2 · Irregular verbs
Stems in 리을 (l): 살다 → 사세요, 만들다 → 만듭니다
the l that gives way
A stem ending in l loses it before n, b and s, and never takes the extra 으 of an ending.
A large group of everyday verbs has a stem ending in 리을, the letter for l: 살다 (to live), 알다 (to know), 만들다 (to make), 놀다 (to play), 팔다 (to sell), 열다 (to open), and adjectives such as 길다 (to be long), 멀다 (to be far) and 힘들다 (to be hard). Before most endings they are perfectly regular: 살아요, 살았어요, 살고, 살지만.
The l disappears before three sounds at the start of an ending: n, b and s. Before n: 알다 → 아는 사람 (a person I know). Before the b of the formal ending: 만들다 → 만듭니다. Before the s of the honorific: 살다 → 어디에 사세요? (where do you live?). A short way to remember it: the l gives way to n, b and s.
Endings that add 으 after a consonant — -(으)면, -(으)니까, -(으)세요, -(으)러 — treat a stem in 리을 as if it ended in a vowel, so no 으 comes in: 살면, not 살으면; 만들러 가요, not 만들으러. Where the ending itself begins with l, the two become one: 살 거예요, 만들게요.
This is the change that most confuses reading, because the l is gone in exactly the forms heard most often in polite conversation. 사세요 can be “you live” from 살다 or “please buy” from 사다; 아는 comes from 알다, 파는 from 팔다. When a form will not match any verb in the dictionary, try adding an l to its stem. Korean grammars count this, like the drop of 으, as regular, since every stem of this shape does it.
The form
| before 아/어, 고, 지: no change | 살아요, 살고, 살지만 |
| before n: the l drops | 알다 → 아는 사람, 길다 → 긴 머리 |
| before the b of the formal ending | 만들다 → 만듭니다, 살다 → 삽니다 |
| before the s of the honorific | 살다 → 사세요, 놀다 → 노세요 |
| no 으 is added | 살면, 만들러, 살 거예요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Before 아 or 어, and before endings such as -고 and -지만, the stem does not change.
저는 서울에 살아요.I live in Seoul.
Before an ending that starts with n, the l drops.
제가 아는 식당이 있어요.There is a restaurant I know.
In formal speech the l drops and the stem takes the ending as if it ended in a vowel: 만듭니다, 압니다.
이 가게에서는 빵을 직접 만듭니다.At this shop we make the bread ourselves.
Before the s of the honorific, the l drops: 사세요, 아세요.
혹시 이 근처에 사세요?Do you happen to live near here?
Endings with (으) add no 으, and an ending that begins with l merges with the stem.
주말에 친구랑 케이크를 만들 거예요.At the weekend I am going to make a cake with a friend.
A closer look
Finding the dictionary form
A useful habit when reading: a modifier or a polite form whose stem ends in a vowel may be hiding an l. 노는 is 놀다, 여는 is 열다, 우는 is 울다 (to cry), and 먼 in 먼 곳 (a distant place) is 멀다.
The l is kept everywhere else, so the forms that show it are the safe ones to learn with a verb: 살아요, 살고, 살던, 살기. Only endings that start with n, b or s, and the endings that would add 으, touch it.
How to spot it
- 사세요
- 아세요
- 아는
- 만듭니다
- -(으)세요
- -는
Example sentences
선생님, 제 동생을 아세요?Do you know my younger brother?
이 근처에 우산 파는 곳이 있어요?Is there anywhere near here that sells umbrellas?
부모님은 부산에 사세요.My parents live in Busan.
여기서 공항까지 멉니까?Is it far from here to the airport?
아이들이 공원에서 놀아요.The children are playing in the park.
몇 시에 문을 여세요?What time do you open?
8 more example sentences
머리가 긴 사람이 제 언니예요.The one with long hair is my older sister.
할머니께서 김치를 직접 만드세요.My grandmother makes kimchi herself.
그 사람 이름을 알면 좀 알려 주세요.If you know that person's name, please tell me.
혼자 살 때 요리를 많이 했어요.When I lived alone, I cooked a lot.
이 일은 정말 힘듭니다.This work is really hard.
창문 좀 열어 주세요.Could you open the window, please?
아기가 밤에 자주 우니까 잠을 못 자요.The baby often cries at night, so I cannot sleep.
제가 만든 빵이에요. 드셔 보세요.This is bread I made. Do try some.
Worth knowing (1)
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사세요: live or buy?
Because the l drops before the honorific, 살다 (to live) and 사다 (to buy) share the form 사세요. The rest of the sentence settles it: a place with 에 points to living, an object with 을 or 를 to buying.
지금 어디에 사세요?Where do you live now?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
A stem in 리을 takes the vowel form of an ending, so no 으 is added — and then the l itself drops before the s. 살으세요 is a learner’s form; the standard is 사세요.
The l gives way to n, b and s — and never takes an extra eu.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.