How to Say "Dad went to the sea yesterday" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "Dad went to the sea yesterday" in Korean is "아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요." (appaga eoje badae gateoyo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

Want to express "Dad went to the sea yesterday" in Korean? Say "아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요.". The grammar point -아/어요 (A1) is essential for everyday Korean conversation. Read on for a full breakdown.

What does "Dad went to the sea yesterday" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요." translates to "Dad went to the sea yesterday." in English. "아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요." is a simple A1–A2 sentence that paints a clear scene. It ends with "-요" so it feels polite and warm. It is perfect for fairy-tale style narration.

Pronunciation guide: appaga eoje badae gateoyo.

Grammar Point: Polite Ending (-아/어요)

The -아/어요 ending is the standard polite speech level in Korean. Use -아요 after bright vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ), -어요 after dark vowels, and 해요 for 하다 verbs.

가다 → 가요, 먹다 → 먹어요, 하다 → 해요. This is the most common speech level in daily Korean.

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 아빠가 (appaga) • 어제 (eoje) • 바다에 (badae) • 갔어요 (gateoyo)

Korean sentences always end with the verb. Get comfortable with putting the action word last.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

In English, we often say "Dad went to the sea yesterday" directly. Korean keeps the same idea but adds softness through the ending, so the line feels caring rather than flat.

Cultural Insight

한국 동화에서 가족은 따뜻한 안전지대처럼 자주 등장해요.

Examples

아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요. — appaga eoje badae gateoyo. — Dad went to the sea yesterday.

오늘은 아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요. — oneuleun appaga eoje badae gateoyo. — Today, dad went to the sea yesterday

지금 아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요. — jigeum appaga eoje badae gateoyo. — Right now, dad went to the sea yesterday

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Incorrect: 갔어요 아빠가 어제 바다에 → Correct: 아빠가 어제 바다에 갔어요. Korean uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The verb must come at the end of the sentence, unlike English where it comes after the subject.

Related Expressions

  • How to Say "Mom went to the tower yesterday" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar
  • How to Say "If the grandfather goes to the rainbow hill, the grandfather can meet a friend" in Korean | -(으)면 Grammar
  • How to Say "The grandfather must not go to the rainbow hill at night" in Korean | -(으)면 Grammar
  • How to Say "The grandfather must not go to the forest at night" in Korean | -(으)면 Grammar
  • How to Say "The child went to the beach yesterday" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar