to the present moment. It is made of two past markers in a row: 았 + 었. The doubled marker works like a signal: "that was then, and this is now."

Compare two sentences on one verb.

Korean grammar calls -았었- a "past perfect", but it is not the same as the English past perfect "had done". English uses "had" to show that one past event came before another. Korean -았었- shows distance from now. This is why the English gloss "used to" or "back then" often fits better.

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 어릴 때 서울에 살았었어요. (eoril ttae seoure sarasseosseoyo.) "I used to live in Seoul when I was young."

Pronunciation: [어릴 때 서우레 사라써써요]. The final ㄹ of 살 moves onto the next syllable, and each ㅆ moves onto the vowel after it, so you hear two tense s sounds: [써써].

2. 그 식당에 갔었어요. (geu sikdange gasseosseoyo.) "I went to that restaurant once."

Pronunciation: [그 식땅에 가써써요]. The ㄱ of 식 makes the following ㄷ tense, so you hear [땅]. The stem 가 and the infix 았었 merge into 갔었.

Sentence 1 describes a state that ended. Sentence 2 reports an experience from some earlier time. Both feel "closed", and that is the core of the pattern.

How Does the past Perfect -았었- Work?

The rule is the same as the one for the plain past -았/었-, with 었 added once more. You look at the last vowel of the stem.

1. After ㅏ or ㅗ, add 았었.
2. After any other vowel, add 었었.
3. For 하다 verbs, use 했었.
4. Then add the ending, such as 어요: 살았었어요.

Pattern Table

The RR forms are sarasseosseoyo, meogeosseosseoyo, gasseosseoyo, bwasseosseoyo, wasseosseoyo, baewosseosseoyo and haesseosseoyo.

When a stem ends in a vowel, the stem vowel and the infix merge, just as they do in the plain past: 가 + 았었 becomes 갔었, 보 + 았었 becomes 봤었, and 마시 + 었었 becomes 마셨었. The lesson on past tense -았/었- shows these mergers in detail.

Irregular Verbs and Adjectives

The irregular groups change in -았었- exactly as they do in the plain past.

Nouns need 이다: 이 카페는 예전에 서점이었었어요 (i kapeneun yejeone seojeomieosseosseoyo) "This café used to be a bookshop." Pronunciation: [이 카페는 예저네 서저미어써써요].

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -았었-

Goal: say "I hurt my leg last year (and it is fine now)."

1. Choose the verb. 다치다 (to be hurt). The stem is 다치.
2. Choose the infix. The last vowel of 치 is ㅣ, so use 었었: 다치 + 었었.
3. Merge. 치 + 었 merge to 쳤: 다쳤었.
4. Add the ending. 다쳤었 + 어요 = 다쳤었어요.
5. Add the rest. 작년에 (last year) 다리를 (the leg, with the object particle).

Result: 작년에 다리를 다쳤었어요. (jangnyeone darireul dachyeosseosseoyo.) "I hurt my leg last year (and it has healed)."

Pronunciation: [장녀네 다리를 다처써써요]. The ㄱ of 작 turns into [ㅇ] before ㄴ, so 작년에 sounds like [장녀네].

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -았었-?

-았었- is already a past form. It works with every ending, and only the last ending changes the style. Use 살다 as the model.

Two details help with this table. In the honorific form, the order is -시- first, then -았었-: 사셨었어요 (sasyeosseosseoyo) [사셔써써요], because the ㄹ of 살 drops before 시. And the formal ending is pronounced [사라썯씀니다] for 살았었습니다, with RR sarasseotseumnida.

The "but" form is one of the most useful, because -았었- almost invites a contrast.

• 감기에 걸렸었는데 지금은 괜찮아요. (gamgie geollyeosseonneunde jigeumeun gwaenchanayo.) = "I had a cold, but I am fine now."
• 예전에는 머리가 길었었어요. (yejeoneneun meoriga gireosseosseoyo.) = "I used to have long hair."

Pronunciation: [감기에 걸려썬는데 지그믄 괜차나요] and [예저네는 머리가 기러써써요].

How Is -았었- Different from -았-?

Both are past forms, and in everyday speech they are often interchangeable. The difference is the speaker's view of the time.

A third neighbour is the experience pattern. 그 식당에 가 봤었어요 and 그 식당에 가 본 적이 있어요 can both be translated as "I have been to that restaurant", but the second is the standard way to talk about experience. The lesson on -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 covers it. The fuller comparison of the two past forms is on the page about -았- vs -았었-.

When Do You Use It, and When Not?

State that changed. Use -았었- for a past state that you know has ended: where you lived, what you looked like, what a place used to be. 키가 작았었어요 (kiga jagasseosseoyo) "I used to be short" works for an adult who grew up. Pronunciation: [키가 자가써써요].

