How to Conjugate 부르다 (to call / to sing): 르-irregular Pattern

르 irregular: 부르 + 어요 → ㄹ inserts into 부, making 불 + 러요 → 불러요.

The Rule

르 irregular: 부르 + 어요 → ㄹ inserts into 부, making 불 + 러요 → 불러요. 부르다 follows the 르-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 르-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 르-irregular rule, you can predict how all 르-irregular verbs behave.

How It Works

Stem: 부르 Polite present (해요체): 불러요 Polite past: 불렀어요 Polite future: 부를 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 부릅니다 Negative: 안 불러요 Notice how the stem "부르" changes in some forms. This is the 르-irregular pattern in action.

Real Examples

• 불러요 (burreoyo) — "call / to sing (polite present)" • 불렀어요 (burreoteoyo) — "call / to sing (past)" • 부를 거예요 (bureur geoyeyo) — "will call / to sing (future)" • 부릅니다 (bureupnida) — "call / to sing (formal)" • 안 불러요 (an burreoyo) — "don't call / to sing"

Common Mistakes

❌ 부르어요 (bureueoyo) ✅ 불러요 (burreoyo) → 르 → ㄹ inserted: 부 becomes 불, then + 러요. ❌ Using the casual form (부르어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 부릅니다 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: 불러요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (불렀어요) and future (부를 거예요) to your toolkit. For 르-irregular verbs, make a list of 5 common ones and practice all their forms. The pattern will click after repetition.

부르다: 불러요 (present) / 불렀어요 (past) / 부를 거예요 (future)

Examples

불러요 — burreoyo — call / to sing (polite)

불렀어요 — burreoteoyo — call / to sing (past)

부를 거예요 — bureur geoyeyo — will call / to sing

부릅니다 — bureupnida — call / to sing (formal)

안 불러요 — an burreoyo — don't call / to sing