American Learns Korean Day4

American Learns Korean Day4 Topic: Speak in Present, Past, and Future with “Haeyo-che”

Today I’m teaching you the fastest way to sound functional in real Korean conversations: polite speech (해요체 / haeyo-che) with time (tense).

If you’re an American learning Korean, you’ll often say:

“I can make a sentence… but I freeze when it needs to be past or future.”

So Day4 has one clear goal:
You will be able to say what you do now, what you did yesterday, and what you’ll do tomorrow—comfortably and consistently.

Day4 Learning Goals

By the end of Day4, you can:

Use present in 해요체
Use past with -았어요 / -었어요
Use future with -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Use the three “daily life” patterns:

~고 싶어요 (I want to…)
~해야 해요 (I have to / I need to…)
~할 수 있어요 (I can…)

This is not about memorizing grammar charts. It’s about building “auto-sentences” you can say under pressure.

Core Sentence Frame (Your Default)

In Korean, the verb usually comes at the end:

[Topic/Subject] + [Object] + [Verb at the end]

Example:

저는 커피를 마셔요.
(As for me,) I drink coffee.

Today, we keep that structure and simply swap the verb ending for time.

1) Present Tense in Haeyo-che

Common present forms:

가다 → 가요 (go)
오다 → 와요 (come)
먹다 → 먹어요 (eat)
마시다 → 마셔요 (drink)
하다 → 해요 (do)

Say-it-now sentences (repeat out loud)

저는 지금 일해요. (I’m working now.)
저는 커피를 마셔요. (I drink / I’m drinking coffee.)
저는 한국어를 공부해요. (I study Korean.)

As your teacher, I want you to own these three sentences first. They’re your base.

2) Past Tense: “-았어요 / -었어요”

Think: “I did it / it happened.”

가요 → 갔어요 (went)
와요 → 왔어요 (came)
먹어요 → 먹었어요 (ate)
마셔요 → 마셨어요 (drank)
해요 → 했어요 (did)

Real-life past sentences

저는 어제 일했어요. (I worked yesterday.)
저는 아침에 커피를 마셨어요. (I drank coffee in the morning.)
저는 주말에 한국어를 공부했어요. (I studied Korean on the weekend.)

Tip I give American learners: add one time word (yesterday / this morning / last weekend) and your sentence instantly becomes natural.

3) Future Tense: “-(으)ㄹ 거예요”

This is your reliable “I will / I’m going to” form.

가다 → 갈 거예요 (will go)
오다 → 올 거예요 (will come)
먹다 → 먹을 거예요 (will eat)
마시다 → 마실 거예요 (will drink)
하다 → 할 거예요 (will do)

Future sentences you’ll actually use

저는 내일 일할 거예요. (I’ll work tomorrow.)
저는 오늘 저녁에 커피를 마실 거예요. (I’ll drink coffee tonight.)
저는 다음 주에 한국어를 공부할 거예요. (I’ll study Korean next week.)

The 3 Most Useful Conversation Patterns

If you learn only three patterns early, these are the ones.

Pattern 1: ~고 싶어요 (I want to…)

저는 한국어를 더 공부하고 싶어요. (I want to study Korean more.)
저는 여행 가고 싶어요. (I want to travel.)
저는 커피 마시고 싶어요. (I want to drink coffee.)

Pattern 2: ~해야 해요 (I have to…)

저는 지금 일해야 해요. (I have to work now.)
저는 오늘 운전해야 해요. (I have to drive today.)
저는 숙제를 해야 해요. (I have to do homework.)

Pattern 3: ~할 수 있어요 (I can…)

저는 한국어로 말할 수 있어요. (I can speak in Korean.)
저는 오늘은 갈 수 있어요. (I can go today.)
저는 지금은 할 수 없어요. (I can’t do it right now.)

As your teacher, I’ll emphasize this: these patterns are “plug-and-play.” Change the verb, keep the structure.

5 Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

Using present for the past

(X) 저는 어제 일해요.
(O) 저는 어제 일했어요.

