Present Tense is used to indicate an action or state that is occurring at the present moment, to describe the current characteristics of an object, or to state universal truths.
There are no special affixes added to the stem of the verb for this tense.
|
Verb |
Formal Style |
Informal Style |
|
가다 "go" |
갑니다 |
가요 |
|
보다 "see" |
봅니다 |
봐요 |
|
먹다 "eat" |
먹습니다 |
먹어요 |
|
배우다 "study" |
배웁니다 |
배워요 |
|
예쁘다 "beautiful" |
예쁩니다 |
예뻐요 |
|
좋다 "good" |
좋습니다 |
좋아요 |
|
치다 "strike" |
칩니다 |
쳐요 |
|
하다 "do" |
합니다 |
해요 |
Note: When the verb stem ends with vowel and then a tense suffix is added, vowels are usually merged for easier pronunciation. ㅏ +ㅏ=ㅏ, ㅗ+ㅏ=ㅘ, ㅜ+ㅓ=ㅝ, ㅡ+ㅓ=ㅓ, ㅣ+ㅓ=ㅕ, ㅏ+ㅕ=ㅐ.
Examples of the present tense:
아이들이 노래를 배웁니다. "Children are learning the song."
봄이 오면 꽃이 핀다. "When spring comes the flowers blossom."
이 영화를 아주 좋아해요. "I like this film very much."
See Also: