How to Conjugate 듣다 (to listen/hear): ㄷ-irregular Pattern

ㄷ irregular: ㄷ changes to ㄹ before vowels. 듣 + 어요 → 들어요. One of the most common ㄷ-irregulars.

The Rule

ㄷ irregular: ㄷ changes to ㄹ before vowels. 듣 + 어요 → 들어요. One of the most common ㄷ-irregulars. 듣다 follows the ㄷ-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 ㄷ-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 ㄷ-irregular rule, you can predict how all ㄷ-irregular verbs behave.

How It Works

Stem: 듣 Polite present (해요체): 들어요 Polite past: 들었어요 Polite future: 들을 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 듣습니다 Negative: 안 들어요 Notice how the stem "듣" changes in some forms. This is the ㄷ-irregular pattern in action.

Real Examples

• 들어요 (deureoyo) — "listen/hear (polite present)" • 들었어요 (deureoteoyo) — "listen/hear (past)" • 들을 거예요 (deureur geoyeyo) — "will listen/hear (future)" • 듣습니다 (deutseupnida) — "listen/hear (formal)" • 안 들어요 (an deureoyo) — "don't listen/hear"

Common Mistakes

❌ 듣어요 (deuteoyo) ✅ 들어요 (deureoyo) → ㄷ → ㄹ before vowels: 듣 + 어요 → 들어요. ❌ Using the casual form (듣어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 듣습니다 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: 들어요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (들었어요) and future (들을 거예요) to your toolkit. For ㄷ-irregular verbs, make a list of 5 common ones and practice all their forms. The pattern will click after repetition.

듣다: 들어요 (present) / 들었어요 (past) / 들을 거예요 (future)

Examples

들어요 — deureoyo — listen/hear (polite)

들었어요 — deureoteoyo — listen/hear (past)

들을 거예요 — deureur geoyeyo — will listen/hear

듣습니다 — deutseupnida — listen/hear (formal)

안 들어요 — an deureoyo — don't listen/hear