Click to check the list of irregular verbs
Let’s talk about ‘ㅡ’ irregular verbs.
In Korean, adjectives and verbs follow the same rules, so I’ll just call them all “verbs” for now.
Before we dive in, remember this. In Korean, every sound must form a syllable. A consonant alone cannot make a sound; it needs a vowel. For example, if you show this letter (ㅁ) to a Korean, they’ll pronounce it as /므/, adding the /ㅡ/ sound automatically.
Why /ㅡ/? Because for Koreans, it’s the easiest vowel to produce. You don’t have to move your tongue or lips much. But I know for many of you, this is the hardest sound!
Here’s a tip to get it right. Start by making the /u/ sound (like in “blue”). Your teeth should be close together. Now, keep your teeth there but stretch your lips to the sides. That’s your Korean /ㅡ/!
The Korean /ㅜ/ is actually pronounced slightly more forward than the English /u/. On the other hand, Korean /ㅡ/ is produced a bit deeper than the English /u/. They are all so close in the same neighborhood. So by stretching your lips, you’re hitting that spot perfectly for /ㅡ/!
Now, the most common irregular: the “ㅡ irregular.” Think of /ㅡ/ as a “supportive” sound. It’s there to help consonants make a clear syllable. Because it’s so flexible, it often disappears when it’s not needed.
When a verb stem ends in /ㅡ/, like 크다, 아프다, or 바쁘다, the /ㅡ/ drops out whenever it meets an ending that starts with a vowel.
Take 크다. Drop the ending ‘-다,’ and you have the stem ‘크-‘. When we add the polite ending ‘-어요,’ the /ㅡ/ vanishes. “ㅋ + 어요” becomes 커요. Same for 아프다 → 아파요, and 바쁘다 → 바빠요. It’s like it was never there!
What about formal speech? We have -습니다 and -ㅂ니다 in modern Korean. Originally, it was just -읍니다/-ㅂ니다 in the past.
Anyhow, a lone consonant like ‘ㅂ’ looks incomplete to Koreans. Remember, we love full syllables! When ‘ㅂ’ is at the bottom, we instinctively add a /ㅡ/ sound before it. Otherwise, you can’t hear the batchim sound!
To make 크다 formal, the stem ‘크-‘ has no batchim, so we just add ‘ㅂ니다’. It becomes ‘큽니다.’ Now it sounds very polite and complete.
When you learn a new ending, always ask: Does it start with a consonant or a vowel?
For example: “-고” starts with a consonant. No change!
- 크고 맛있어요. (It’s big and delicious.)
As for “-(으)면”, here, the /ㅡ/ is an extra sound added to help consonants. Since the stem ‘크-‘ already has an /ㅡ/, we don’t need two! So it just combines into one. It’s 크면, not 크으면. And 아프면, not 아프으면.
Instead of just memorizing, I hope you now understand the essential role of /ㅡ/. It exists to give clear voice to the consonants based on their positions.