Lesson 26
You are not finished learning about irregulars yet, so get ready for a lesson on irregularities that happen with ㄷ!
How irregular ㄷ works
When the Korean letter ㄷ is the 받침 (the final consonant at the end of a syllable) of a verb stem and is followed by a vowel, ㄷ is changed to ㄹ. Some verbs follow this rule, and some do not.
Examples of irregular ㄷ verbs
- 듣다 = to listen
- 걷다 = to walk
- 묻다 = to ask
- 싣다 = to load
- 깨닫다 = to realize
For these verbs, ㄷ changes to ㄹ when followed by a vowel:
- 듣 + 어서 → 들어서
- 걷 + 어요 → 걸어요
- 묻 + 으면 → 물으면
- 싣 + 을 거예요 → 실을 거예요
- 깨닫 + 았어요 → 깨달았어요
Examples of verbs which do NOT follow this rule:
- 받다 = to receive
- 묻다 = to bury
- 닫다 = to close
- 믿다 = to believe
For these verbs, you keep 받침 as ㄷ, even when it is followed by a vowel:
- 받 + 아서 = 받아서
- 묻 + 어요 = 묻어요
- 닫 + 으면 = 닫으면
- 믿 + 어요 = 믿어요
* Although 묻다 (to ask) and 묻다 (to bury) are spelled the same way, they are conjugated differently, and the meaning can only be determined from the context of the sentence.
Ex)
I ask. = 물어요.
I bury. = 묻어요.
Usage examples of irregular ㄷ verbs
(1)
듣다 = to listen
→ 듣고 있어요
= I am listening. (ㄷ does not change because -고 begins with a consonant.)
→ 들었어요
= I heard. (ㄷ changes to ㄹ because -었 starts with a vowel.)
(2)
걷다 = to walk
→ 걷는 것 좋아해요.
= I like walking. (ㄷ does not change because -는 starts with a consonant.)
→ 한 시간 걸었어요.
= I walked for an hour. (ㄷ changes to ㄹ because -었 starts with a vowel.)
Sample Sentences
어디에서 들었어요?
= Where did you hear that?
많이 걸었는데, 안 피곤해요.
= I walked a lot, but I am not tired.
그 이야기를 믿어요?
= Do you believe that story?
물어도 대답이 없어요.
= Even if I ask, there is no answer.