Korean Tenses Made Clear: Present, Past and Future Forms, -고 있다 for Ongoing Actions, -았었- and -던 for the Past, -겠- and Tense in Noun Modifiers

One of the pleasant surprises for anyone learning Korean is that verbs do not change for person or number. Whether the subject is "I", "you", "she" or "they", the verb looks the same. Tense, however, is where Korean shows its personality. The basic system can be learned in an afternoon, but real speech is full of subtle choices: present forms used for tomorrow's plans, two different ways of saying something is "on", a past tense that stacks on top of itself, and endings that bring back a memory.

This guide walks through Korean tense step by step. We start with the core present, past and future forms, then look at ongoing actions and states, special past forms, tense inside noun modifiers and the time expressions that go with each. Examples use the polite -아요/-어요 style, the most useful register for learners, with notes on other forms where needed.

Before we start: stems, endings and polite style

Every Korean verb and adjective has a dictionary form ending in -다: 가다 (to go), 먹다 (to eat), 하다 (to do), 좋다 (to be good). Remove -다 and you get the stem: 가-, 먹-, 하-, 좋-. Tense markers and endings attach to the stem.

Korean adjectives behave like verbs. 좋다 means "to be good", so 좋아요 means "(it) is good". This is why Korean adjectives also take tense: 좋았어요 means "(it) was good".

A quick reminder of the polite present rule, which is the foundation for all tense forms:

• If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, add -아요: 가다 → 가요, 보다 → 봐요.
• Otherwise add -어요: 먹다 → 먹어요, 마시다 → 마셔요.
• 하다 verbs become 해요: 공부하다 → 공부해요.

If these rules feel new, our verb conjugation guide covers them in detail. Here we focus on how tense is built on top of them.

The present tense: more than "now"

The polite present form -아요/-어요 covers far more ground than the English present simple.

Use	Example	Meaning
Action happening now	지금 밥 먹어요.	I am eating now.
Habit or routine	매일 아침 커피 마셔요.	I drink coffee every morning.
General fact	서울은 겨울에 추워요.	Seoul is cold in winter.
Near or planned future	내일 부산에 가요.	I am going to Busan tomorrow.
State or description	이 가방 예뻐요.	This bag is pretty.

The fourth use surprises many learners. Just as English says "I'm leaving tomorrow", Korean happily uses the present for scheduled or decided future events, especially when a time word such as 내일 (tomorrow) or 다음 주 (next week) makes the timing clear.

In the formal style the present becomes -ㅂ니다/-습니다: 갑니다, 먹습니다. In casual speech among close friends, drop -요: 가, 먹어.

The past tense: -았/었-

To make the past, insert -았- or -었- between the stem and the ending. The choice follows the same vowel rule as the present.

Dictionary form	Present	Past	Meaning of past
가다	가요	갔어요	went
보다	봐요	봤어요	saw, watched
먹다	먹어요	먹었어요	ate
마시다	마셔요	마셨어요	drank
하다	해요	했어요	did
좋다	좋아요	좋았어요	was good
이다 (to be)	학생이에요 / 의사예요	학생이었어요 / 의사였어요	was a student / was a doctor

A handy shortcut: take the polite present without -요 and add -ㅆ어요. 가요 → 가 + ㅆ어요 → 갔어요; 마셔요 → 마셔 + ㅆ어요 → 마셨어요; 해요 → 해 + ㅆ어요 → 했어요. This works for almost every verb, including irregular ones, because the irregular change has already happened in the present form.

Irregular verbs in the past

• ㅂ irregular: 덥다 (to be hot) → 더워요 → 더웠어요.
• ㄷ irregular: 듣다 (to listen) → 들어요 → 들었어요.
• 르 irregular: 모르다 (not to know) → 몰라요 → 몰랐어요.
• ㅡ dropping: 바쁘다 (to be busy) → 바빠요 → 바빴어요.
• ㅅ irregular: 낫다 (to get better) → 나아요 → 나았어요.

The past for states that continue

Some Korean verbs use the past where English uses the present, because they describe a change that has already happened and whose result continues.

• 결혼했어요. – literally "got married", but often means "I am married".
• 늦었어요. – "I'm late", literally "became late". You say this as you arrive, even though the lateness is happening now.
• 잘생겼어요. – "He is handsome", literally "was formed well".
• 닮았어요. – "You look alike", literally "came to resemble".
• 살쪘어요. – "I've gained weight / I'm heavier".

When you hear the past tense describing something that is obviously still true, think of it as "has become".

The future and intention: -(으)ㄹ 거예요

The most common way to talk about the future is -(으)ㄹ 거예요. Add -ㄹ 거예요 after a vowel and -을 거예요 after a consonant.