Event that no longer matters. Use it when a past event has no result in the present. 작년에 다리를 다쳤었어요 says that the injury is part of the past. If the leg still hurts, use 다쳤어요.

Experience, with a time word. With a time word such as 전에 ("before"), -았었- can report a single experience: 전에 한국에 갔었어요 (jeone hanguge gasseosseoyo) "I went to Korea before." Pronunciation: [저네 한구게 가써써요].

When not to use it. Do not use -았었- when the result still holds or the event just happened. Native speakers often use plain -았- for the older, finished past too, and let the context carry the meaning. That means learners can always use 살았어요 safely. Use -았었- when you want to stress that something is over.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

1. Using -았었- for a recent event. 아까 밥을 먹었었어요 is odd, because "a moment ago" is not cut off from now. Say 아까 밥을 먹었어요.
2. Using it as the default past. 어제 영화를 봤었어요 sounds heavy in everyday speech. Use 봤어요 unless you want to stress that it is over.
3. Using it for a state that still holds. 지금 서울에 살았었어요 is wrong, because the speaker still lives there. Say 지금 서울에 살아요.
4. Writing only one 었. If you mean "used to", 살았어요 may be read as a plain past. Add the second marker when the contrast is the point.
5. Putting -시- after -았었-. The order is -시- then the past marker: 사셨었어요, not 살았었으셨어요.
6. Forgetting the merger. 가았었어요 is wrong: 가 + 았 always merges to 갔, so say 갔었어요. 보았었어요 is correct but mostly written; in speech say 봤었어요.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio.

1. Choose the form. "I used to live in Busan (not now)." 부산에 살았어요 or 부산에 살았었어요?
2. Fix the error. 아까 밥을 먹었었어요.
3. Translate. "I used to have long hair."
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about something you did as a child that you no longer do, using 배우다 (to learn) or 살다 (to live).

Answer Key

1. 부산에 살았었어요. (busane sarasseosseoyo.) Pronunciation: [부사네 사라써써요]. The words "not now" call for the cut-off form, so use 살았었어요.

2. 아까 밥을 먹었어요. (akka babeul meogeosseoyo.) Pronunciation: [아까 바블 머거써요]. A moment ago is recent, so use the plain past.

3. 예전에는 머리가 길었었어요. (yejeoneneun meoriga gireosseosseoyo.) Pronunciation: [예저네는 머리가 기러써써요]. The adjective 길다 takes 었었 because its last vowel is ㅣ.

4. Sample answer: 어릴 때 태권도를 배웠었어요. (eoril ttae taegwondoreul baewosseosseoyo.) "I learned taekwondo when I was young (and I do not now)." Pronunciation: [어릴 때 태꿘도를 배워써써요]. Any ended past with a correct 았었/었었 form is right.

If a sentence went wrong, check two things: the last vowel of the stem (았었 after ㅏ and ㅗ, 었었 after other vowels, 했었 for 하다), and whether the event is really over.

What Should You Learn Next?

The best next lesson is -았- vs -았었-, which gives a decision rule for the two past forms. For the base form, review past tense -았/었-. For experience, study -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다, and for "was" after a noun, read 이었어요/였어요 past of 이다. The set overview, Korean aspect, lists every lesson in order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid. The Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: -았었- is the plain past with a second 었 that says "this is over".

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -았었- Mean in Korean?

-았었- (or -었었-) marks a past event or state that is over and cut off from the present. 서울에 살았었어요 means "I used to live in Seoul", and the speaker no longer lives there. Plain 살았어요 leaves open whether it is still true.

How Do I Form -았었-?

Add 았었 after the vowels ㅏ and ㅗ, 었었 after other vowels, and 했었 to 하다 verbs, then add an ending: 살았었어요, 먹었었어요, 했었어요. Vowel-final stems merge, so 가 + 았었 becomes 갔었 and 보 + 았었 becomes 봤었.

Is -았었- the Same as the English past Perfect?

No. English "had done" shows that one past event came before another. Korean -았었- shows that a past event or state is over and no longer links to now. "Used to" or "back then" often fits better in English.

When Should I Use -았었- Instead of -았-?

Use -았었- when you want to stress that something has ended, often with 예전에, 그때, 어릴 때 or 작년에, or with a contrast like -았었는데. For most past sentences, plain -았- is enough and sounds lighter.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -았었-?

Using it for a recent event or one that still holds. 아까 밥을 먹었었어요 is odd, because "a moment ago" is not cut off from now. Say 아까 밥을 먹었어요. Using -았었- as the default past also sounds heavy in conversation.

Does -았었- Work with 이다 and Honorifics?

Yes. 이다 gives 이었었어요 after a consonant and 였었어요 after a vowel, as in 서점이었었어요. The honorific -(으)시- comes first, so 살다 becomes 사셨었어요 for a respected person.

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