How to Say "The seed is old" in Korean | -아/어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The seed is old" in Korean is "씨앗이 오래됐어요." (ssiati oraedwaeteoyo.). It uses the -아/어요 grammar pattern (Polite Ending (-아/어요)). Level: A1.

Struggling with how to say "The seed is old" in Korean? Here is the natural way: "씨앗이 오래됐어요.". We will unpack the -아/어요 grammar and show you exactly how it works.

Category: 물건

What does "The seed is old" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "씨앗이 오래됐어요." translates to "The seed is old." in English. "씨앗이 오래됐어요." might look complex at first, but it follows a predictable pattern. It says "the seed is old" by placing the key action at the very end — a hallmark of Korean grammar.

Pronunciation guide: ssiati oraedwaeteoyo.

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 "씨앗이 오래됐어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 씨앗이 (ssiati) • 오래됐어요 (oraedwaeteoyo)

In Korean, the verb ending tells you everything: who is speaking, how polite they are, and what tense they mean. Pay close attention to the last syllable.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

Korean speakers would find this sentence instantly comprehensible because it uses high-frequency vocabulary combined with a standard sentence pattern — the bread and butter of Korean communication.

Cultural Insight

한국어에는 비를 표현하는 단어가 다양해요. 보슬비, 가랑비, 소나기, 장대비 등 비의 강도와 느낌에 따라 다른 이름을 사용합니다.

Examples

씨앗이 오래됐어요. — ssiati oraedwaeteoyo. — The seed is old.

씨앗이 오래됐어요? — ssiati oraedwaeteoyo? — Does the seed is old?

씨앗이 안 오래됐어요. — ssiati an oraedwaeteoyo. — The seed is not old.

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.

Quiz

How do you say "The seed is old" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "씨앗이 오래됐어요.". ssiati oraedwaeteoyo.

Fill in the blank: 씨앗이 ___

The correct ending is "오래됐어요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.