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Sseuda Conjugation

쓰다 (sseuda) means "to write" in Korean. Present: 저 / 나 / 당신 / 너 / 그 / 그녀 / 우리 / 너희 / 그들 (jeo / na / dangsin / neo / geu / geunyeo / uri / neohui / geudeul) 써요 (sseoyo). Below: all 27 tenses we teach, with examples.

Present 현재형

Stem + 아요 (ㅏ/ㅗ stems) or 어요 (other stems); 하다 verbs become 해요. States present actions, habits, and often near-future plans.

Present continuous 현재진행형 (-고 있어요)

Verb stem + 고 있어요 marks an action in progress right now, like English "-ing".

Simple past 과거형

Stem + 았어요 (ㅏ/ㅗ stems) or 었어요 (other stems); 하다 verbs become 했어요. Covers both a single completed action and what English expresses with a present perfect ("I have eaten").

Past perfect (remote past) 과거완료형 (-았었/었었어요)

Doubling the past marker pushes the action further back and signals a break with the present — the result no longer holds now. This is Korean's nearest equivalent to a pluperfect.

Near future / intention -(으)글 거예요

Stem + (으)글 거예요 (거예요 = 것이에요, "it is a thing that..."); the everyday way to state a plan or a confident prediction.

Future / conjecture -겠어요

Stem + 겠어요, added straight to the stem with no vowel-harmony split; states a firm intention ("I will...") or a guess about the future or about someone else's feelings (see the -겠- note below for its other jobs).

Future perfect -았/었을 거예요

Past stem + (으)글 거예요; states that something will (probably) have happened by a future point, or, just as often, a confident guess about something that already happened.

Conditional -(으)글 것 같아요

Stem + (으)글 것 같아요, "it seems like it will"; the everyday way to soften a future statement into something close to English "would" or "I think it will". Real if-then conditionals use the connective endings below.

Conditional perfect -았/었을 것 같아요

Past stem + (으)글 것 같아요; a guess about what would have happened, or regret about what probably did happen ("it probably would have...").

Formal present 합쇼체 현재 (-버/습니다)

Vowel-final stem + 버니다; consonant-final stem + 습니다. The crisp, formal register used in announcements and to groups.

Formal past 합쇼체 과거 (-았/었습니다)

Past stem + 습니다.

Formal future 합쇼체 미래 (-겠습니다)

Stem + 겠습니다; a formal statement of intention or prediction, common in announcements and speeches.

Plain present 해체 현재 (요 없이)

Same as the 해요체 present but drop 요; used with close friends and family, or to children.

Plain past 해체 과거 (요 없이)

Same past marker as 해요체, drop 요.

Plain future 해체 미래 (-(으)글 거야 / -겠어)

거예요 → 거야, 겠어요 → 겠어; the casual way to state a plan or make a guess with friends.

Condition 조건형 (-(으)면)

Consonant-final stem + 으면, vowel-final stem + 면; "if/when", the general-purpose conditional, covering both real and hypothetical conditions.

Reason (neutral) 이유형 (-아서/어서)

Same vowel-harmony split as the present tense; states a cause the speaker treats as objective fact, and cannot be followed directly by a command or suggestion in the same sentence.

Reason (before a suggestion/command) -(으)니까

Consonant-final stem + 으니까, vowel-final + 니까; gives a reason the speaker is using to justify an order, suggestion or invitation, which -아서 cannot do.

Concession 양보형 (-아도/어도)

Same vowel-harmony split; "even if / even though", a regardless-of meaning.

Background / contrast -는데/(으)데

Action verbs take -는데; sets up background information or a mild contrast before the main clause ("..., but/and").

Honorific present -(으)세요

Consonant-final stem + 으세요, vowel-final + 세요; also doubles as a polite command (see Imperative). 먹다 uses its suppletive honorific stem 드시- instead of 먹으시-.

Honorific past -(으)셔어요

-시- + 어요-style past: 시 + 었어요 → 셔어요.

Honorific future -(으)실 거예요

-시- + -(으)글 거예요, contracted to -실 거예요.

Polite affirmative -(으)세요

The everyday polite command/request, identical in form to the honorific present; 먹다 again uses 드세요.

Polite negative -지 마세요

Verb stem + 지 마세요, "please don't...".

Plain affirmative -아라/어라

Direct command used with close friends, family, or in writing (signs, recipes); same vowel-harmony split as usual, 하다 verbs → 해라.

Plain negative -지 마

Verb stem + 지 마, the blunt everyday "don't...".

Examples

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