University / Advanced - Year 1

Lesson 3: Academic Writing

The Plain/Narrative Form: -(ㄴ/는)다

Writing vs. Speaking

In Korean, the way you write in a formal essay, a news article, or even a diary is different from how you speak. You don't use listener-focused endings like `-아요` or `-ㅂ니다`.

Instead, you use the **Plain Form**, also called the "narrative form." Its main purpose is to state facts objectively. The most common ending is **-(ㄴ/는)다** for verbs.

Plain Form Conjugation Rules (Present Tense)

1. Action Verbs (AV)

Ends in **-(ㄴ/는)다**.

가다 (to go) 간다
먹다 (to eat) 먹는다
만들다 (to make) 만든다

2. Descriptive Verbs (DV) / Adjectives

Uses the **dictionary form** (no change).

예쁘다 (to be pretty) 예쁘다
많다 (to be many) 많다
작다 (to be small) 작다

3. Nouns + 'to be' (이다)

Ends in **-(이)다**.

학생 (student) 학생이다
나무 (tree) 나무다

Example: Spoken vs. Written

Spoken (Polite): `-(아/어)요`

"저는 학생이에요. 매일 학교에 가요. 학교에서 한국어를 공부해요. 한국어는 재미있어요."

(I am a student. I go to school every day. I study Korean at school. Korean is fun.)

Written (Plain Form): `-(ㄴ/는)다`

"나는 학생이다. 매일 학교에 간다. 학교에서 한국어를 공부한다. 한국어는 재미있다."