What Is Korean Present Tense Conjugation in the Polite Style?
Korean present tense conjugation in the polite style produces the 해요체 (haeyoche) form, the everyday present of verbs and adjectives. You remove 다 from the dictionary form, add 아요 or 어요, and merge the vowels if the stem ends in a vowel. The result serves statements and questions, and it is safe with strangers, teachers and shop staff.
Three examples show the whole range: 먹다 becomes 먹어요 (to eat), 가다 becomes 가요 (to go), and 하다 becomes 해요 (to do). The same form means a current action, a habit or a near-future plan, so 내일 가요 means "I am going tomorrow". The meaning of the present tense is explained in Korean present tense; this section teaches how to build the form.
The sections below are in learning order. Start with the recipe, then follow the rule map to the lesson your verb needs.
Which Rule Applies to Your Verb?
The rule that applies depends on how the stem ends. The table covers nine outcomes and works as a table of contents for this section.
| Stem ends in | Ending | What happens | Example | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a consonant | 아요 or 어요 by last vowel | nothing merges | 먹다 → 먹어요 | the recipe |
| ㅏ or ㅓ | 아요 or 어요 | the duplicate vowel drops | 가다 → 가요 | vowel dropping |
| ㅗ | 아요 | ㅗ + ㅏ merge into ㅘ | 오다 → 와요 | ㅘ contraction |
| ㅜ | 어요 | ㅜ + ㅓ merge into ㅝ | 배우다 → 배워요 | ㅝ contraction |
| ㅣ | 어요 | ㅣ + ㅓ merge into ㅕ | 마시다 → 마셔요 | ㅕ contraction |
| ㅡ | 아요 or 어요 by the earlier vowel (어요 if there is none) | ㅡ drops | 쓰다 → 써요 | ㅡ irregular |
| 하 | 여요 | 하 + 여 merge into 해 | 하다 → 해요 | 하다 to 해요 |
| ㅐ or ㅔ | 어요 | 어 drops | 보내다 → 보내요 | ㅐ and ㅔ stems |
| ㅚ (되) | 어요 | 되 + 어 merge into 돼 | 되다 → 돼요 | 돼요 vs 되요 |
The ㅡ drop is taught on the ㅡ irregular page, not on a separate lesson here, to avoid teaching it twice. Which of the nine rows is yours? If you do not know yet, begin with the recipe lesson, because it shows how to find out.
The Recipe and the 아/어 Choice
Start with the two lessons that apply to every verb. They teach the steps and the decision at the heart of the form.
- How to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense. A three-step recipe (remove 다, pick 아요 or 어요, contract) that turns any regular verb or adjective into the polite present. It logs 40 worked forms with the step that changed each one, and it lists six common wrong forms. Take this lesson first.
- Korean verb vowel harmony: 아요 vs 어요. Explains why the last stem vowel decides between 아 and 어, with a table of ten vowels and the exceptions: 하다 takes 여, ㅡ stems look one syllable back, and only 돕다 and 곱다 take 와 among the ㅂ-irregular verbs. Read it when the choice between the two endings is still unclear.
Once the ending is chosen, the vowels may need to contract, which is the content of the next cluster.
Contractions That Drop or Merge Vowels
Four lessons teach what happens when a vowel-final stem meets the ending. In dropping, one duplicate vowel disappears. In merging, two different vowels fuse into a new one.
- Korean vowel dropping (ㅏ and ㅓ stems). Why 가 + 아요 becomes 가요, not 가아요, with 20 verbs, the past forms 갔어요 and 섰어요, and a comparison with merging. This is the most common contraction.
- ㅘ contraction. How ㅗ + ㅏ becomes ㅘ in 와요, 봐요 and 쏴요, why stems with a final consonant (좋아요, 놓아요) do not contract, and the past forms 왔어요 and 봤어요.
- ㅝ contraction. How ㅜ + ㅓ becomes ㅝ in 배워요 and 줘요, with the past 배웠어요 and a comparison with the ㅂ-irregular 워.
- ㅕ contraction. How ㅣ + ㅓ becomes ㅕ in 마셔요, 기다려요 and 가르쳐요, including the spelling of 쳐 and 져 and the past 마셨어요.
