Korean Verb Endings: 어요/아요 for Beginners

Korean verbs in the dictionary form always end in 다 (-da) — 가다, 먹다, 하다. That form exists in writing, but in real conversation you almost never use it. The form you need first is the polite present tense: 아요/어요.

The rule

Start with the verb stem — that is the verb minus the 다. Then check the last vowel in the stem:

• If it is 아 or 오, add 아요.
• For everything else, add 어요.
• If the stem ends in 하, it becomes 해요 — a special but very common case.

That is the whole rule.

Examples in action

Dictionary form	Stem	Polite form	Meaning
가다	가	가요	to go
오다	오	와요	to come
먹다	먹	먹어요	to eat
하다	하	해요	to do

A few full sentences to make this real:

• 저는 학교에 가요. — I go to school.
• 밥을 먹어요. — (I/we) eat rice / have a meal.
• 뭐 해요? — What are you doing?

Notice that Korean often drops the subject when it is clear from context, so 먹어요 alone can mean “I eat”, “you eat”, or “they eat” depending on the situation.

Why 아요/어요 is the ending to learn first

This ending is the workhorse of Korean conversation. It is polite without being stiff or overly formal — the right level for talking with someone you have just met, a shop assistant, or a colleague you are not close to. You can use it safely in almost any everyday situation.

Once you have 아요/어요 down, you can take any verb from a dictionary and immediately make it conversational.