-아/어/여

a/eo/yeo

Grammar · 1 sense

Present tense

Examples

학교에 가요.

I go to school.

그 여자는 진짜 예뻐요.

That girl is really pretty.

날씨가 정말 좋아요.

The weather is really nice.

When you'd hear it

This ending appears constantly in everyday speech and writing, often followed by 요 for the informal-polite style: 가요, 예뻐요, 좋아요. Without 요, it belongs to plainer styles, such as casual conversation, diary writing, or speech to close friends.

What learners get wrong

It does not necessarily mean an action is happening right now: 학교에 가요 can mean “I go to school” or “I’m going to school.” For an action in progress specifically, Korean often uses -고 있다.

Ask Ipsae about -아/어/여

When do I use -아, -어, or -여?
Does this always mean “right now”?
How is this different from -고 있다?

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