Korean: 으 irregular
Most of the Korean adjectives and verbs, such as 아/어요, are used according to the basic rules of variation, but there are some exceptions, which are irregular variations (also known as variation rules). Common irregular variations include 으 irregular, ㄹ irregular, ㅂ irregular, ㅅ irregular, ㄷ irregular, 르 irregular, and ㅎ irregular.
Table of Contents
Irregularities
Most Korean adjectives and verbs follow the basic rules of variation, such as 아/어요, but some exceptions exist, and these exceptions are irregular variations.
Common irregular variations are
- 으 irregular
- ㄹ irregular
- ㅂ irregular
- ㅅ irregular
- ㄷ irregular
- 르 irregular
- ㅎ irregular
This article introduces the use of 으 irregular.
으 irregular
The stem of an adjective or verb with a ㅡ ending (e.g. 쓰다, 나쁘다) will change when followed by a ㅇ consonant (e.g. 아/어요).
This change is called the introduction of 으 irregularity.
Below, we introduce the ㅂ니다 form, the 요 form, and the past tense variation.
ㅂ니다形
Same as the normal rules.
ex: 쓰다 -> 씁니다。
요形
First, determine if there are other syllables before the 으 syllable in the stem.
If so, the vowel of the preceding syllable of the 으 syllable will change.
1. When the vowel is "ㅏ,ㅗ
The basic rule is that if the vowel is "ㅏ,ㅗ", 아요 is added at the end.
For the 으 irregular, replace the ㅡ vowel with ㅏ and add 요 at the end.
For example, 나쁘다 -> 나빠요.
2. When the vowel is other than "ㅏ,ㅗ
The basic rule is that when the vowel is other than "ㅏ,ㅗ", 어요 is added after it.
For the 으 variant, replace the vowel of ㅡ with ㅓ and add 요 at the end.
For example, 기쁘다 -> 기뻐요.
3. When there is no preceding syllable
There is no other vowel in the stem except 으.
Replace the ㅡ vowel with ㅓ and add 요 at the end.
For example, 쓰다 -> 썼어요.
Past tense
The variation rule is similar to the 요-type.
1. When the vowel is "ㅏ,ㅗ
In the case of 으 irregular, replace the vowel ㅡ with ㅏ and add ㅆ다 at the end.
For example, 나쁘다 -> 나빴다 -> 나빴어요.
2. When the vowel is other than "ㅏ,ㅗ
For the 으 irregular, replace the vowel of ㅡ with ㅓ and add ㅆ다 at the end.
For example, 기쁘다 -> 기뻤다 -> 기뻤어요.
3. When there is no preceding syllable
There is no vowel other than 으 in the stem.
Replace the ㅡ vowel with ㅓ and add ㅆ다 at the end.
For example, 쓰다 -> 썼다 -> 썼어요.
Summary
The following summarizes a table.
verb/adj. | 으 irregular | 으 irregular's past tense |
---|---|---|
쓰다 | 써요 | 썼어요 |
나쁘다 | 나빠요 | 나빴어요 |
아프다 | 아파요 | 아팠어요 |
바쁘다 | 바빠요 | 바빴어요 |
기쁘다 | 기뻐요 | 기뻤어요 |
슬프다 | 슬퍼요 | 슬펐어요 |
예쁘다 | 예뻐요 | 예뻤어요 |
크다 | 커요 | 컸어요 |