아요/어요 (ayo/eoyo): Polite Present Tense

Level: TOPIK 1. The 해요체 (haeyoche), the “해요 (haeyo) style”, is the polite present tense you will use in almost every everyday conversation in Korean. Learn how to build it and you can talk about what you and others do, right now.

The rule

A Korean verb or adjective is listed in the dictionary in its dictionary form, which always ends in 다 (da): 가다 (gada, “to go”), 먹다 (meokda, “to eat”), 좋다 (jota, “to be good”). Take the 다 (da) off and what is left is the stem: 가 (ga), 먹 (meok), 좋 (jo).

To make the polite present, you add a polite ending to the stem. There are three, and you pick by vowel harmony — by the last vowel in the stem:

• If the stem’s last vowel is ㅏ (a) or ㅗ (o), add 아요 (ayo): 살다 (salda) → 살아요 (sarayo, “live”).
• For every other vowel, add 어요 (eoyo): 먹다 (meokda) → 먹어요 (meogeoyo, “eat”).
• If the verb ends in 하다 (hada), it becomes 해요 (haeyo): 공부하다 (gongbuhada) → 공부해요 (gongbuhaeyo, “study”).

When the stem ends in a consonant (a 받침 (batchim), the final consonant), you just attach the ending: 먹 (meok) + 어요 (eoyo) → 먹어요 (meogeoyo). When the stem ends in a bare vowel, the two vowels fuse, which is where the contractions come from.

The three endings

Contractions when the stem ends in a vowel

Example sentences

Each sentence was written for this lesson, with Revised Romanization.

Common mistakes

• ❌ 가어요 (gaeoyo) → ✅ 가요 (gayo). The stem 가 (ga) has ㅏ (a), so it takes 아요 (ayo), and the two ㅏ (a) fuse into one: 가요 (gayo).
• ❌ 좋어요 (joeoyo) → ✅ 좋아요 (joayo). 좋 (jo) has the vowel ㅗ (o), so vowel harmony needs 아요 (ayo), not 어요 (eoyo).
• ❌ 하아요 (haayo) → ✅ 해요 (haeyo). 하다 (hada) is special: its polite present is 해요 (haeyo), never 하아요 (haayo).
• ❌ 오아요 (oayo) → ✅ 와요 (wayo). When the stem ends in ㅗ (o), 아요 (ayo) contracts to 와요 (wayo); do not leave the vowels apart.
• ❌ 가다요 (gadayo) → ✅ 가요 (gayo). Never add 요 (yo) to the dictionary form; first drop 다 (da), then add the ending.
• ❌ 먹다 안 (meokda an) → ✅ 안 먹어요 (an meogeoyo). The negative word 안 (an) goes before the verb, not after it.

A short conversation

— 지금 뭐 해요? (Jigeum mwo haeyo?) — “What are you doing now?” — 숙제를 해요. 민호 씨는요? (Sukjereul haeyo. Minho ssineunyo?) — “I’m doing homework. And you, Minho?” — 저는 커피를 마셔요. 같이 마셔요! (Jeoneun keopireul masyeoyo. Gachi masyeoyo!) — “I’m drinking coffee. Let’s drink together!”

Usage notes

• One form, four jobs. 집에 가요 (jibe gayo) can mean “(I) go home”, “Are you going home?”, “Let’s go home”, or “Go home” — tone and context decide. Only the 합니다체 (hamnidache) splits statements and questions into separate endings.
• The present also covers the near future. With a time word, 내일 가요 (naeil gayo) means “(I) am going tomorrow”.
• Some verbs are irregular. Stems ending in ㄷ (d), ㅂ (b), ㅡ (eu) or ㄹ (r) change before the ending — 듣다 (deutda) → 들어요 (deureoyo), 춥다 (chupda) → 추워요 (chuwoyo). These irregular groups are a separate lesson; the harmony rule above still decides the base ending.
• Drop the subject freely. Korean leaves out “I” and “you” when they are clear, so 가요 (gayo) alone is a full sentence.

Compared with other endings

• 합니다체 (hamnidache), the formal polite style, uses ㅂ니다/습니다 (mnida/seumnida) instead: 갑니다 (gamnida) rather than 가요 (gayo). It sounds more formal and is common in presentations and broadcasting. The everyday 해요체 (haeyoche) on this page is friendlier and far more frequent in conversation.
• The past tense swaps in 았어요/었어요 (asseoyo/eosseoyo) by the very same harmony rule: 가다 (gada) → 갔어요 (gasseoyo), 먹다 (meokda) → 먹었어요 (meogeosseoyo). Master 아요/어요 (ayo/eoyo) first and the past tense is a small step. Both have their own lessons in the Korean grammar section.

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Build on it with the formal style and past tense in the Korean grammar section
• Review what it attaches to: the 이다 (ida) copula
• New here? Start with Start Learning Korean Here