• 가다 → 갈 거예요 (I will go / I'm going to go)
• 먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (I will eat)
• 하다 → 할 거예요 (I will do)

This form has two closely related meanings:

• Plans and intentions with first-person subjects: 주말에 영화 볼 거예요. (I'm going to watch a film at the weekend.)
• Predictions and guesses, especially about other people or events: 내일 비가 올 거예요. (It will probably rain tomorrow.) 민수 씨도 올 거예요. (Minsu will probably come too.)

In speech, 거예요 is often pronounced and written casually as -(으)ㄹ 거야 among friends, and the formal version is -(으)ㄹ 것입니다 or -(으)ㄹ 겁니다.

-(으)ㄹ 거예요 vs the present for the future

Both can talk about the future, but they feel different. The present (내일 가요) sounds like a fixed schedule or simple fact. -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (내일 갈 거예요) emphasises your plan or intention, or makes a prediction. In many everyday sentences either is fine.

Other future-related endings

Korean has several endings that point to the future while adding nuance. -(으)ㄹ게요 is a promise or decision made with the listener in mind (제가 할게요, "I'll do it"), and -(으)ㄹ까요? makes a suggestion or wonders aloud. These are covered in our guide to sentence-final endings. In this guide we focus on the core tense system.

-겠-: intention, conjecture and polite formality

The marker -겠- is often taught as a future tense, but it is better understood as expressing the speaker's intention or judgement. It attaches directly to the stem: 가겠어요, 먹겠어요, 하겠습니다.

Use	Example	Meaning
Strong intention (often formal)	열심히 하겠습니다.	I will work hard.
Conjecture based on what you see or hear	맛있겠어요!	That looks delicious! (It must be delicious.)
Sympathetic guess	피곤하겠어요.	You must be tired.
Fixed polite expressions	알겠습니다. / 잘 먹겠습니다.	Understood. / Thank you for the meal (before eating).
Softening a statement	잘 모르겠어요.	I'm not really sure.

-겠- appears constantly in service settings, announcements and the workplace: 잠시 후 도착하겠습니다 ("We will shortly arrive"). It can also combine with the past to guess about something that has already happened: 어제 많이 힘들었겠어요 ("Yesterday must have been really hard for you").

Ongoing actions: -고 있다

To stress that an action is in progress, use -고 있다, which works much like the English "-ing" form. Attach -고 to the stem and conjugate 있다.

• 지금 공부하고 있어요. – I am studying right now.
• 요즘 한국어를 배우고 있어요. – These days I am learning Korean.
• 어제 밤에 뭐 하고 있었어요? – What were you doing last night?
• 내일 이 시간에는 비행기를 타고 있을 거예요. – At this time tomorrow I'll be on the plane.

Because the simple present can also mean "now", -고 있다 is mainly used when you want to emphasise that something is in progress, has been ongoing for a while, or when you are contrasting it with something else. For honorific subjects, use -고 계시다: 할머니께서 주무시고 계세요 ("Grandmother is sleeping").

Wearing clothes: a special case

With verbs of putting on clothes and accessories, such as 입다 (to put on clothes), 신다 (to put on shoes), 쓰다 (to put on a hat or glasses) and 끼다 (to put on rings or gloves), -고 있다 has two meanings: "is in the process of putting on" or, much more often, "is wearing". 빨간 코트를 입고 있어요 usually means "She is wearing a red coat".

Resulting states: -아/어 있다

Learners often confuse -고 있다 with -아/어 있다. The second form describes a state that remains after an action is completed. It is mostly used with intransitive verbs, verbs that do not take an object, and with passive verbs.

-고 있다 (action in progress)	-아/어 있다 (resulting state)
앉고 있어요 – is in the middle of sitting down (rare)	앉아 있어요 – is seated
서고 있어요 – is standing up (rare)	서 있어요 – is standing
문을 열고 있어요 – is opening the door	문이 열려 있어요 – the door is open
불을 켜고 있어요 – is turning on the light	불이 켜져 있어요 – the light is on
창문에 이름을 쓰고 있어요 – is writing a name on the window	이름이 쓰여 있어요 – a name is written

A good rule of thumb: if someone is doing something, use -고 있다; if something simply is in a certain state after a change, use -아/어 있다. Hotel signs, shop doors and announcements use the second form all the time: 문이 잠겨 있어요 ("The door is locked"), 자리가 비어 있어요 ("The seat is empty").

The double past -았었-: something that is no longer true

Korean can stack the past marker to form -았었-/-었었-. It is sometimes called the "past perfect", but its main job is to show that a past situation is disconnected from the present: it was true then, but not now, or it happened once and is over.

