안녕하세요?🤗 Today, you'll learn about the Korean formal ending! It's a big grammar, so you'll go through it with me for four lessons. First, in this post, I'll show you the meaning of the formal ending and the statement forms in various tenses! You can access the free worksheets from each conjugation section, so don't miss them!
<Contents of This Lesson>
1. What Are The Formal Endings?
In Korean, there are different language styles depending on the situation and politeness. You've learned the informal endings with me so far, in which sentences end with 요. Informal endings are used when you talk in daily life. Then what will be the formal ending?
Formal endings (or formal expressions) are used in public, official, and formal situations like court, military, presentation, news, public speech, announcement, etc. You can get the vibe, right?
If you have to make a presentation of your homework in front of your classmates, you must use this "formal ending," even though they are all your friends. It's because it is a public and official situation! In a work environment, you can use this ending during official meetings or to be super polite to your boss.
While informal endings have a friendly vibe, formal endings have a very strict and serious tone. So, informal endings are considered more polite than informal endings. I'll compare the two for you using a chart!
The Informal Ending | The Formal Ending |
It is a polite but still friendly ending. | It is very strict and polite. It doesn't have any friendly vibe at all. |
It is good to use in most of the daily life conversation. | You have to use it in official, public, and formal situations like in news, court, announcements, etc. |
2. Present Tense
Formal Present Ending: ㅂ니다/습니다
In the informal setting, you conjugated a verb or an adjective stem with "아/어/여요" to make the present tense. The counterpart of this in the formal ending is "ㅂ니다/습니다."
Without the context, ㅂ니다/습니다 can show you both simple present or progressive present tense. Compare these sentences.
I eat. / I'm eating. | |
I'm eating now. |
Even though we write this grammar ㅂ니다/습니다, when you speak out, you must read it [ㅁ니다/슴니다]. When the final consonant 'ㅂ' meets 'ㄴ', the sound turns into 'ㅁ'. Think about this matter and listen to the clips above again. Can you hear ㅁ sounds? This change is called nasalization. If you want to know further, please click here to read my related lesson.
Conjugation
While you had to pay attention to the last vowel to change with the 아/어/여요 ending, this time, you have to look at the final consonant (받침). You can attach this ending to a verb or an adjective stem. Let's take a look at the detailed grammar for this ㅂ니다/습니다.
1. 받침 O: +습니다
When the stem has a final consonant, please attach 습니다 to it. Please listen and repeat those words!
먹다 | to eat | |
읽다 | to read | |
작다 | to be small | |
좋다 | to be good | |
있다 | to exist |
I have good news for you. You don't have to worry about this grammar's irregular verbs or adjectives! Usually, we had some special final consonants that required extra attention. They were ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅂ, and ㅎ.
But with this present tense formal ending, you don't have to change or erase these irregular words! Since they all have the final consonant, you can simply attach 습니다.
듣다 | to listen | |
잇다 | to connect | |
돕다 | to help | |
파랗다 | to be blue |
2. 받침X: ㅂ니다
Let's take a look at the last syllable of the stem. If it doesn't have the final consonant, we'll add ㅂ니다. Insert ㅂ under the last stem to make the final consonant and attach 니다 after it.
가다 | to go | |
보다 | to see | |
공부하다 | to study | |
마시다 | to drink | |
크다 | to be big |
3. ㄹ받침: Drop ㄹ + ㅂ니다
If a stem ends with the final consonant ㄹ, you must get rid of it first. Then, insert ㅂ니다. In other words, you will replace the ㄹ with ㅂ.
살다 | to live | |
만들다 | to make | |
풀다 | to solve | |
길다 | to be long |
Worksheet
Let's review what you've learned so far. Please download this free printable PDF worksheet to practice Korean formal ending present tense form! Don't forget to check your answer thoroughly using the answer sheet!
