How to Conjugate 그렇다 (to be so/like that): ㅎ-irregular Pattern

ㅎ irregular: ㅎ drops and combines with the vowel. 그렇 + 아요 → 그래요. Super common in daily speech.

The Rule

ㅎ irregular: ㅎ drops and combines with the vowel. 그렇 + 아요 → 그래요. Super common in daily speech. 그렇다 follows the ㅎ-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 ㅎ-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 ㅎ-irregular rule, you can predict how all ㅎ-irregular verbs behave.

How It Works

Stem: 그렇 Polite present (해요체): 그래요 Polite past: 그랬어요 Polite future: 그럴 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 그렇습니다 Negative: 안 그래요 Notice how the stem "그렇" changes in some forms. This is the ㅎ-irregular pattern in action.

Real Examples

• 그래요 (geuraeyo) — "be so/like that (polite present)" • 그랬어요 (geuraeteoyo) — "be so/like that (past)" • 그럴 거예요 (geureor geoyeyo) — "will be so/like that (future)" • 그렇습니다 (geureohseupnida) — "be so/like that (formal)" • 안 그래요 (an geuraeyo) — "don't be so/like that"

Common Mistakes

❌ 그렇어요 (geureoheoyo) ✅ 그래요 (geuraeyo) → ㅎ drops: 그렇 + 아요 → 그래요 (ㅓ+ㅏ → ㅐ). ❌ Using the casual form (그렇어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 그렇습니다 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: 그래요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (그랬어요) and future (그럴 거예요) to your toolkit. For ㅎ-irregular verbs, make a list of 5 common ones and practice all their forms. The pattern will click after repetition.

그렇다: 그래요 (present) / 그랬어요 (past) / 그럴 거예요 (future)

Examples

그래요 — geuraeyo — be so/like that (polite)

그랬어요 — geuraeteoyo — be so/like that (past)

그럴 거예요 — geureor geoyeyo — will be so/like that

그렇습니다 — geureohseupnida — be so/like that (formal)

안 그래요 — an geuraeyo — don't be so/like that