Words Where the Final ㅡ Disappears

When a verb or adjective stem ends in the vowel ㅡ , it typically goes through a special change before endings like -아요 or -어요 .

The basic rule is simple: when ㅡ meets a vowel like 아 or 어 , the ㅡ disappears completely. This makes the pronunciation much smoother.

If a stem is very short and has no other vowel before the ㅡ , such as 쓰다 or 크다 , it defaults to the -어요 ending.

How it works

First, drop the ㅡ .

Then, add 어 .

쓰다 → ㅆ + 어요 → 써요

크다 → ㅋ + 어요 → 커요

For words with more than one syllable, like 바쁘다 or 예쁘다 , you have to look at the vowel right before the ㅡ to decide between 아 and 어 .

Choosing 아 or 어

If the vowel before ㅡ is ㅏ or ㅗ , choose 아 . (바쁘다 → 바빠요 )

If the vowel before ㅡ is anything else, choose 어 . (예쁘다 → 예뻐요 )

Let's compare the most common words side by side to see the pattern.

Dictionary Form · Conjugated Form

쓰다 · 써요

크다 · 커요

바쁘다 · 바빠요

예쁘다 · 예뻐요

Notice how the ㅡ is completely gone in all of these conjugated forms.

A very common beginner mistake is trying to keep the ㅡ and simply attaching -어요 next to it.

Wrong: 바쁘어요, 쓰어요

Right: 바빠요, 써요

Always remember to drop the ㅡ first before combining the sounds!