Korean verbs and adjectives that end with ㅡ conjugated irregularly in certain situations. And irregular 르 is the variation of ㅡ rule. Here, I'll focus on showing you those special words. If you want to learn the detailed grammar, please click here to access the free lesson.
Each section consists of a quick chart, a detailed explanation with examples, and a worksheet. Please make sure to download the free worksheets to practice those words!
<Table of Contents>
1. Irregular ㅡ Words
Quick Chart
Here are the irregular ㅡ words you need to know! Please listen and repeat after them. Also, don't forget to add new words to your word organizers!
Basic Form | Meaning | Present Tense | Past Tense |
to turn off | |||
to lock | |||
to gather | |||
to write | |||
to be hungry | |||
to be sick | |||
to be glad | |||
to be bad | |||
to be sad | |||
to be busy |
Walk-Through
I showed you the representative meanings in the chart. Let's check the details about each word.
끄다 to turn off / to put out
끄다 has a lot of meanings. The basic meaning is to put out a fire. Fire is 불 in Korean. However, a light is also 불. So, the meaning expanded. Turning off a machine or light is also 끄다.
-불 좀 꺼주세요. Please turn off the light.
It can mean "Please put out the fire." as well. It is up to the context.
-소방관이 불을 껐어요. The firefighters extinguished the fire.
-컴퓨터 좀 끄세요. Turn off your computer.
잠그다 to lock up / to fasten / to turn off a gas valve
잠그다 also has many uses. You can talk about locking a door or fastening the buttons, or valves.
-문을 잠그세요. Lock up the door.
-가스 밸브 잠갔어요? Did you turn off the gas (valve)?
-셔츠 단추 좀 잠그세요! Button up your shirt!
모으다 to collect / to gather / to amass
The basic meaning of 모으다 is to gather. It also has many meanings depending on the words it is used together.
-자료를 모았어요. I gathered data.
-제 친구는 우표를 모아요. My friend collects stamps.
-함께 힘을 모아요! Let's cooperate together!
힘 means strength. 힘을 모으다 means to work together, cooperate, and pull together.
-두 손을 모으고 기도했어요. I put two hands together and prayed.
쓰다
쓰다 is one of the representative ㅡ words and it really has many meanings. It can be used in both verbs and an adjective.
1. to write
-연필로 글을 써요. I write with a pencil.
-계약서를 썼어요. I wrote the contract.
2. to use
-컴퓨터 좀 써도 돼요? May I use the computer?
3. to compose (a music, poem)
-이 곡은 베토벤이 썼어요. This song was written by Beethoven.
4. to put on / to wear (hat, cap, glasses, umbrella)
-민수는 모자를 썼어요. Minsu put on a cap.
5. to be bitter
-약이 써요. The medicine is bitter.
배고프다 to be hungry
배 is a noun, meaning a stomach. So, you can separate this word as 배가 고프다 using the subject marker.
-배가 많이 고파요. I'm really hungry.
아프다 to be sick / to be ill / to be painful / to hurt
In both mind(마음) and body(몸), you can use 아프다 when you are unwell. It can be aching, ill, hurt, etc.
-친구가 이사를 갔어요. 마음이 아파요. My friend moved away. It breaks my heart.
-몸이 아팠어요. 입원을 했어요. I was sick. I was hospitalized.
기쁘다 to be happy, glad, pleased
You can use 기쁘다 when you feel very good. The antonym is 슬프다.
-시합에서 우승을 했어요. 기뻐요. I won the game. I'm happy.
슬프다 to be sad
-시합에서 졌어요. 슬퍼요. I lost the game. I'm sad.
나쁘다 to be bad
It also has many meanings. It can be worked in many contexts.
1. to be bad/immoral
-그건 나쁜 짓이에요. That's a bad thing to do.
-그는 나빠요. He is bad.
2. to be unpleasant
-기분이 나빠요. I feel bad.
3. to be unhealthy
-담배는 건강에 나빠요. Smoking is bad for your health.
4. to be inadequate
-이 집은 살기에 나빠요. This place is inadequate to live in.
-이 땅은 농사짓기에 나빠요. This land is bad for farming.
바쁘다 to be busy
-요즘 좀 바빠요. I'm a bit busy lately.
-많이 바빴어요? Were you busy?
Worksheet
I prepared the free worksheet for you. Please download and use it to practice these new words!
2. Irregular 르 Words
Quick Chart
Basic Form | Meaning | Present Tense | Past Tense |
to do not know | |||
to climb up | |||
to call out | |||
to be full (stomach) | |||
to push | |||
to flow | |||
to hurry | |||
to be different | |||
to be fast | |||
to be early |
Walk-Through
모르다 to do not know
It is the opposite word of 알다(to know).
Q: 저 사람을 알아요? Do you know that person?
A: 아니요, 몰라요. No, I don't know.
-잘 모르겠어요. I don't know. (I'm not sure.)
It's a good expression to memorize! Memorize it as a chunk and use it when you do not know a thing well.
오르다 to go up
This word has many meanings. I'll show you some commonly used meanings here. But basically, it means something or someone goes up. Read the examples and catch the vibe!
1. to go up/to climb up (mountain, stairs)
-산에 올라갔어요. I climbed up the mountain. =I hiked.
2. to be promoted: to obtain a position or status
-로이 씨는 부장직에 올랐어요. Roy was promoted to manager.
3. to get on: to use a means of transportation.
The synonym of 타다.
-기차에 올랐어요. I got on the train.