3. Regular Past Tense
Let's see how we can change a verb or an adjective into the past tense formal form. This one can be tricky, but it shouldn't be too difficult if you know the informal past tense! You can simply replace 요 with 습니다! Still, I'll explain the details to you below.
To make the past tense, we need the past tense word 았/었/였. You'll attach the word to the stem depending on its vowel. The formal ending comes after. While that, as you see, all these past tense words (았/었/였) have the final consonant ㅆ. So, no matter what stem you use, you'll attach 습니다 to it.
Stem + 았/었/였 + 습니다
I'll show you each example of the vowel. There are mainly 3 regular(규칙) rules. Please follow me one by one and solve the quiz after the explanation!
1. ㅏ or ㅗ: 았습니다
If the vowel is either ㅏ or ㅗ, we need to attach 았습니다. For example, the stem of 살다 is 살. The vowel is ㅏ. So, we'll attach 았습니다 to it and make 살았습니다 to mean "lived."
살다 | to live | |
작다 | to be small | |
가다 | to go | |
보다 | to see |
The words that don't have the final consonant will go through extra steps. For example, 가다 will be 가았습니다. However, 가았 has the same vowel and there is no final consonant that prevents their combination. So, in the end, it will become 갔습니다. If you need further assistance with this matter, please click here to check my regular rule conjugation lesson.
2. 하다 words: 했습니다
Either a verb or an adjective, when the words with 하다, you'll use this second rule. The last syllable of the stem of these words will be always, "하."
하 requires 였 as the tense word. However, 하였 shortened to 했. So, you'll attach 했습니다 instead of 하다. This one is pretty easy, right?
하다 | to do | |
공부하다 | to study | |
행복하다 | to be happy | |
건강하다 | to be healthy |
3. Others: 었습니다
For other words than that follow the rule 1 or 2, you'll use this one! So, most of the verbs and adjectives will fall into this rule.
When a vowel is not ㅏ or ㅗ, you'll add 었 to the stem! Then, simply attach 습니다. Can you tell me why we attach 습니다 not ㅂ니다? Yes, 었 has the final consonant!
읽다 | to read | |
먹다 | to eat | |
있다 | to exist | |
마시다 | to drink |
Worksheet
Good. Now, let's review the regular rules you saw with the worksheet. It's a free, printable PDF worksheet. Think about the meanings of the words as well. You can read back above if you need help.
4. Irregular Past Tense
Now, I'll show you the past tense irregular(불규칙) words too. I'll divide this section into 6 rules. It may seem complicated, but they are actually the same things you've done for irregular conjugations! So, don't worry too much. I'll walk through with you!
1. ㄷ verbs
ㄷ verbs: ㄷ→ㄹ +았/었습니다
When the stem ends with the final consonant, you'll use this rule. First, you'll change the ㄷ to ㄹ. Then, please add 았/었/였 depending on the last vowel.
For, example 듣다 has the vowel ㅡ. It is not ㅏ or ㅗ. So, you need the regular rule number 3. As you see, the irregular rules are not entirely new ones. You still need to use the regular rules as well.
The endings will always be 습니다 for the past tense formal rules. You should be able to tell me the reason why by now! It is because 습니다 always comes after 았/었/였 with the final consonant!
듣다 | to listen | |
걷다 | to walk |
One thing you have to watch out for is not all words with ㄷ are irregular. Some words, even though they have the ㄷ, are still regular. You have to memorize these words separately. For example, 닫다(to close) is not an irregular word. You won't change the ㄷ to ㄹ this time! It'll become 닫았습니다.
2. ㅅ words
ㅅ words: Erase ㅅ + 았/었습니다
For irregular ㅅ words, you'll erase that ㅅ first! Then, please decide 았 or 었 by the vowel of the stem. For example, the vowel of 잇 is ㅣ. So, after you erase ㅅ, you'll add 었 to it.
