How to Conjugate 아름답다 (to be beautiful): ㅂ-irregular Pattern

Long ㅂ-irregular adjective. Same rule: ㅂ → 우. 아름답 → 아름다우 + 어요 → 아름다워요.

The Rule

Long ㅂ-irregular adjective. Same rule: ㅂ → 우. 아름답 → 아름다우 + 어요 → 아름다워요. 아름답다 follows the ㅂ-irregular irregular pattern. This means the verb stem changes when certain endings are added. Don't worry — once you learn this pattern, it applies to many other verbs too.

Why English Speakers Get It Wrong

English verb conjugation is relatively simple — "I eat, he eats, I ate." Korean is more complex because the verb ending changes based on politeness level, tense, AND the verb stem's final vowel or consonant. The ㅂ-irregular pattern is especially tricky because the stem itself changes. English irregular verbs (go→went) change unpredictably, but Korean irregular verbs follow learnable PATTERNS. Once you know the ㅂ-irregular rule, you can predict how all ㅂ-irregular verbs behave.

How It Works

Stem: 아름답 Polite present (해요체): 아름다워요 Polite past: 아름다웠어요 Polite future: 아름다울 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 아름답습니다 Negative: 안 아름다워요 Notice how the stem "아름답" changes in some forms. This is the ㅂ-irregular pattern in action.

Real Examples

• 아름다워요 (areumdawoyo) — "be beautiful (polite present)" • 아름다웠어요 (areumdawoteoyo) — "be beautiful (past)" • 아름다울 거예요 (areumdaur geoyeyo) — "will be beautiful (future)" • 아름답습니다 (areumdapseupnida) — "be beautiful (formal)" • 안 아름다워요 (an areumdawoyo) — "don't be beautiful"

Common Mistakes

❌ 아름답어요 (areumdapeoyo) ✅ 아름다워요 (areumdawoyo) → ㅂ → 우: 아름답 + 어요 → 아름다워요. ❌ Using the casual form (아름답어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 아름답습니다 when speaking to elders, at work, or in official settings → Mixing up politeness levels is one of the most noticeable mistakes foreigners make in Korean.

Quick Tip

Start by mastering the 해요체 (polite) form: 아름다워요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (아름다웠어요) and future (아름다울 거예요) to your toolkit. For ㅂ-irregular verbs, make a list of 5 common ones and practice all their forms. The pattern will click after repetition.

아름답다: 아름다워요 (present) / 아름다웠어요 (past) / 아름다울 거예요 (future)

Examples

아름다워요 — areumdawoyo — be beautiful (polite)

아름다웠어요 — areumdawoteoyo — be beautiful (past)

아름다울 거예요 — areumdaur geoyeyo — will be beautiful

아름답습니다 — areumdapseupnida — be beautiful (formal)

안 아름다워요 — an areumdawoyo — don't be beautiful