How to Conjugate 마시다 (to drink): regular Pattern

마시다: 시 + 어요 → 셔요. The ㅣ vowel contracts with 어 to form 셔.

The Rule

마시다: 시 + 어요 → 셔요. The ㅣ vowel contracts with 어 to form 셔. 마시다 is a regular verb, which means it follows predictable conjugation rules. Master this pattern and you can conjugate hundreds of other regular verbs the same way.

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 good news: 마시다 follows regular rules. The main challenge is remembering which ending to use for which situation.

How It Works

Stem: 마시 Polite present (해요체): 마셔요 Polite past: 마셨어요 Polite future: 마실 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 마십니다 Negative: 안 마셔요 Notice the predictable endings attached to "마시". These same endings work with any regular verb.

Real Examples

• 마셔요 (masyeoyo) — "drink (polite present)" • 마셨어요 (masyeoteoyo) — "drink (past)" • 마실 거예요 (masir geoyeyo) — "will drink (future)" • 마십니다 (masipnida) — "drink (formal)" • 안 마셔요 (an masyeoyo) — "don't drink"

Common Mistakes

❌ 마시어요 (masieoyo) ✅ 마셔요 (masyeoyo) → 시 + 어 contracts to 셔. Full form 마시어요 exists but sounds old-fashioned. ❌ Using the casual form (마시어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 마십니다 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: 마셔요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (마셨어요) and future (마실 거예요) to your toolkit. Since 마시다 is regular, use it as your "template" for conjugating new regular verbs.

마시다: 마셔요 (present) / 마셨어요 (past) / 마실 거예요 (future)

Examples

마셔요 — masyeoyo — drink (polite)

마셨어요 — masyeoteoyo — drink (past)

마실 거예요 — masir geoyeyo — will drink

마십니다 — masipnida — drink (formal)

안 마셔요 — an masyeoyo — don't drink