Endings Attach in Three Ways

When you conjugate a Korean verb or adjective, you drop -다 . But what happens next?

You do not have to memorize a giant chart for every word. Instead, you just need to know what the ending is looking for.

There are three main ways endings attach to a stem:

Choosing based on the last vowel

Attaching directly

Choosing based on the batchim (final consonant)

Some endings require you to look at the last vowel of the stem. The most common example is the -아요 / -어요 ending.

Example: 가다 vs 먹다

가다 drops -다 to become 가. The vowel is ㅏ, so it takes -아요 ( 가요 ).

먹다 drops -다 to become 먹. The vowel is not ㅏ or ㅗ, so it takes the default -어요 ( 먹어요 ).

You will learn the detailed rules for choosing between -아 and -어 in Chapter 2, but remember that the choice depends on the vowel, not the meaning of the word.

Some endings are very simple. They do not care about vowels, and they do not care about the batchim. You just attach them directly to the stem.

Example: -고 and -지만

가다 + -고 = 가고

먹다 + -고 = 먹고

가다 + -지만 = 가지만

먹다 + -지만 = 먹지만

If an ending starts with a consonant like ㄱ or ㅈ, it typically just attaches directly.

Other endings require you to check if the stem ends with a batchim (a final consonant).

If there is a batchim, you typically add an extra 으 to make it easier to pronounce. If there is no batchim, you attach the ending directly.

Example: -(으)면 (if)

가다 has no batchim (가). Attach -면 directly: 가면 .