How to Conjugate 공부하다 (to study): regular-하다 Pattern

하다 verbs: 하 + 여요 → 해요. All 하다 verbs follow the same pattern.

The Rule

하다 verbs: 하 + 여요 → 해요. All 하다 verbs follow the same pattern. 공부하다 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: 공부하다 follows regular rules. The main challenge is remembering which ending to use for which situation.

How It Works

Stem: 공부하 Polite present (해요체): 공부해요 Polite past: 공부했어요 Polite future: 공부할 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 공부합니다 Negative: 공부 안 해요 Notice the predictable endings attached to "공부하". These same endings work with any regular verb.

Real Examples

• 공부해요 (gongbuhaeyo) — "study (polite present)" • 공부했어요 (gongbuhaeteoyo) — "study (past)" • 공부할 거예요 (gongbuhar geoyeyo) — "will study (future)" • 공부합니다 (gongbuhapnida) — "study (formal)" • 공부 안 해요 (gongbu an haeyo) — "don't study"

Common Mistakes

❌ 공부하여요 (gongbuhayeoyo) ✅ 공부해요 (gongbuhaeyo) → 하 + 여 always contracts to 해 in modern Korean. ❌ Using the casual form (공부하어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 공부합니다 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: 공부해요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (공부했어요) and future (공부할 거예요) to your toolkit. Since 공부하다 is regular, use it as your "template" for conjugating new regular verbs.

공부하다: 공부해요 (present) / 공부했어요 (past) / 공부할 거예요 (future)

Examples

공부해요 — gongbuhaeyo — study (polite)

공부했어요 — gongbuhaeteoyo — study (past)

공부할 거예요 — gongbuhar geoyeyo — will study

공부합니다 — gongbuhapnida — study (formal)

공부 안 해요 — gongbu an haeyo — don't study