-았/었-

Build it

When to use it

-았/었- is an infix: it sits between the stem and whatever ending comes next. 먹 + 었 + 어요 gives 먹었어요; with the formal ending it gives 먹었습니다. Every ending you already know can follow it.

The vowel rule is identical to the polite present. Last stem vowel ㅏ or ㅗ takes 았; anything else takes 었; 하다 becomes 했. The same merges happen too: 가 + 았 collapses to 갔, 보 + 았 becomes 봤, 마시 + 었 becomes 마셨.

One difference from English is worth flagging early. Korean uses the past for states that began earlier and still hold: 결혼했어요 means “I am married,” not only “I got married.” The same goes for 앉았어요 (I am seated) and 닮았어요 (we look alike).

How to attach it

In use

1. 어제 친구를 만났어요.

   I met a friend yesterday.

2. 아침에 빵을 먹었어요.

   I ate bread in the morning.

3. 주말에 한국어를 공부했어요.

   I studied Korean at the weekend.

4. 작년에 한국에 갔습니다.

   I went to Korea last year.

5. 저는 결혼했어요.

   I’m married.

6. 그때 저는 학생이었어요.

   I was a student back then.

Compared with

• -고 있었다

  -았/었- states that something happened; -고 있었다 says it was in progress at a particular moment. English “was doing” needs the second.

  숙제를 했어요. (did the homework)  /  숙제를 하고 있었어요. (was doing the homework)

• -았/었었-

  Doubling it pushes the event further back and cuts it off from now — a state that used to hold and no longer does.

  서울에 살았어요. (I lived in Seoul)  /  서울에 살았었어요. (I used to live in Seoul, but not any more)

• Resulting states

  Several Korean verbs use the past where English uses the present, because the action produced a state that continues.

  앉았어요. (I’m seated)  /  닮았어요. (they look alike)

Watch out

• 어제 학교에 가았어요.

  어제 학교에 갔어요.

  The stem already ends in ㅏ, so the 았 merges into it. 사다 → 샀어요 and 만나다 → 만났어요 work the same way.

• 한국어를 공부하었어요.

  한국어를 공부했어요.

  하다 becomes 했 in the past, never 하었. Every 하다 compound follows: 일했어요, 운동했어요, 사랑했어요.

• 어제 친구를 만나요.

  어제 친구를 만났어요.

  A time word like 어제 does not make the verb past on its own. Korean marks tense on the verb, every time.

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