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Alda Conjugation

알다 (alda) means "to know" in Korean. Present, plain informal (반말): 나/저 / 너/당신 / 그/그녀 / 우리/저희 / 너희/당신들 / 그들 (na/jeo / neo/dangsin / geu/geunyeo / uri/jeohui / neohui/dangsindeul / geudeul) 알아 (ara). Below: all 49 tenses we teach, with examples.

Present, plain informal (반말) 반말 현재형

Verb stem + -아/어, chosen by the last vowel of the stem (아 after ㅏ/ㅗ, 어 otherwise); used with close friends, younger people, or talking to oneself.

Present, informal polite (해요체) 해요체 현재형

Plain informal form + 요; the default everyday polite style used with strangers, colleagues, and people who aren't close friends.

Present, formal polite (합쇼체) 합쇼체 현재형

Consonant stem + -습니다, vowel stem + -뭐니다; used in formal, public, or hierarchical settings (news, presentations, the military, customer service).

Present, plain written (해라체) 해라체 현재형

Consonant stem + -는다, vowel stem + -는다/다; the narrative style of novels, newspapers, essays and diaries — never spoken to a real addressee.

Present progressive 현재 진행형

Stem + -고 있다 (plus a speech-level ending); an action currently in progress. Shown here in informal polite.

Past, informal polite 해요체 과거형

Stem + -았/었- (by vowel harmony) + -어요; the everyday past tense.

Past, formal polite 합쇼체 과거형

Stem + -았/었- + -습니다.

Past progressive 과거 진행형

Stem + -고 있었어요; an action that was in progress at a past reference point.

Future / prospective, informal polite (-겠-) 미래·추측형

Stem + -겠- + -어요; a firm intention, a prediction, or a polite guess about the present, depending on context.

Future, prospective (-(으)ㄹ 것이다) -(으)ㄹ 것이다

Adnominal future -(으)ㄹ + 것이다/것이에요; the more neutral, textbook future, stating a plan or a confident prediction.

Past presumptive (-았/었겠-) 과거 추측형

Past marker + -겠- + -어요; a guess about a completed past event ("must have done").

Question, informal polite 해요체 의문형

Same ending as the statement, -아/어요, marked by rising intonation and a question mark in writing.

Question, formal polite 합쇼체 의문형

Consonant stem + -습니까?, vowel stem + -뭐니까?; formal spoken questions.

Question, plain (반말) 반말 의문형

Stem + -니?/-냐?; used with close friends, children, or younger people.

Question, plain written (해라체) 해라체 의문형

Action-verb stem + -느냐?; used in narration and quoted questions in writing.

Imperative, informal polite 해요체 명령형

Consonant stem + -으세요, vowel stem + -세요; the everyday polite command or request.

Imperative, formal polite 합쇼체 명령형

Consonant stem + -으십시오, vowel stem + -십시오; formal announcements, instructions, signage.

Imperative, plain (반말) 반말 명령형

Same form as the plain present, -아/어, disambiguated by intonation and context; used with close friends or children.

Negative imperative, informal polite 부정 명령형

Verb stem + -지 마세요; the standard polite "don't...", the same across speech levels except for the final ending.

Suggestion ("let's"), informal polite 해요체 청유형

Same form as the statement/question -아/어요, disambiguated by context ("shall we...?"); the everyday way to propose a joint action.

Suggestion, formal polite -읍시다/-뭐시다

Consonant stem + -읍시다, vowel stem + -뭐시다; formal, but can sound like an order from a senior, so used carefully.

Suggestion, plain (반말) -자

Verb stem + -자; casual "let's" among close friends or peers.

Coordinate "-고" (and) -고

Stem + -고; joins two clauses with no time relation implied ("does X and Y").

Sequential "-아서/어서" (and then / because) -아서/어서

Stem + -아서/어서; the first clause leads into or causes the second; cannot itself carry a past-tense marker.

Reason "-(으)니까" -(으)니까

Stem + -(으)니까; states a reason the speaker treats as obvious, often followed by a command or suggestion.

Contrast "-지만" (but) -지만

Stem + -지만; contrasts two clauses.

