haru Korean › Grammar › Level 1A › ㄷ 불규칙
ㄷ 불규칙 — verbs whose ㄷ turns into ㄹ — listen, ask
Verbs whose ㄷ turns into ㄹ — listen, ask. Korean grammar for beginner learners — Level 1A, lesson 10: 친구하고 같이 놀아요 (Hanging out with friends — doing things together).
What it means
In 듣다 'listen' and 묻다 'ask', the ㄷ at the end of the stem turns into ㄹ when the ending starts with a vowel: 듣다 → 들어요, 들었어요, 들으세요, 들을까요?; 묻다 → 물어요, 물었어요. When the ending starts with a consonant, the ㄷ stays: 듣고, 듣네요, 묻고. The dictionary form never shows the change, so learn these verbs in pairs: 듣다 / 들어요. 물어보다 'ask (and find out)' already has the ㄹ: 물어봐요, 물어보세요 — in conversation it is more common than 묻다. A few ㄷ verbs stay regular; you will meet them in Lesson 12.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 들- · 물- | before a vowel: -어요 · -었어요 · -으세요 · -을까요? | 듣다 + 어요 → 들어요 |
| 듣- · 묻- | before a consonant: -고 · -네요 | 듣다 + 고 → 듣고 |
Key points
- Before an ending that starts with a vowel, ㄷ becomes ㄹ: 듣다 → 들어요 · 들었어요 · 들으세요
- Before an ending that starts with a consonant, ㄷ stays: 듣고 · 듣네요 — 묻다 works the same way: 물어요 · 묻고
Examples
- 듣다 → 들어요 · 들었어요 · 들으세요 · 들을까요?
- 묻다 → 물어요 · 물었어요 · 물어보세요
- 듣다 → 듣고 · 듣네요 (ㄷ ✓)
- 저는 매일 음악을 들어요. 어제는 가요를 들었어요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 1A, lesson 8; Yonsei University Korean 1-1, lesson 8; Ewha Womans University Korean 1-2, lesson 11.
Also in this lesson
- N하고 / N(이)랑 같이 — with — doing things together with someone
- 이 · 그 · 저 + N — this · that · that over there + a noun — pointing at people and things