Final Ending of Korean Language

FINAL ENDING
To terminate a sentence you should use a verb with a final ending.

종결 어미의 종류 types of final ending

- 문장에 의한 구분 division by sentence
A. 평서형 declarative sentence
B. 의문형 interrogative sentence
C. 감탄형 exclamatory sentence
D. 명령형 imperative sentence
E. 청유형 propositive sentence

- 상대 높임에 의한 구분 division by speech level
1. 합쇼체 polite formal style (courtesy)
2. 해요체 polite informal style (courtesy)
3. 해체 plane informal style
4. 해라체 plane formal style

종결 어미 테이블 table of final ending

Below is a table of final endings. A-1 means polite formal stype of declarative sentence according to previous divisions.

A. 평서형 declarative sentence
A-1. -ㅂ니다/습니다 ※1
A-2. -(아)요/(어)요 ※2 ※3
A-3. -(아)/(어) ※2 ※3
A-4. -다 ※4

B. 의문형 interrogative sentence
B-1. -ㅂ니까/습니까 ※1
B-2. -(아)요/(어)요 ※2 ※3, -(ㄹ)까요/을까요 ※1, -(ㄹ)래요/을래요 ※1
B-3. -(아)/(어) ※2 ※3, -(ㄹ)까/을까 ※1, -(ㄹ)래/을래 ※1
B-4. -니, -느냐

C. 감탄형 exclamatory sentence
C-1. -ㅂ니다그려/습니다그려 ※1
C-2. -군요 ※4
C-3. -군 ※4
C-4. -구나 ※4

D. 명령형 imperative sentence
D-1. -시오/으시오 ※1
D-2. -(아)요/(어)요 ※2 ※3
D-3. -(아)/(어) ※2
D-4. -(아)라/(어)라 ※2

E. 청유형 propositive sentence
E-1. -ㅂ시다/읍시다 ※1
E-2. -지요
E-3. -자
E-4. -자



PREFINAL ENDING
You can also insert prefinal endings between the verb and the final ending.

선어말 어미의 종류 types of prefinal ending

A. 높임 선어말 어미 honorific prefinal ending: -시-/-으시- ※1 ※3
If a sentence has one of the following conditions, you shoud use a honorific prefinal ending.
1. You're speaking courtesies and the subject of the sentence is the listener.
2. The subject of the sentence is the listener, and he/she wins the respect of you or is elder than you.
3. The subject of the sentence is another person, and he/she wins the respect of the listener or is elder than the listener.

B. 시제 선어말 어미 tense prefinal ending
You can use a tense prefinal ending to make a sentence have a tense. This can be applied to declarative sentences, interrogative sentences and exclamatory sentences.
B-1. present tense prefinal ending: -ㄴ-/-는- ※1 ※4
B-2. past tense prefinal ending: -(아)ㅆ/(어)ㅆ- ※2 ※3
B-3. future tense prefinal ending: -겠-

선어말 어미의 순서 order of prefinal ending

honorific -> tense



※1. It differs by the existence of the final consonant of the previous syllable. If the final consonant doesn't exist, you should use the 1st one, if exists, the 2nd one. In the cases of some final endings that are leaded by ㄹ/을, if the final consonant of the previous syllable is ㄹ, you should use the 1st one and the leading fianl consonant ㄹ should be omitted.

※2. It differs by the type of the vowel of the previous syllable. If the vowel is one of some bright vowels(ㅏ, ㅗ), you should use the 1st one. In other cases, the 2nd one. If the syllable doesn't have a final consonant, and the vowel is ㅏ or ㅓ, the leading 아/어 of endings should be omitted.

일부 양성모음 some bright vowels: ㅏ, ㅗ
기타 모음 other vowels: ㅐ, ㅓ, ㅔ, ㅕ, ㅚ, ㅜ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅡ, ㅢ, ㅣ

※3. You can use -셔/으셔- instead of -시/으시-어-, the compound of the honorific prefinal ending and these endings. And you can also use -세요/으세요 instead of -셔요/으셔요.

※4. Basically a final ending has the present tense. However these final endings need the present tense prefinal ending to make a present tense sentence.



PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
'FE' means a final ending and 'PE' means a prefinal ending.

Declarative sentences of plane formal style
나는 학교에 간다. → 가-ㄴ(PE-B-1)-다(FE-A-4) ※4: I go to the school.
나는 학교에 갔다. → 가-ㅆ(PE-B-2)-다(FE-A-4): I went to the school.
나는 학교에 가겠다. → 가-겠(PE-B-3)-다(FE-A-4): I will go to the school.

Declarative sentences of polite formal style
저는 학교에 갑니다. → 가-ㅂ니다(FE-A-1): I go to the school.
저는 학교에 갔습니다. → 가-ㅆ(PE-B-2)-습니다(FE-A-1): I went to the school.
저는 학교에 가겠습니다. → 가-겠(PE-B-3)-습니다(FE-A-1): I will go to the school.

Interrogative sentences of plane formal style
너는 학교에 가니. → 가-니(FE-B-4): Do you go to the school.
너는 학교에 갔니. → 가-ㅆ(PE-B-2)-니(FE-B-4): Did you go to the school.
너는 학교에 가겠니. → 가-겠(PE-B-3)-니(FE-B-4): Do you want to go to the school.

Interrogative sentences of polite formal style
당신은 학교에 가십니까. → 가-시(PE-A)-ㅂ니까(FE-B-1): Do you go to the school.
당신은 학교에 가셨습니까. → 가-시(PE-A)-었(PE-B-2)-습니까(FE-B-1) ※3: Did you go to the school.
당신은 학교에 가시겠습니까. → 가-시(PE-A)-겠(PE-B-3)-습니까(FE-B-1): Do you want to go to the school.

Various sentences of polite informal style
저는 학교에 가요. → 가-요(FE-A-2): I go to the school.
당신은 학교에 가세요? → 가-시(PE-A)-어요(FE-B-2) ※3: Do you go to the school?
당신은 학교에 가시는군요. → 가-시(PE-A)-는(PE-B-1)-군요(FE-C-2) ※4: You go to the school.
당신은 학교에 가세요. → 가-시(PE-A)-어요(FE-D-2) ※3: Go to the school.
우리 학교에 가지요. → 가-지요(FE-E-2): Let us go to the school.

Etc
당신 학교에 가실래요? → 가-시(PE-A)-ㄹ래요(FE-B-2): Do you want to go to the school?
너 학교에 갈래? → 가-ㄹ래(FE-B-3): Do you want to go to the school?
우리 학교에 갈래? → 가-ㄹ래(FE-B-3): Shall we go to the school?
우리 학교에 갈까? → 가-ㄹ까(FE-B-4): Shall we go to the school?
우리 학교에 가자. → 가-자(FE-E-3,4): Let's go to the school.