-았/었어요
Quick answer: -았/었어요 means the past — what you did, what happened.
How to form it
Stem ending in ㅏ or ㅗ → -았어요 · any other stem → -었어요 · 하다 → 했어요
In Korean: 어간 ㅏ·ㅗ → -았어요 그 밖 → -었어요 하다 → 했어요
What to know
The rule for choosing 았 or 었 is the same one you used for -아/어요, so if you can say 가요 you can say 갔어요. Korean has one past tense where English has several — 갔어요 covers went, has gone and did go.
Examples
- 어제 공원에 갔어요.I went to the park yesterday.
- 빵을 먹었어요.I ate bread.
- 친구를 만났어요.I met a friend.
Where it's taught
HanDa Level 1 (TOPIK I), Lesson 14: 어제 공원에 갔어요 — I went to the park yesterday. Also in the Level 1 book.
Practise -았/었어요 out loud
In the HanDa app this is Level 1, Lesson 14 — drills, a speaking check and an AI teacher that corrects what you say. Free for 7 days.