Straight into this one, make sure you have a work book and pen. You are going to need it!
Lesson: Past, Present, and Future Tense in Korean
Understanding tense allows you to talk about what you did, what you are doing, and what you will do.
Korean tense is formed by changing the ending of verbs.
1. Present Tense (Present / Habitual)
Present tense is used for:
- Things happening now
- Things you do regularly
Basic structure:
Verb stem + 아요 / 어요
Examples Grid
| Korean | Meaning |
| 가요 | go / am going |
| 먹어요 | eat / am eating |
| 마셔요 | drink / am drinking |
| 봐요 | see / am seeing |
| 공부해요 | study / am studying |
2. Past Tense (Already happened)
Past tense is used for things that already happened.
Basic structure:
Verb stem + 았어요 / 었어요 / 했어요
Examples Grid
| Korean | Meaning |
| 갔어요 | went |
| 먹었어요 | ate |
| 마셨어요 | drank |
| 봤어요 | saw |
| 공부했어요 | studied |
3. Future Tense (Will happen)
Future tense is used for things that will happen.
Basic structure:
Verb stem + 거예요
Examples Grid
| Korean | Meaning |
| 갈 거예요 | will go |
| 먹을 거예요 | will eat |
| 마실 거예요 | will drink |
| 볼 거예요 | will see |
| 공부할 거예요 | will study |
4. One Verb in All Three Tenses Grid
Verb: 가다 (to go)
| Tense | Korean | Meaning |
| Present | 가요 | go / am going |
| Past | 갔어요 | went |
| Future | 갈 거예요 | will go |
Verb: 먹다 (to eat)
| Tense | Korean | Meaning |
| Present | 먹어요 | eat |
| Past | 먹었어요 | ate |
| Future | 먹을 거예요 | will eat |
5. Vocabulary Expansion – Essential Verbs
These verbs are used daily in Korean conversation.
| Korean | Meaning |
| 가다 | to go |
| 오다 | to come |
| 먹다 | to eat |
| 마시다 | to drink |
| 보다 | to see |
| 하다 | to do |
| 공부하다 | to study |
| 자다 | to sleep |
| 일하다 | to work |
| 사다 | to buy |
| 만나다 | to meet |
| 좋아하다 | to like |
6. Example Sentences Grid
Present
| Korean | Meaning |
| 저는 밥을 먹어요 | I eat rice |
| 저는 공부해요 | I study |
Past
| Korean | Meaning |
| 저는 밥을 먹었어요 | I ate rice |
| 저는 공부했어요 | I studied |
Future
| Korean | Meaning |
| 저는 밥을 먹을 거예요 | I will eat rice |
| 저는 공부할 거예요 | I will study |
7. Time Words Vocabulary Grid
These help show when something happens.
| Korean | Meaning |
| 지금 | now |
| 오늘 | today |
| 어제 | yesterday |
| 내일 | tomorrow |
| 아까 | earlier |
| 나중에 | later |
| 매일 | every day |
| 항상 | always |
8. Example Using Time Words
| Korean | Meaning |
| 저는 지금 공부해요 | I am studying now |
| 저는 어제 공부했어요 | I studied yesterday |
| 저는 내일 공부할 거예요 | I will study tomorrow |
9. Summary Grid
| Tense | Structure | Example |
| Present | 아요 / 어요 | 먹어요 |
| Past | 았어요 / 었어요 | 먹었어요 |
| Future | 을 거예요 | 먹을 거예요 |
Practice Section
Try reading these:
저는 지금 밥을 먹어요
I am eating now
저는 어제 커피를 마셨어요
I drank coffee yesterday
저는 내일 공부할 거예요
I will study tomorrow
Good Job!! Keep it up and remember to speak outloud to improve your pronounciation and memorie!
The Next chapter we will be going over
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