Some stems have their own special rule, which is the topic of the third cluster.
Special Stems: 하다, ㅐ/ㅔ and 되다
Three lessons cover stems that do not fit the usual map. Each is a closed group with a clear rule.
- Korean 하다 conjugation: 하다 to 해요. Why 하다 gives 해요, 했어요 and 합니다, how the 여 rule works, and how it extends to every noun + 하다 verb and adjective.
- Korean ㅐ and ㅔ stems in conjugation. Why 보내다 gives 보내요 and 세다 gives 세요: stems ending in ㅐ or ㅔ drop the 어 of the ending, with 14 verbs and the past 보냈어요.
- 돼요 vs 되요: Korean 되다 conjugation. Which of 되 and 돼 to write: 돼 is 되어, so use it before 아/어 endings, and keep 되 before consonant endings.
Knowing the lessons is one thing. Knowing which one fixes your mistake is another.
Which Mistakes Are Most Common?
Three mistakes account for most errors in the polite present. Each links to the lesson that fixes it.
| Wrong form | Correct form | Fixing lesson |
|---|---|---|
| 먹아요 | 먹어요 | vowel harmony in conjugation: ㅓ takes 어요 |
| 되요 | 돼요 | 돼요 vs 되요: 되 + 어 contracts to 돼 |
| 가어요 | 가요 | vowel dropping: ㅏ takes 아요 and the vowel drops |
A fourth error, 쓰어요 for 써요, is explained under ㅡ irregular.
Test Yourself: Which Rule Does Each Verb Use?
Match each verb to its rule. Answers follow.
- 서다 (to stand)
- 보다 (to see)
- 주다 (to give)
- 마시다 (to drink)
- 보내다 (to send)
- 되다 (to become)
Answers
- 서요: vowel dropping (ㅓ + 어).
- 봐요: ㅘ contraction (ㅗ + ㅏ).
- 줘요: ㅝ contraction (ㅜ + ㅓ).
- 마셔요: ㅕ contraction (ㅣ + ㅓ).
- 보내요: ㅐ and ㅔ stems (어 drops).
- 돼요: 되다 conjugation (되 + 어 = 돼).
If you got four or more right, move on to the past tense. If not, open the lesson named in the answer and read its rule box first.
How Do These Rules Carry over to Other Tenses?
The same contractions apply in the past tense, because 았/었 uses the same choice and the same merging. 가요 becomes 갔어요, 봐요 becomes 봤어요, and 마셔요 becomes 마셨어요. Learn the polite present well and the past tense needs one added step, described in past tense conjugation. Exceptions to the regular pattern are collected in ㅡ irregular and the other irregular classes.
Korean present tense conjugation in the polite style is therefore the foundation for every other form. This section does not teach the meaning of the present tense, honorific endings or formal and casual styles. Those topics have their own pages, and forms here follow standard written Korean as described by the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the polite present? The polite present is the everyday Korean verb form that ends in 아요 or 어요, called 해요체. It works for statements and questions, and it is polite enough for strangers, shop staff and teachers. The same form covers present actions, habits and near-future plans. Examples are 가요, 먹어요 and 해요.
Which contraction rules exist? Seven patterns cover vowel-final stems: dropping after ㅏ and ㅓ (가요), merging ㅗ + ㅏ into ㅘ (와요), ㅜ + ㅓ into ㅝ (배워요), ㅣ + ㅓ into ㅕ (마셔요), dropping 어 after ㅐ and ㅔ (보내요), 되 + 어 into 돼 (돼요), and 하 + 여 into 해 (해요). The ㅡ drop is an eighth case.
Why does 가다 become 가요? The stem 가 ends in ㅏ, so the ending is 아요. Writing both vowels would give 가아요, and Korean spelling keeps only one, so 가 + 아요 is written 가요. The lesson on vowel dropping explains the rule and shows 20 verbs that work the same way, such as 사요, 자요 and 서요.
Is the polite present also used for the future? Yes. For fixed plans Korean often uses the present with a time word: 내일 가요 means 'I am going tomorrow'. Without a time word the same form describes a current action, a habit or a fact. A dedicated future form with -(으)ㄹ 거예요 also exists and is taught in the future tense lesson.