Middle School - Grade 8
Lesson 4: Describing Nouns
Modifying with Verbs (Future Tense -(으)ㄹ)
The Final Piece: The Future
You're on fire! You've learned how to describe nouns using...
1. Adjectives: `예쁜 꽃` (a pretty flower)
2. Present Verbs: `먹는 사람` (a person who is eating)
3. Past Verbs: `먹은 사람` (a person who ate)
Now for the final form: the **Future Tense**. This is how you talk about a noun in relation to what *will* happen.
Conjugation Rules: Action Verbs (Future)
This form is attached to the **action verb stem**.
Rule 1: Stem ends in a VOWEL
Add -ㄹ to the stem.
가다 가 + ㄹ 갈 (will go / who will go)
Rule 2: Stem ends in a CONSONANT
Add -을 to the stem.
먹다 먹 + 을 먹을 (will eat / who will eat)
Rule 3: `ㄹ` Irregular
The `ㄹ` drops and you add -ㄹ. (It looks just like Rule 1!)
살다 사 + ㄹ 살 (will live / who will live)
만들다 만드 + ㄹ 만들 (will make / who will make)
Let's Build Sentences!
Verb: `먹다` (to eat)
Rule 2: `먹` + `을` = `먹을` (will eat)
이것은 우리가 내일 먹을 음식이에요.
(This is the food we will eat tomorrow.)
Verb: `가다` (to go)
Rule 1: `가` + `ㄹ` = `갈` (will go)
부산에 갈 기차가 10시에 떠나요.
(The train that will go to Busan leaves at 10.)
Verb: `만들다` (to make)
Rule 3 (`ㄹ` irregular): `만들` `만드` + `ㄹ` = `만들` (will make)
친구에게 줄 선물을 만들 거예요.
(I will make a present to give to my friend.)
Grand Summary: Describing Nouns
| Type | Rule | Example (`예쁘다` / `먹다`) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective | -(으)ㄴ | `예쁜` 꽃 | "a pretty flower" |
| Action Verb (Present) | -는 | `먹는` 사람 | "the person who is eating" |
| Action Verb (Past) | -(으)ㄴ | `먹은` 사람 | D"the person who ate" |
| Action Verb (Future) | -(으)ㄹ | `먹을` 사람 | "the person who will eat" |
Notice that Adjectives and Past Tense Verbs use the same `-(으)ㄴ` form! Context is key.
Coming Up Next...
Congratulations! You have mastered one of the most powerful and complex parts of Korean grammar. You can now describe any noun in any tense.
Next, we'll go back to learning more **connectors** to make your sentences even more sophisticated, like "because," "if," and "when."