았/었 + 다

Adjective/Verb + 았 / 었 + 어요 : This pattern is used for past tense. Note that the ending 어요 can be substituted with a different sentence ending or clause ending, such as 어, 습니다, 죠?, 으니까, etc. But there must be some ending; a word may not end with 았/었.

Conjugation Rule

• If the last vowel in the verb before the ending is a yang vowel (아, 야, 오, 요, 애, 얘, 와, 외, or 왜: 았어요.
• If the last vowel in the verb before the ending is a yin vowel (어, 여, 우, 유, 에, 예, 워, 위, or 웨: 었어요.
• If the last vowel in the verb before the ending is a neutral vowel (으, 이, or 의): use the preceding vowel; if it is yang, then 았어요; if it is yin, then 었어요; if there are no non-neutral vowels, use 었어요.
• One exception: the verb 하다 (or any verb ending in 하다) becomes 했다 or 하였다 (했다 is the contracted form and much more common).

Conjugation Examples

• 막다 → 막았다
• 먹다 → 먹었다
• 가다 → 갔다
• 오다 → 왔다
• 주다 → 줬다

Sentence Examples

• Example

Usage Exceptions

• Example

Pronunciation

• Special pronunciation rule?

See Also

• Related topic or grammar