• 일본에 갔어요. – I went to Japan (simple past, maybe recently).
• 일본에 갔었어요. – I have been to Japan (at some point in the past; an experience that is over).
• 머리가 길었어요. – My hair was long (neutral).
• 머리가 길었었어요. – My hair used to be long (but it isn't now).
• 여기 카페가 있었었어요. – There used to be a café here (it's gone).

In everyday speech, -았었- often adds a sense of contrast or completion, similar to the English "used to" or "had". It is common, but you can communicate perfectly well without it at the beginning. Learn to recognise it first, then start using it for "used to" situations.

Remembering the past: -던 and -더라고요

The ending -던 attaches to a verb before a noun to describe something from the past, often with a sense of memory, repetition or an unfinished action.

• 자주 가던 식당 – the restaurant I used to go to often
• 어릴 때 살던 집 – the house I lived in as a child
• 먹던 빵 – the bread I was eating (and didn't finish)
• 읽던 책 – the book I was reading

Compare 먹은 빵 ("the bread I ate", finished) with 먹던 빵 ("the bread I was eating", possibly still on the table). The difference between completed and interrupted actions is one of the most useful nuances of -던.

A related sentence ending, -더라고요, reports something the speaker personally saw or experienced in the past: 그 영화 재미있더라고요 ("That film was really fun, I found"). It is explained in more detail in our sentence-endings guide.

Tense in noun modifiers: -는, -(으)ㄴ and -(으)ㄹ

When a verb describes a noun, as in "the person who is eating" or "the film I watched", Korean uses special modifier endings that also carry tense.

Tense	Ending (verbs)	Example	Meaning
Present	-는	먹는 사람	the person who eats / is eating
Past	-(으)ㄴ	먹은 음식	the food (someone) ate
Future / unrealised	-(으)ㄹ	먹을 음식	the food to eat / that will be eaten
Past (recollection)	-던	먹던 음식	the food (someone) was eating / used to eat

Adjectives are different: they use -(으)ㄴ for the present. 좋은 사람 is "a good person", and 예쁜 꽃 is "a pretty flower". This is a very common source of confusion, so it is worth memorising:

• Verb, present: 좋아하는 음식 – the food I like
• Adjective, present: 좋은 음식 – good food
• Verb, past: 본 영화 – the film I saw
• Verb, future: 볼 영화 – the film I will see

The future modifier -(으)ㄹ also appears in many fixed expressions: 할 일 ("things to do"), 먹을 것 ("something to eat"), 갈 시간 ("time to go").

Time expressions that go with each tense

Past	Present	Future
어제 – yesterday	오늘 – today	내일 – tomorrow
그저께 – the day before yesterday	지금 – now	모레 – the day after tomorrow
지난주 – last week	이번 주 – this week	다음 주 – next week
작년 – last year	올해 – this year	내년 – next year
아까 – a little while ago	요즘 – these days	이따가 – a little later (today)
옛날에 – in the old days	항상 / 매일 – always / every day	나중에 – later, some time

The pair 아까 and 이따가 is especially useful. Both refer to a short time on the same day: 아까 is earlier and needs the past (아까 전화했어요, "I called a while ago"), while 이따가 is later and goes with the present or future (이따가 전화할게요, "I'll call you later").

Honorifics and tense together

When talking about someone you respect, the honorific marker -(으)시- comes before the tense marker.

Tense	Plain polite	Honorific polite
Present	가요	가세요
Past	갔어요	가셨어요
Future	갈 거예요	가실 거예요
Progressive	가고 있어요	가고 계세요

Some verbs have special honorific forms: 먹다 becomes 드시다 (드셨어요, "ate"), 자다 becomes 주무시다 (주무셨어요, "slept"), and 있다 (to stay, to be) becomes 계시다 (계셨어요). Our honorifics guide explains when to use them.

Tense in longer sentences

When two clauses are joined, Korean usually marks tense only once, on the final verb. The connecting ending often stays tenseless, and the listener understands the timing from the end of the sentence.

• 어제 친구를 만나서 영화를 봤어요. – Yesterday I met a friend and watched a film. (Not 만났어서.)
• 아침에 일어나서 커피를 마셨어요. – I got up in the morning and drank coffee.
• 집에 가서 쉴 거예요. – I'm going to go home and rest.

