How to Conjugate 걷다 (to walk): ㄷ-irregular Pattern

ㄷ irregular: ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel. 걷 + 어요 → 걸어요.

The Rule

ㄷ irregular: ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel. 걷 + 어요 → 걸어요. 걷다 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: 걷 Polite present (해요체): 걸어요 Polite past: 걸었어요 Polite future: 걸을 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 걷습니다 Negative: 안 걸어요 Notice how the stem "걷" changes in some forms. This is the ㄷ-irregular pattern in action.

Real Examples

• 걸어요 (georeoyo) — "walk (polite present)" • 걸었어요 (georeoteoyo) — "walk (past)" • 걸을 거예요 (georeur geoyeyo) — "will walk (future)" • 걷습니다 (geotseupnida) — "walk (formal)" • 안 걸어요 (an georeoyo) — "don't walk"

Common Mistakes

❌ 걷어요 (geoteoyo) ✅ 걸어요 (georeoyo) → ㄷ → ㄹ before vowel endings. Compare with 닫다 (regular): 닫아요. ❌ Using the casual form (걷어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 걷습니다 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: 걸어요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (걸었어요) and future (걸을 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.

걷다: 걸어요 (present) / 걸었어요 (past) / 걸을 거예요 (future)

Examples

걸어요 — georeoyo — walk (polite)

걸었어요 — georeoteoyo — walk (past)

걸을 거예요 — georeur geoyeyo — will walk

걷습니다 — geotseupnida — walk (formal)

안 걸어요 — an georeoyo — don't walk