How to Conjugate 만들다 (to make): regular-ㄹ Pattern

ㄹ-final stem. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ, ㅅ: 만듭니다 (not 만들습니다).

The Rule

ㄹ-final stem. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ, ㅅ: 만듭니다 (not 만들습니다). 만들다 follows the regular-ㄹ 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 regular-ㄹ 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 regular-ㄹ rule, you can predict how all regular-ㄹ verbs behave.

How It Works

Stem: 만들 Polite present (해요체): 만들어요 Polite past: 만들었어요 Polite future: 만들 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 만듭니다 Negative: 안 만들어요 Notice how the stem "만들" changes in some forms. This is the regular-ㄹ pattern in action.

Real Examples

• 만들어요 (mandeureoyo) — "make (polite present)" • 만들었어요 (mandeureoteoyo) — "make (past)" • 만들 거예요 (mandeur geoyeyo) — "will make (future)" • 만듭니다 (mandeupnida) — "make (formal)" • 안 만들어요 (an mandeureoyo) — "don't make"

Common Mistakes

❌ 만들습니다 (mandeurseupnida) ✅ 만듭니다 (mandeupnida) → ㄹ drops before ㅂ in formal: 만들 + ㅂ니다 → 만듭니다. ❌ Using the casual form (만들어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 만듭니다 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: 만들어요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (만들었어요) and future (만들 거예요) to your toolkit. For regular-ㄹ verbs, make a list of 5 common ones and practice all their forms. The pattern will click after repetition.

만들다: 만들어요 (present) / 만들었어요 (past) / 만들 거예요 (future)

Examples

만들어요 — mandeureoyo — make (polite)

만들었어요 — mandeureoteoyo — make (past)

만들 거예요 — mandeur geoyeyo — will make

만듭니다 — mandeupnida — make (formal)

안 만들어요 — an mandeureoyo — don't make