Awaiting Korean language review. This lesson has been written by our editorial team and is waiting for sign-off from a qualified Korean language reviewer. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Many short Korean questions are built on a small set of everyday action verbs, such as 가다 (to go), 먹다 (to eat), 일하다 (to work) and 쉬다 (to rest). If you know these verbs and a few polite endings, you can follow many short beginner questions, like 점심 먹었어요? (Did you have lunch?) or 몇 시에 끝나요? (What time does it finish?). This lesson lists the most useful verbs, shows how they change, and practises them in short question-and-answer pairs.
How a verb changes
Korean verbs are listed in the dictionary in a form that ends in -다. In conversation, this ending changes. Here is 가다 (to go) as an example:
| Form | Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary form | 가다 | to go |
| Present | 가요 | I go, I am going |
| Question | 가요? | Do you go? Are you going? |
| Past | 갔어요 | I went |
| Polite request | 가세요 | Please go |
| Negative | 안 가요 | I do not go |
| Plan | 갈 거예요 | I am going to go |
Korean often leaves out the subject, so 가요 can mean "I go", "you go", "she goes" and so on. The situation tells you who.
A statement and a question can look the same. In speech, a rising tone at the end shows a question. In writing, the question mark shows it.
Choosing -아요 or -어요
- If the last vowel of the verb stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, add -아요: 가다 → 가요, 보다 → 봐요.
- Otherwise, add -어요: 먹다 → 먹어요, 마시다 → 마셔요.
- Verbs ending in 하다 change to 해요: 일하다 → 일해요.
Daily life verbs
| Korean | Meaning | Polite present | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | to go | 가요 | 어디에 가요? (Where are you going?) |
| 오다 | to come | 와요 | 내일 몇 시에 와요? (What time are you coming tomorrow?) |
| 먹다 | to eat | 먹어요 | 점심 먹었어요? (Did you have lunch?) |
| 마시다 | to drink | 마셔요 | 물을 자주 마시세요. (Drink water often.) |
| 자다 | to sleep | 자요 | 어제 몇 시에 잤어요? (What time did you go to bed yesterday?) |
| 일어나다 | to get up | 일어나요 | 아침 여섯 시에 일어나요. (I get up at six in the morning.) |
| 씻다 | to wash | 씻어요 | 밥 먹기 전에 손을 씻으세요. (Wash your hands before you eat.) |
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 봐요 | 주말에 영화를 봐요. (I watch a film at the weekend.) |
| 듣다 | to listen | 들어요 | 한국어 노래를 들어요. (I listen to Korean songs.) |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽어요 | 안내문을 읽으세요. (Read the notice.) |
| 사다 | to buy | 사요 | 편의점에서 물을 사요. (I buy water at the convenience store.) |
| 만나다 | to meet | 만나요 | 일요일에 친구를 만나요. (I meet a friend on Sunday.) |
| 기다리다 | to wait | 기다려요 | 여기서 잠깐 기다리세요. (Please wait here a moment.) |
| 말하다 | to speak, to say | 말해요 | 천천히 말해 주세요. (Please speak slowly.) |
듣다 is irregular. Its ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel, so 듣다 becomes 들어요.
Work verbs
| Korean | Meaning | Polite present | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 일하다 | to work | 일해요 | 토요일에도 일해요? (Do you work on Saturdays too?) |
| 쉬다 | to rest, to take a break | 쉬어요 | 열두 시부터 한 시까지 쉬어요. (We take a break from twelve to one.) |
| 시작하다 | to start | 시작해요 | 일은 여덟 시에 시작해요. (Work starts at eight.) |
| 끝나다 | to finish, to end | 끝나요 | 일이 몇 시에 끝나요? (What time does work finish?) |
| 옮기다 | to move (something) | 옮겨요 | 이 상자를 창고로 옮기세요. (Move this box to the storeroom.) |
| 들다 | to lift, to carry | 들어요 | 무거운 물건은 둘이서 드세요. (Lift heavy things with two people.) |
| 놓다 | to put, to place | 놓아요 | 상자를 여기에 놓으세요. (Put the box here.) |
| 닦다 | to wipe, to clean | 닦아요 | 기계를 깨끗이 닦으세요. (Wipe the machine clean.) |
| 정리하다 | to tidy up | 정리해요 | 일이 끝나면 정리하세요. (Tidy up when work finishes.) |
| 확인하다 | to check | 확인해요 | 날짜를 확인하세요. (Check the date.) |
| 켜다, 끄다 | to turn on, to turn off | 켜요, 꺼요 | 불을 끄고 나가세요. (Turn off the light before you leave.) |
| 열다, 닫다 | to open, to close | 열어요, 닫아요 | 문을 닫아 주세요. (Please close the door.) |
| 돕다 | to help | 도와요 | 좀 도와주세요. (Please help me.) |
| 배우다 | to learn | 배워요 | 기계 사용법을 배워요. (I am learning how to use the machine.) |
In speech, 놓아요 is often shortened to 놔요. For 들다, the ㄹ drops before -세요, so "please lift" is 드세요. Be careful: 드세요 can also mean "please eat", as the polite form used instead of 먹으세요. The situation tells you which meaning is intended.
