Korean Basic Korean Grammar Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Basic Korean Grammar deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. How do you conjugate the past tense of the copula/adjective 'to be' 이다?

   이다 → 이었어요 (after consonant) / 였어요 (after vowel) in 해요 style; formally 이었습니다. E.g. 학생이었어요 (was a student).

2. How is the future tense expressed with –(으)リ 거예요?

   Add –을 거예요 to a consonant-final stem or –ㄹ 거예요 to a vowel-final stem. E.g. 먹다 → 먹을 거예요, 가다 → 갈 거예요 ("will eat / will go"). It shows intention or probability.

3. What future-tense ending expresses a strong intention or a promise, and give an example.

   –(으)ワ게요 expresses the speaker's will/promise (first person). E.g. 제가 할게요 (I'll do it), 갈게요 (I'll go).

4. What does the future/presumptive ending –겠– express?

   It expresses intention, conjecture, or probability about the future. E.g. 내일 비가 오겠어요 ("it will probably rain tomorrow"); 잘먹겠습니다 ("I'll eat well").

5. Compare –(으)リ 거예요 and –겠– as future markers.

   –(으)リ 거예요 states a planned or expected future action (definite plan/prediction); –겠– expresses a more immediate intention, will, or a conjecture/presumption about the future.

6. What is a descriptive verb (형용사) in Korean, and how does it differ from English adjectives?

   A descriptive verb (descriptive adjective) describes a state or quality and functions like a verb: it is conjugated for tense and politeness and can serve as the sentence's predicate without a separate 'to be' verb. E.g. 예쁘다 = "to be pretty."

7. In Korean, how do you say "The flower is pretty" using a descriptive adjective as the predicate?

   꽃이 예빠요. The adjective 예쁘다 is conjugated to 예빠요 and acts as the verb; no separate 'is' is needed.

8. How are Korean descriptive adjectives conjugated in the present tense (해요 style)?

   Exactly like verbs: drop 다 and add 아요 (stem vowel ㅗ/ㅏ) or 어요 (other), with 하다-type becoming 해요. E.g. 좋다 → 좋아요, 맛있다 → 맛있어요, 행복하다 → 행복해요.

9. Conjugate the adjective 크다 (to be big) into present-tense polite form, noting the ㅡ irregularity.

   크다 → 커요. The stem vowel ㅡ drops before –어요 (ㅡ irregular), giving 커요 ("is big").

10. When a descriptive adjective modifies a noun (attributive form) in the present tense, which ending is added?

    Add –(으)ゴ: –ㄴ after a vowel-final stem, –은 after a consonant-final stem. E.g. 예쁘다 → 예쁘ゴ 꽃 (pretty flower), 좋다 → 좋은 사람 (good person).

11. How does the attributive (noun-modifying) ending differ between action verbs and descriptive adjectives in the present tense?

    Descriptive adjectives use –(으)ゴ (예쁘ゴ, 좋은), while action verbs use –는 (먹는, 가는). So "pretty flower" = 예쁘ゴ 꽃 but "the flower that blooms" = 피는 꽃.

12. Conjugate the adjective 덩다 (to be hot) into present-tense polite form, noting the ㅂ irregularity.

    덩다 → 더워요. The final ㅂ changes to 우 before the ending (ㅂ irregular): 덩 + 우 + 어요 = 더워요 ("is hot").

13. Why do Korean descriptive adjectives NOT take the present-progressive –고 있다 form?

    Because they describe states, not ongoing actions. States cannot be "in progress," so –고 있다 (progressive) is only used with action verbs, not descriptive adjectives.

14. How is the past tense of a descriptive adjective formed? Give an example.

    Same as verbs: add 았/었 + 어요. E.g. 좋다 → 좋았어요 ("was good"), 예쁘다 → 예빠었어요 ("was pretty").

15. What is the negation pattern using 안, and where is 안 placed?

    안 is placed directly before the verb/adjective to negate it ("not"). E.g. 안 가요 (don't go), 안 예빠요 (not pretty). For 하다-verbs, 안 goes before 하다: 공부 안 해요.

16. What is the negation pattern using –지 않다?

    Attach –지 않다 to the verb/adjective stem ("long negation"). E.g. 가지 않아요 (don't go), 예쁘지 않아요 (not pretty). It is more formal than 안.

17. How does the copula 이다 ("to be [a noun]") attach, and how is it chosen?

    이다 attaches directly to a noun: –이에요 after a consonant, –예요 after a vowel (해요 style). E.g. 학생이에요 (is a student), 의사예요 (is a doctor).

18. What verb means "to exist / to have" and what is its opposite?

    있다 = "to exist / to be (located) / to have." Its opposite is 없다 = "to not exist / to not have." E.g. 돈이 있어요 (I have money) vs. 돈이 없어요.

19. How do you distinguish an action verb from a descriptive verb using the present tense?

    Action verbs can take –는다/–ゴ다 (plain present) and the –는 modifier; descriptive verbs use the plain –다 form and the –(으)ゴ modifier, and cannot take –는다. E.g. 먹는다 (eats) is a verb, but *예쁘는다 is wrong; it stays 예쁘다.

20. Order these three tense endings for 가다 (to go): present, past, future (해요 style).

    Present: 가요 (go), Past: 갔어요 (went), Future: 갈 거예요 (will go).

21. In the –아/어요 conjugation rule, what determines whether you add –아요 or –어요?

    The last vowel of the stem: if it is ㅗ (o) or ㅏ (a), add –아요; for any other vowel, add –어요. Stems from 하다 verbs become –해요.

22. How do you form a present-tense yes/no question in the polite 해요 style?

    Use the same 해요-form conjugation but with rising intonation; the form does not change. E.g. 가요? (Do you go?), 예빠요? (Is it pretty?).

23. What is the plain (dictionary) present-tense ending for an action verb, and give an example?

    –ゴ다 after a vowel stem, –는다 after a consonant stem. E.g. 가다 → 간다 (goes), 먹다 → 먹는다 (eats). Descriptive adjectives instead keep the plain –다 (예쁘다).

24. Summarize the key difference between Korean verbs and descriptive adjectives in terms of function and conjugation.

    Both are conjugated for tense/politeness and can be the predicate, but action verbs describe actions and take –는다/–는 forms and the progressive; descriptive adjectives describe states, take –(으)ゴ to modify nouns, and cannot take –는다 or the progressive –고 있다.

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