잇다 | to connect | |
낫다 | to heal |
3. ㅂ words
ㅂ words: Erase ㅂ+왔/웠습니다
Let's see the special fellow ㅂ! First, you must erase ㅂ. Then check the vowel. However, if it is ㅏ or ㅗ, you need to add 왔 this time. For others, you'll add 웠. So, 왔 is the counterpart of 았 and 웠 is the counterpart of 었. This is why I call ㅂ is a special fellow😉!
돕다 | to help | |
줍다 | to pick sth up |
4. ㅎ adjectives
There are no irregular ㅎ verbs. All ㅎ adjectives except 좋다 will follow this rule. It's a little tricky, so please pay attention. Use my diagram above, and try to change these words by yourself. I recommend using actual paper and pencil and trying to follow the steps.
First, you'll erase the final consonant ㅎ. Then, you'll attach an extra vowel ㅣ to the existing vowel. Attach the final consonant ㅆ to make it the past tense word. Since it has the final consonant you can attach 습니다 to finish up.
노랗다 | to be yellow | |
뿌옇다 | to be foggy |
5. ㅡ words
Not only the final consonants are the troublemakers! The vowel ㅡ is also a special one! When the last syllable of the stem has ㅡ as a vowel, you must erase ㅡ.
Then, you have to check the vowel one before the last syllable. For example, 쓰다 after you erase the vowel, we only have ㅆ. There is no more vowel whatsoever. No vowel equals it is not ㅏ or ㅗ! So, it fell into the regular rule 3, 었습니다. Since ㅆ doesn't have any vowel ㅆ+었습니다 will become 썼습니다.
One more example for you is 예쁘다(to be pretty). The stem is 예쁘. First, erase ㅡ; 예ㅃ. The closest vowel from the last syllable is ㅖ. Well, it isn't ㅏ or ㅗ either. So what do we need? 었습니다 again! 예ㅃ+었습니다 will become 예뻤습니다.
쓰다 | to write, to use | |
예쁘다 | to be pretty |
6. 르 words
Irregular 르 is a part of irregular ㅡ. It needs one more step to take though! When the last syllable is 르, please use this rule.
Just like ㅡ rule, we'll erase it first. Then, we will decide 았 or 었 depending on the the vowel before the last syllable.
For example, the stem of 부르다 is 부르. After we erase ㅡ, we have 부ㄹ left. The vowel before ㄹ is ㅜ from 부. Well, it is not ㅏ or ㅗ. That is why we need to att 었습니다.
However, 르 words require you to put one more ㄹ. You can insert this extra ㄹ before the last syllable. So, 부 becomes 불. In the end, 부르다 conjugated 불렀습니다. Does it make sense? If not, make sure to write on your own. If you write them down one by one like my diagram, you'll understand!
부르다 | to call (out) | |
빠르다 | to be fast |
Worksheet
Good job! You've gone through a big grammar! To help you, I prepared the free, printable worksheet for you. Reading with eyes is not good enough! Make sure to practice writing and reading aloud. Using different parts of your brain will help you study better! 😉
5. Future Tense
Pre-final 겠
To make the formal ending future tense, we'll use the word 겠. It attaches to a verb and shows your determination about what you'll do in the future. 겠 actually can be attached to an adjective as well. However, in that case, it means "guess" not "future".
겠 goes to the same spot where the past tense word 았/었 located. It is because they are both the pre-final endings. They come after the stem but before the ending(습니다).
stem + 겠 + 습니다
Unlike the past tense marker that haunted you with the regular and irregular rules, 겠 is a nicer friend. It only has one form! So, you don't have to worry about conjugating it with different rules and stuff!
가다 | to go | |
공부하다 | to study | |
마시다 | to drink | |
읽다 | to read | |
풀다 | to solve |
It isn't bad, right? I'll show you some of our usual irregular words. But take it easy! They won't bother you this time!
듣다 | to listen | |
짓다 | to build | |
돕다 | to help | |
쓰다 | to write, to use |
(으)ㄹ 것이다 Ending
Another way to talk about the future is by using the (으)ㄹ 것이다 expression. 것이다 ends with 이다. It means it is a basic form and we can't just use it! That's why we need to conjugate it with our ㅂ니다/습니다.
What is the stem of 이다? It is 이. Does it have the final consonant? No, it doesn't! Then what formal ending form do we need? Yes, ㅂ니다.
Stem + (으)ㄹ 것입니다.
Here are some examples for you! If you want to know more details about this (으)ㄹ 것이다 form, please click here to read my other lesson!
가다 | to go | |
먹다 | to eat | |
놀다 | to play | |
듣다 | to listen |
Worksheet
Time to practice on your own! Don't forget to check your answers!
6. Progressive Tense
With the present tense form ㅂ니다/습니다, you can imply the progressive meaning. However, by adding the progressive expression "고 있다" you can definitely mean it. If you want to read the detailed lesson about "고 있다", please click here.
Luckily, 고 part doesn't have various conjugation rules. We just need to change 있다 part with the appropriate tense. I'll show you some examples here.
Present progressive | -고 있습니다. | |
Past progressive | -고 있었습니다. | |
Future progressive1 | -고 있겠습니다. | |
Future progressive 2 | -고 있을 것입니다. |
7. Honorific Version
(으)시
When you talk about someone older than you, it is better to use the honorific version! By attaching the honorific word (으)시, you can show respect for the person you are talking about.
For example, imagine you want to talk about your father and make a statement "My father is reading a book." Then you'll say "아버지가 책을 읽으십니다." instead of "아버지가 책을 읽습니다."
In the same matter, when you talk yourself, you mustn't use the honorific version. If you put yourself high position, it sounds rude.
(O) 제가 책을 읽습니다.
(X) 제가 책을 읽으십니다. - You can't show honor to yourself.
Conjugation
The (으)시 ending functions as a pre-final ending, similar to 았/었 or 겠, positioning itself between the stem and the tense. Should you require additional guidance on the topic of (으)시, kindly access my supplementary lesson by clicking here.
Presented below are some examples. The term 드시다 is an honorific form of the verb 먹다, meaning "to eat." When employing the (으)시 honorific word, it is necessary to utilize the corresponding honorific version of the verb.
Honorific present | (으)십니다. | |
Honorific past | (으)셨습니다. | |
Honorific future 1 | (으)시겠습니다. | |
Honorific future 2 | (으)실 것입니다. |
Worksheet
8. Examples
I will show you the formal way first and then equivalent informal sentences.
1
저는 김민수입니다.
저는 김민수예요.
I am Minsu Kim.
Now, you can introduce yourself in a very polite way. 이다 is similar to "to be" in English. Since it doesn't have the final consonant, you'll add ㅂ니다 to it.
2
만나서 반갑습니다.
만나서 반가워요.
반갑다 means "to be glad." The first one is more formal and polite than the second one. If you meet someone for the first time in an official situation or work, you'd better use the first one!
3
민수 씨가 음악을 들었습니다.
민수 씨가 음악을 들었어요.
Minsu listened to the music.
Replace 어요 with 습니다, to make the past tense formal ending easy.
4
제가 가겠습니다.
제가 가겠어요.
I'll go.
겠 is considered to be the future tense. However, it is close to showing determination or will. What you determined will happen in the future, so people call it the future tense word.
5
안녕히 가십시오.
안녕히 가세요.
Goodbye. (Go well).
안녕히 계십시오.
안녕히 계세요.
Goodbye. (Stay well).
Here is another good pair of expressions set! Now, you can speak Korean formally and informally!
9. Wrap-up: ㅂ니다/습니다 grammar
Good job! You've learned how to say formally in Korean. Here is the summary for you.
In the next lesson, I'll show you the question form of the formal ending. Please use the worksheets you got from each section to review before you move on to the next lesson!
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