Polite endings you will meet often
| Ending | Use | 가다 | 먹다 | 하다 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -아요/어요 | present statement or question | 가요 | 먹어요 | 해요 |
| -았어요/었어요 | past | 갔어요 | 먹었어요 | 했어요 |
| -(으)세요 | polite request | 가세요 | 드세요 | 하세요 |
| -지 마세요 | please do not | 가지 마세요 | 먹지 마세요 | 하지 마세요 |
| -고 있어요 | doing now | 가고 있어요 | 먹고 있어요 | 하고 있어요 |
| -(으)ㄹ 거예요 | plan, future | 갈 거예요 | 먹을 거예요 | 할 거예요 |
The ending -지 마세요 is common in workplace instructions, such as 만지지 마세요 (Do not touch). Our lesson on workplace safety vocabulary in Korean has many more examples.
Question words to listen for
| Korean | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 뭐 | what | 지금 뭐 해요? (What are you doing now?) |
| 어디 | where | 어디에서 일해요? (Where do you work?) |
| 언제 | when | 언제 쉬어요? (When do you take a break?) |
| 몇 시 | what time | 몇 시에 끝나요? (What time does it finish?) |
| 누구 | who | 누구를 기다려요? (Who are you waiting for?) |
| 왜 | why | 왜 안 왔어요? (Why didn't you come?) |
The question word tells you what kind of answer you need. 몇 시 needs a time, 어디 needs a place, and 누구 needs a person. Times appear in many answers, so review Korean numbers and counting if 시 and 분 are still slow for you.
Short question-and-answer practice
가: 점심 먹었어요? (Did you have lunch?) 나: 아니요, 아직 안 먹었어요. (No, not yet.)
가: 내일도 일해요? (Are you working tomorrow too?) 나: 아니요, 내일은 쉬어요. (No, I am off tomorrow.)
가: 이 상자를 어디에 놓을까요? (Where shall I put this box?) 나: 저기 선반 위에 놓으세요. (Put it on the shelf over there.)
가: 지금 뭐 해요? (What are you doing now?) 나: 바닥을 닦고 있어요. (I am cleaning the floor.)
The ending -(으)ㄹ까요? in 놓을까요? means "Shall I ...?". It is a polite way to offer to do something or to ask what to do.
Self-check
Question 1. Choose the best answer.
가: 일이 몇 시에 끝나요?
- a. 회사에 가요.
- b. 다섯 시에 끝나요.
- c. 친구를 만나요.
- d. 네, 끝나요.
Question 2. Choose the best answer.
가: 어디에서 기다려요?
- a. 정문 앞에서 기다려요.
- b. 세 시에 기다려요.
- c. 네, 기다려요.
- d. 친구가 기다려요.
Question 3. Fill in the verb: 손을 ______. (Please wash your hands.)
Question 4. Fill in the verb: 불을 ______. (Please turn off the light.)
Answers: 1-b, because 몇 시 asks for a time. 2-a, because 어디 asks for a place (정문 앞 means "in front of the main gate"); b gives a time and d gives a person. 3. 씻으세요. 4. 끄세요.
Next step
Practise these verbs in the EPS vocabulary practice set. To use them with workplace nouns, continue with Korean vocabulary for tools and equipment. All our word lessons are on the vocabulary topic page.
Sources
- EPS (Employment Permit System) official portal (checked 1 October 2026)
Next scheduled review: 1 January 2027. Found an error? Request a correction.