Overview
The ㄷ irregular (ㄷ 불규칙) affects certain verbs whose stems end in ㄷ. When these verbs are followed by a vowel-starting ending, the ㄷ changes to ㄹ.
| Type | Before vowel ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular ㄷ | ㄷ stays | 받다 → 받아요 |
| Irregular ㄷ | ㄷ → ㄹ | 듣다 → 들어요 |
The rule is simple: Irregular ㄷ becomes ㄹ before any vowel ending.
The Rule
Before vowel endings: ㄷ → ㄹ
| Verb | Stem | + vowel ending | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 듣다 (listen) | 듣 | + 어요 | 들어요 |
| 걷다 (walk) | 걷 | + 어요 | 걸어요 |
| 묻다 (ask) | 묻 | + 어요 | 물어요 |
Before consonant endings: No change
| Verb | + 고 | + 지만 | + ㅂ니다 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 듣다 | 듣고 | 듣지만 | 듣습니다 |
| 걷다 | 걷고 | 걷지만 | 걷습니다 |
| 묻다 | 묻고 | 묻지만 | 묻습니다 |
Common Irregular ㄷ Verbs
| Dictionary | Meaning | 해요체 | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 듣다 | listen, hear | 들어요 | 들었어요 | 들을 거예요 |
| 걷다 | walk | 걸어요 | 걸었어요 | 걸을 거예요 |
| 묻다 | ask | 물어요 | 물었어요 | 물을 거예요 |
| 싣다 | load, carry | 실어요 | 실었어요 | 실을 거예요 |
| 깨닫다 | realize | 깨달아요 | 깨달았어요 | 깨달을 거예요 |
Note: There are relatively few ㄷ irregular verbs. The most important to memorize are 듣다, 걷다, and 묻다.
Regular ㄷ Verbs (NOT Irregular)
These verbs end in ㄷ but conjugate regularly — ㄷ stays:
| Dictionary | Meaning | 해요체 | Why regular |
|---|---|---|---|
| 받다 | receive | 받아요 | ㄷ stays |
| 믿다 | believe | 믿어요 | ㄷ stays |
| 닫다 | close (door) | 닫아요 | ㄷ stays |
| 얻다 | obtain | 얻어요 | ㄷ stays |
| 쏟다 | spill | 쏟아요 | ㄷ stays |
How to tell the difference: Unfortunately, you must memorize which ㄷ verbs are irregular. However, the irregular ones are relatively few. If unsure, check a dictionary.
Tricky pair: 묻다 (ask) vs 묻다 (bury)
Korean has two different verbs spelled 묻다:
| Verb | Meaning | Type | 해요체 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 묻다 | ask | Irregular | 물어요 |
| 묻다 | bury | Regular | 묻어요 |
Context makes this clear in conversation, but it is important to know both exist.
Full Conjugation Table
듣다 (to listen)
| Form | Conjugation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 해요체 | 들어요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 어요 |
| Past | 들었어요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 었어요 |
| Future | 들을 거예요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 을 거예요 |
| ~(으)면 | 들으면 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 으면 |
| ~(으)니까 | 들으니까 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 으니까 |
| ~(으)세요 | 들으세요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 으세요 |
| Formal | 듣습니다 | Consonant ending: no change |
| ~고 | 듣고 | Consonant ending: no change |
| ~지만 | 듣지만 | Consonant ending: no change |
| ~지 않다 | 듣지 않아요 | Consonant ending: no change |
걷다 (to walk)
| Form | Conjugation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 해요체 | 걸어요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 어요 |
| Past | 걸었어요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 었어요 |
| Future | 걸을 거예요 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 을 거예요 |
| ~(으)면 | 걸으면 | ㄷ → ㄹ + 으면 |
| Formal | 걷습니다 | Consonant ending: no change |
| ~고 | 걷고 | Consonant ending: no change |
Example Sentences
음악을 들어요. (I listen to music.)
라디오를 들었어요. (I listened to the radio.)
공원에서 걸어요. (I walk in the park.)
어제 많이 걸었어요. (I walked a lot yesterday.)
선생님께 물어봤어요. (I asked the teacher.) — 묻다 + 보다
드디어 깨달았어요. (I finally realized.)
트럭에 짐을 실었어요. (I loaded luggage onto the truck.)
With other endings
잘 들으세요. (Please listen carefully.)
들으면 알 거예요. (If you listen, you'll understand.)
많이 걸으면 건강해요. (If you walk a lot, you'll be healthy.)
음악을 듣고 공부해요. (I listen to music and study.) — 듣고: consonant ending, no change
ㄷ Irregular vs ㅂ Irregular Comparison
| Feature | ㄷ Irregular | ㅂ Irregular |
|---|---|---|
| Change | ㄷ → ㄹ | ㅂ → 우 (오) |
| When | Before vowel endings | Before vowel endings |
| Common type | Mostly verbs | Mostly adjectives |
| Number of words | Few (~5 common) | Many (~20+ common) |
| Example | 듣다 → 들어요 | 덥다 → 더워요 |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 듣어요 | 들어요 | ㄷ → ㄹ before vowel endings |
| 걷어요 | 걸어요 | ㄷ → ㄹ before vowel endings |
| 받알아요 | 받아요 | 받다 is regular, ㄷ stays |
| 들고 | 듣고 | Before consonant endings, ㄷ stays |
| 물어요 (=bury) | Check context | 묻다 (ask) = irregular 물어요, 묻다 (bury) = regular 묻어요 |
Summary
- In ㄷ irregular verbs, ㄷ changes to ㄹ before vowel endings.
- Before consonant endings (~고, ~지만, ~ㅂ니다), ㄷ stays unchanged.
- The most important irregular ㄷ verbs are: 듣다 (listen), 걷다 (walk), 묻다 (ask).
- Many ㄷ verbs are regular (받다, 믿다, 닫다) — the ㄷ stays in all forms.
- Watch out for the homophone pair: 묻다 (ask, irregular) vs 묻다 (bury, regular).
- There are relatively few ㄷ irregular verbs, so memorizing them is manageable.