Common Korean Verbs
Korean verbs are listed here in the dictionary form, which always ends in 다. The polite form you actually speak is given alongside, because the two rarely look alike.
The ones that hold a sentence together
-
이다 ida
EE-dah
-
to be
Polite: 이에요 or 예요
-
있다 itda
EET-tah
-
to exist, to have
Polite: 있어요
-
없다 eopda
UHP-tah
-
to not exist, to not have
Polite: 없어요. A separate verb, not a negative
Everyday actions
-
가다 gada
GAH-dah
-
to go
Polite: 가요
-
오다 oda
OH-dah
-
to come
Polite: 와요
-
하다 hada
HAH-dah
-
to do
Polite: 해요
-
보다 boda
BOH-dah
-
to see, to watch
Polite: 봐요
-
먹다 meokda
MUHK-tah
-
to eat
Polite: 먹어요
-
마시다 masida
mah-SHEE-dah
-
to drink
Polite: 마셔요
-
말하다 malhada
mahl-HAH-dah
-
to speak
Polite: 말해요
-
살다 salda
SAHL-dah
-
to live
Polite: 살아요
-
일하다 ilhada
eel-HAH-dah
-
to work
Polite: 일해요
-
알다 alda
AHL-dah
-
to know
Polite: 알아요
-
모르다 moreuda
moh-REU-dah
-
to not know
Polite: 몰라요. Again a separate verb
하다 builds hundreds of verbs, and two negatives are their own words
하다 means to do, and it attaches to a noun to make a verb. 공부 is study, so 공부하다 is to study. 일 is work, so 일하다 is to work. Once you know a noun, you often know the verb too.
The verb comes last in the sentence, as in Japanese: 저는 물을 마셔요 is literally I water drink.
있다 and 없다 are a genuine pair rather than a positive and a negative. Korean has a dedicated verb meaning to not exist, so I do not have time is 시간이 없어요, time not-exists.
알다 and 모르다 work the same way. 모르다 is its own verb, not 알다 with a negative attached, which is why 몰라요 looks nothing like 알아요.
The 요 ending is the polite everyday level and the right default for a learner. Dropping it is casual; swapping it for 습니다 is formal.
- 서울에 살아요.I live in Seoul.
- 한국어를 몰라요.I don't know Korean.
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