4. to rise/increase
-물가가 많이 올랐어요. Prices have gone up a lot.
-기온이 많이 올랐어요. The temperature has risen a lot.
5. to reach a certain degree
그 책은 베스트셀러에 올랐어요. The book became a bestseller.
부르다
부르다 also has many uses. It can work as a verb or an adjective. Take a look.
1. to call (out)
This call is to ask someone to come or draw his/her attention through words or actions. It doesn't mean a phone call. To make a phone call, you'll use "전화하다."
-친구 이름을 불렀어요. I call my friend's name.
-그는 친구를 바보라고 불렀어요. He called his friend babo(idiot).
-웨이터를 불렀어요. I asked for the waiter.
2. to sing
It's the synonym of 노래하다.
-노래방에서 노래를 불렀어요. I sang songs in the singing room.
노래방 is a Korean word for karaoke. Like Japanese, it is a room-type with a karaoke machine.
3. to quote the price
그 물건은 희귀해요. 부르는 게 값이에요. That thing is rare. What is said is the price.
4. to be full (stomach)
배가 너무 불러요. I'm too full!
누르다 to push/press
This 누르다 is for a button. When you push a door, it's 밀다.
-버튼을 눌렀어요. I pushed the button.
-초인종을 눌러요. Push the doorbell.
흐르다 to flow
흐르다 can work for liquid, air, and time. So, it can be translated variously into English.
1. liquid: to flow / to run
-강이 흘러요. The river flows.
-땀이 흘러요. Sweat is flowing.
-눈물이 흘러요. Tears are flowing.
2. time: to pass
-시간이 많이 흘렀어요. The time has passed.
-시간이 빨리 흘러요. The time flies.
3. gas, electricity, etc.: to move along a cable or pipe.
조심해요. 거기 전기가 흘러요. Be careful. There's electricity there.
4. to glide in the air or on the water
구름이 흘러가고 있어요. The clouds are drifting away.
서두르다 to hurry
-서두르세요! Hurry up!
다르다 to be different
-두 나라 문화가 달라요. The cultures of the two countries are different.
빠르다 to be fast/quick/early
It's the antonym of 느리다.
-치타는 빨라요. Cheetahs are fast.
-민수 씨는 말이 빨라요. Minsu talks quickly.
-우리 너무 빨리 왔어요. We arrived to early.
이르다 to be early/to tell (on)
When it is used as an adjective, it means "to be early." When it is used as a verb, it can mean "to tell on" as "snitch or rat on". It can also be used when quoting something.
-5시요? 너무 일러요. 5o'click? That's too early!
-엄마한테 다 일렀어! I told all to my mom!
-성경에서 이르기를... The Bible says...
Worksheet
Let's practice the irregular 르 words. You'll see the both basic forms and the present-tense forms.
3. Special 르 Words
Some 르 words change differently. Please refer to the detailed rules with my ㅡ & 르 grammar lesson. Here I focus on the uses of words.
Quick Chart
1. 르 words without adding extra ㄹ.
Basic Form | Meaning | Present Tense | Past Tense |
to take (an exam) | |||
to drop by | |||
to follow |
2. 르 words become 러.
Basic Form | Meaning | Present Tense | Past Tense |
to arrive | |||
to be blue |
Walk-Through
치르다
1. to pay
-값을 치렀어요. I paid the price.
-그는 나쁘게 행동한 대가를 치렀어요. He paid the price for his bad behavior.
대가를 치르다 is an idiom. It means you pay the price. You'll suffer as a result of something.
2. to experience: to go through a certain incident.
-어제 그들은 경기를 치렀어요. They played a match yesterday.
-어제 장례를 치렀어요. I had a funeral yesterday.
-시험을 치렀어요. I took the exam.
들르다 to drop by
-잠깐 옷가게 좀 들러요. Let's drop by the clothing store.
-저희 집에 잠깐 좀 들르세요. Please drop by my house.
따르다
This word has really many meanings. I'll show you some meanings here.
1. to follow
-규칙을 따라요. Follow the rules.
-유행을 따랐어요. I followed the trend.
-이 길을 따라요. Follow this road.
-경찰이 범인의 뒤를 따랐어요. The cop followed the criminal.
2. to pour (liquid)
-물을 따랐어요. I poured water.
-커피를 따르세요. Pour some coffee, please.
이르다 to reach / to arrive
Remember 이르다 from the irregular 르 word section? It meant "to be early," or "to tell on." We have a homonym.
When this word is used as "to reach" or "to arrive," you should conjugate it differently. In this case, you don't attach extra ㄹ like before.
1. to arrive = 도착하다
-목적지에 이르렀어요. I arrived at my destination.
2. to reach (degree, amount, volume, value...)
-손해가 1억원에 이르렀어요. The damage amounted to 100 million won.
-인내심이 한계에 이르렀어요. My patience was worn out. (reached at its limit.)
푸르다 to be blue
푸르다 is a bit special word. It can mean both green and blue.
-하늘이 푸르러요. The sky is blue.
-이 나무는 사계절 푸르러요. This tree is green all year round.
Worksheet
You saw the special 르 words. Let's practice them. Don't forget to read aloud as you write. You can also use the quick chart above to listen and repeat while writing.
4. Wrap-up: Irregular ㅡ words
Today, you saw the words that follow irregular ㅡ rules. You also saw the 르 words which were the variation of ㅡ. If you want to learn or review the ㅡ, 르, 러 grammar, make sure to read my grammar post.
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