Background/contrast "-는데" -는데

Action-verb stem + -는데; sets up background information or a soft contrast before the main point.

Simultaneous "-면서" (while) -면서

Stem + -면서; two actions by the same subject happening at once.

Conditional "-(으)면" (if / when) -(으)면

Stem + -(으)면; the general conditional/temporal "if" or "when", covering both real and hypothetical conditions.

Counterfactual conditional "-았/었으면" -았/었으면

Past marker + -으면; a hypothetical or counterfactual condition contrary to fact ("if I had..."), often paired with -았/었을 텐데.

Literary conditional "-더라면" -더라면

Past retrospective -더- + -라면; a literary/formal counterfactual, more common in writing than speech.

Wish "-았/었으면 좋겠다" -았/었으면 좋겠다

Past marker + -으면 좋겠다; "I wish...", the standard way to state a wish or hope.

Doubt/possibility "-(으)ㄹ지도 모르다" -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다

Adnominal future -(으)ㄹ + 지도 모르다; "might, may" — a weak guess the speaker isn't sure about.

Inference/appearance "-는 것 같다" -는 것 같다

Present adnominal -는 (past -(으)니, future -(으)ㄹ) + 것 같다; "it seems/looks like" — a softened guess based on evidence, extremely common in everyday speech.

Retrospective evidential "-더라" -더라

Stem + -더라 (polite -더라고요); reports something the speaker personally witnessed or noticed in the past, with a fresh, recollected feel.

Inferential evidential "-나 보다" -나 보다

Verb stem + -나 보다 (adjectives: -(으)니가 보다); a conclusion drawn indirectly from evidence rather than witnessed directly.

Reported speech "-다고 하다" -다고 하다

Plain statement form + 고 하다 (declarative -다고, question -냐고, command -라고, suggestion -자고); Korean's equivalent of indirect/reported speech.

Unrealized expectation "-(으)ㄹ 텐데" -(으)ㄹ 텐데

Adnominal future -(으)ㄹ + 텐데; states a strong expectation, often contrasted with what actually happens.

Subject honorific, present statement (formal polite) -(으)시- + 합쇼체

Stem + -(으)시- + -뭐니다/습니다; the formal honorific present, used about a boss, teacher, or elder. 먹다's honorific is the suppletive verb 드시다, not 먹+으시-.

Subject honorific, past -(으)셔습니다

Stem + -(으)시- + -었- + -습니다; the honorific past.

Suppletive passive infix (-이/히/리/기-) 피동접미사

A closed set of transitive verbs takes one of four passive infixes right after the root, unpredictable and learned per verb: 먹다 → 먹히다 (be eaten), 보다 → 보이다 (be seen), 팔다 → 팔리다 (be sold). Not applicable to 가다 or 공부하다.

Causative "-게 하다" -게 하다

Stem + -게 하다; the productive, periphrastic causative usable with virtually any verb ("make/let someone do").

Suppletive causative infix (-이/히/리/기/우/구/추-) 사동접미사

A closed, unpredictable set of verbs takes a causative infix directly on the root instead of -게 하다: 먹다 → 먹이다 (feed), 입다 → 입히다 (dress someone), 앉다 → 앉히다 (seat someone). Not applicable to 가다 or 공부하다 in this form.

Nominalizer "-기" -기

Stem + -기; turns the verb into an abstract noun, often the object of 좋아하다, 시작하다, 쉽다 ("the act of doing").

Nominalizer "-(으)ㅁ" -(으)ㅁ

Stem + -(으)ㅁ; a more formal, fact-like nominalization used in writing, notices and academic style.

Adnominal, present "-는" -는

Verb stem + -는 (before a noun); "[the thing] that is doing / does".

Adnominal, past "-(으)니" -(으)니

Stem + -(으)니; "[the thing] that did".

Adnominal, future/prospective "-(으)ㄹ" -(으)ㄹ

Stem + -(으)ㄹ; "[the thing] that will do" or a hypothetical modifier.

Adnominal, past habitual/retrospective "-던" -던

Stem + -던; a modifier recalling a past action that was ongoing, habitual, or left unfinished, with a nostalgic or unresolved nuance.

Examples

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