Some connectors behave differently, and knowing which ones accept a tense marker prevents many errors:

Connector	Can it take the past?	Example
-아서/-어서 (so, and then)	No	늦어서 미안해요. – Sorry for being late.
-고 (and)	Usually not for sequence; possible when listing separate past facts	밥을 먹고 나갔어요. / 어제는 비가 왔고 오늘은 맑아요.
-지만 (but)	Yes	비싸지만 샀어요. / 비쌌지만 맛있었어요.
-(으)니까 (because, so)	Yes	비가 왔으니까 길이 미끄러워요.
-기 전에 (before)	No	자기 전에 책을 읽었어요.
-(으)ㄴ 후에 (after)	Uses the past modifier itself	밥을 먹은 후에 산책했어요.

The general idea is simple: endings that describe a sequence or a cause tied closely to the main action stay tenseless, while endings that join two independent statements can carry their own tense.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Forgetting the vowel rule in the past. 먹았어요 is wrong; 먹 has the vowel ㅓ, so it is 먹었어요. Use the "present form + ㅆ어요" shortcut to avoid this.
• Using -고 있다 for states. 앉고 있어요 for "I'm sitting" sounds odd. Use 앉아 있어요.
• Using -는 with adjectives. 예쁘는 꽃 is wrong. Adjectives take -(으)ㄴ: 예쁜 꽃.
• Overusing -겠- for plans. 내일 영화를 보겠어요 sounds stiff in casual conversation. Use 볼 거예요 or simply 봐요.
• Mixing 아까 and 이따가. Remember: 아까 is behind you (past), 이따가 is ahead of you (future).
• Translating English perfect tenses literally. Korean has no direct equivalent of "have done". Use the simple past, -아/어 본 적이 있다 for experiences ("have tried"), or -았었- when contrasting with the present.

Practice: test yourself

Try converting these sentences, then check the answers below.

1. 저는 매일 운동해요. → Past: "I exercised every day."
2. 친구를 만나요. → Future plan: "I'm going to meet a friend."
3. 동생이 자요. → Progressive: "My younger sibling is sleeping."
4. 문이 닫혀요. → Resulting state: "The door is closed."
5. 어제 본 영화 → Change to future modifier: "the film I will see tomorrow."

Answers: 1. 저는 매일 운동했어요. 2. 친구를 만날 거예요. 3. 동생이 자고 있어요. 4. 문이 닫혀 있어요. 5. 내일 볼 영화.

Frequently asked questions

Does Korean have a future tense?

Korean expresses the future mainly through -(으)ㄹ 거예요, the present tense with time words, and -겠- for intention or formal statements. Many linguists describe Korean as having a past/non-past distinction, with the future expressed through these forms.

What is the difference between 갔어요 and 갔었어요?

갔어요 is the simple past: "went". 갔었어요 emphasises that the event is over and disconnected from the present, often meaning "had gone" or "have been (there) before".

When should I use -고 있다 instead of the simple present?

Use -고 있다 when you want to stress that an action is in progress right now or over a period of time ("these days I'm learning..."). For general facts and habits, the simple present is more natural.

Why do Koreans say 결혼했어요 for "I'm married"?

Some verbs describe a change of state. 결혼하다 means "to get married", so the past "got married" naturally describes the current state of being married. Other examples include 늦었어요 ("I'm late") and 닮았어요 ("we look alike").

Is -겠- used in casual speech?

Yes, especially for conjecture and reactions: 맛있겠다! ("That must be tasty!") and 힘들겠다 ("That must be hard"). For plans, casual speakers usually prefer -(으)ㄹ 거야.

What is the easiest way to learn tense forms?

Master the polite present first, then use it as a base for the past (+ㅆ어요) and the future (-(으)ㄹ 거예요). Practise by describing your day: what you did, what you are doing and what you will do.

How do I say "used to" in Korean?

There are several options. For a past habit or state that has changed, use the double past (예전에 여기 살았었어요, "I used to live here"), the modifier -던 before a noun (자주 가던 카페, "the café I used to go to"), or the pattern -곤 했어요 for repeated past actions (주말마다 등산하곤 했어요, "I used to go hiking every weekend"). Adding 예전에 ("in the past") or 옛날에 makes the meaning even clearer.

Do I need to use tense in every sentence?

Every complete sentence ends with a form that has a tense, but Korean often leaves out what is clear from context. In a conversation about yesterday, people may answer with very short past forms such as 갔어요 or 재미있었어요 without repeating the subject or time.

Final thought: tense as a window into Korean thinking

Korean tense rewards attention. Once you understand that the past can describe a present state, that "is open" and "is opening" use different forms, and that a single syllable can turn a simple memory into one that is over and gone, you start to hear the language more precisely. Begin with the core three forms, add -고 있다 and -아/어 있다, and let -았었- and -던 come naturally as you read and listen. Before long, talking about yesterday, today and tomorrow in Korean will feel as natural as it does in your own language.