Forgetting future marking

(X) 저는 내일 가요.
(O) 저는 내일 갈 거예요.
(“내일 가요” can be okay in context, but early on, use 갈 거예요 to be clear.)

Mixing “want” vs “plan”

가고 싶어요 = desire
갈 거예요 = plan/decision
Don’t treat them as the same.

Overusing 해야 해요 when you want to be softer
It’s strong. Softer options exist later (e.g., “해야 할 것 같아요”), but for Day4 we keep 해야 해요 as your default.
Wrong negation placement

(O) 할 수 있어요 / 할 수 없어요
(X) 할 없어요

Mini Dialogues (6 Sets)

Practice as short conversation blocks—this is how you build speed.

Present
A: 지금 뭐 해요? (What are you doing now?)
B: 저는 지금 일해요. (I’m working now.)
Past
A: 어제 뭐 했어요? (What did you do yesterday?)
B: 저는 어제 집에서 쉬었어요. (I rested at home.)
Future
A: 내일 뭐 할 거예요? (What will you do tomorrow?)
B: 저는 내일 친구를 만날 거예요. (I’ll meet a friend.)
Want
A: 뭐 하고 싶어요? (What do you want to do?)
B: 저는 한국어를 더 공부하고 싶어요. (I want to study more.)
Have to
A: 지금 괜찮아요? (Is now okay?)
B: 죄송해요. 저는 지금 일해야 해요. (Sorry, I have to work now.)
Can
A: 한국어로 주문할 수 있어요? (Can you order in Korean?)
B: 네, 간단한 건 할 수 있어요. (Yes, simple things I can do.)

Fast Drill: Change Only the Time Word

Same verb, three times. This is the most efficient Day4 drill.

Verb: 먹다 (to eat)

(Present) 저는 지금 밥을 먹어요.
(Past) 저는 아까 밥을 먹었어요.
(Future) 저는 조금 후에 밥을 먹을 거예요.
(Want) 저는 지금 밥을 먹고 싶어요.
(Have to) 저는 약을 먹어야 해요.
(Can) 저는 매운 음식을 먹을 수 있어요.

Verb: 가다 (to go)

(Present) 저는 회사에 가요.
(Past) 저는 어제 회사에 갔어요.
(Future) 저는 내일 회사에 갈 거예요.
(Want) 저는 여행 가고 싶어요.
(Have to) 저는 지금 가야 해요.
(Can) 저는 오늘은 갈 수 있어요.

Speaking Tip for Americans: Make the Ending Clear

In Korean, meaning “lands” at the end. So don’t fade out.

Train these endings:

해요 (present)
했어요 (past)
할 거예요 (future)

30-second routine

Say each 5 times clearly:

해요 × 5
했어요 × 5
할 거예요 × 5
Then attach them to one full sentence.

Day4 Final Assignment (10 Minutes)

Make 3 sentences (present/past/future):

저는 지금 ___해요.
저는 어제 ___했어요.
저는 내일 ___할 거예요.

Make 3 pattern sentences:

저는 ___하고 싶어요.
저는 ___해야 해요.
저는 ___할 수 있어요.

Speak 2 mini-dialogues (from the 6 sets), repeat each 3 times.

That’s it. Short, consistent practice beats long study sessions.

Checklist

I can end sentences clearly with 해요 / 했어요 / 할 거예요
I made 6 personalized sentences (3 tenses + 3 patterns)
I practiced at least 2 mini-dialogues out loud
I can swap time words without freezing

FAQ

Q1. Is “-(으)ㄹ 거예요” too textbook?
No. It’s extremely common. Early on, it’s also the safest way to show future clearly.

Q2. What’s the difference between “~고 싶어요” and “원해요”?
“~고 싶어요” is more natural and softer in daily conversation. Start with “~고 싶어요.”

Q3. “~해야 해요” feels too strong—what do I do?
You can soften later (e.g., “해야 할 것 같아요”), but Day4 is about mastering a clean default first.

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