Korean Verb Conjugation: the 해요 Form Rule (-아요/-어요)
Learn Korean 해요 verb conjugation: add -아요 after ㅏ/ㅗ stems, -어요 elsewhere, 하다 becomes 해요 — covering 가다, 오다, 먹다, 마시다 plus the object marker 을/를.
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean verb conjugation in the 해요 form follows one rule: drop 다 from the dictionary form, then add -아요 if the stem’s last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, and -어요 otherwise — while 하다 verbs become 해요. This is the polite present tense that powers most everyday conversation and nearly every K-drama line. Ten verbs and one object marker later, you can say what you eat, watch, buy, and do.
Ten verbs you will use every day
Korean dictionaries list verbs in the 다 form. Each card shows the dictionary form first, then the 해요 form you actually say.
The rule
- Remove 다 from the dictionary form: 먹다 → 먹.
- Last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ → add 아요: 가, 오, 보, 사, 자 belong here.
- Any other vowel → add 어요: 먹 → 먹어요.
- 하다 verbs are their own club → 해요: 하다 → 해요, 공부하다 → 공부해요.
Wait — if 가다 takes 아요, why is it 가요 and not 가아요? Because Korean refuses awkward vowel collisions and merges them:
- 가 + 아요 → 가요 (identical vowels fuse into one)
- 오 + 아요 → 와요 (ㅗ + ㅏ glide into ㅘ)
- 보 + 아요 → 봐요 (same glide)
- 마시 + 어요 → 마셔요 (ㅣ + ㅓ fuse into ㅕ)
When a batchim stands between the vowels, nothing merges: 먹 + 어요 stays 먹어요, three clean syllables. Run all ten vocabulary verbs through the rule yourself — every form on the cards above falls out automatically.
The object marker 을/를
Verbs act on things, and Korean tags the thing with 을/를.
Batchim → 을: 밥을 먹어요 = (I) eat rice. Vowel → 를: 커피를 마셔요 = (I) drink coffee. 한국어를 공부해요 = (I) study Korean. It is the same last-letter check you already run for 은/는 and 이/가 (Lesson 4) — third particle, same reflex.
Word order note: Korean is subject-object-verb. 저는 커피를 마셔요 — literally “I coffee drink”. The verb always parks at the end of the sentence, and everything before it is flexible.
One form, four jobs
Here is the best news in beginner Korean: the 해요 form never changes shape for questions. 가요. is a statement, 가요? with rising intonation is a question, 같이 가요! is a suggestion (let us go together), and 먼저 가요 is a soft command (go ahead). One conjugation, four speech acts — your ears and your intonation do the grammar.
What are you doing today?
Count the conjugations in four bubbles: 해요, 공부해요, 만나요, 봐요, 마셔요, 좋아요 — six applications of one rule. That density is normal; the 해요 form really is most of spoken Korean.
One culture note: dropping particles is common in casual speech — 커피 마셔요 instead of 커피를 마셔요 sounds natural between friends. Learn the particles anyway. Koreans drop them by choice; you want to drop them by choice too, not because you never knew where they go.
FAQ
Why does 마시다 become 마셔요 instead of 마시어요? The stem vowel ㅣ fuses with 어 into ㅕ: 마시 + 어요 → 마셔요. The uncontracted 마시어요 survives only in old-fashioned writing; spoken Korean always contracts. The same fusion gives 가르치다 → 가르쳐요 (to teach).
Does 가요 mean “I go” or “I am going”? Both — and often “I will go” as well. The 해요 present covers English simple present, present progressive, and near future: 내일 가요 = I am going tomorrow. Time words and context do the work that English tenses do.
How do I ask a question if the verb form never changes? Intonation alone. 가요. with falling tone is a statement; 가요? with rising tone is a question. The same shape also works as a suggestion (같이 가요 — let us go together) and a soft command (먼저 가요 — go ahead). One form, four jobs.
Next: Sino-Korean numbers — 일, 이, 삼. Previous: this, that and what. Full path: curriculum hub.