선어말 어미Korean Pre-final Endings — All 4

The slot between the stem and the ending, where tense and honorifics live: -으시-, -었-, -겠-.

4 pre-final endings across every TOPIK level, easiest first.

1급 선어말 어미TOPIK 1 — 3 pre-final endings

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-겠- -get- An ending of a word referring to a future event or assumption. -었- -eot- -았- · -였- An ending of a word used to indicate that an event happened in the past. -으시- -eusi- -시- An ending of a word used to indicate the subject honorifics of an action or state.

3급 선어말 어미TOPIK 3 — 1 pre-final ending

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-었었- -eotsseot- -았었- · -였었- An ending of a word referring to a past event that is different from the present or does not continue to the present.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How many Korean pre-final endings are there?

The dictionary grades 4 of them across the six TOPIK levels, 3 at 1급, 1 at 3급. That is the graded set, not the complete set — but a learner who knows these has met every one that appears on a TOPIK paper.

What is a pre-final ending in Korean?

The slot between the stem and the ending, where tense and honorifics live: -으시-, -었-, -겠-.

Grammar definitions, usage notes and examples from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.