3 · Irregular verbs
Stems in 시옷 (s): 낫다 → 나아요, 짓다 → 지어요
the vanishing s
In a few verbs a final s disappears before a vowel, and the vowels that meet stay apart: 짓다, 지어요.
A small group of verbs with a stem in 시옷, the letter for s, lose it before a vowel: 짓다 (to build, to make) → 지어요, 낫다 (to get better) → 나아요, 붓다 (to pour; to swell) → 부어요, 젓다 (to stir) → 저어요, 잇다 (to join) → 이어요, 긋다 (to draw a line) → 그어요.
What makes this group unusual is that once the s has gone, the two vowels do not merge. 나아요 keeps both syllables — 나요 would be the verb 나다 — and 지어요 is not shortened to 져요. The same holds before endings with (으): the 으 stays, as in 나으면, 지은 집, 나을 거예요.
Before a consonant the s stays, and the usual sound rules apply to it: 짓고, 낫지만, and 짓는, said jinneun.
Most verbs in 시옷 are regular, among them the ones met first: 웃다 (to laugh) → 웃어요, 씻다 (to wash) → 씻어요, 벗다 (to take off) → 벗어요. So English speakers tend to make all of them regular and write 낫았어요 or 짓어요. The irregular ones are few enough to learn as a list, and 낫다 and 짓다 are the two that come up all the time.
The form
| before 아/어: the s drops, no merging | 짓다 → 지어요, 낫다 → 나아요 |
| before (으): the s drops, 으 stays | 나으면, 지은 집 |
| past | 지었어요, 나았어요, 부었어요 |
| before a consonant: no change | 짓고, 낫지만, 짓는 |
| regular stems | 웃다 → 웃어요, 씻다 → 씻어요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Before 아 or 어, the s drops.
저는 아이 이름을 직접 지었어요.I chose my child's name myself.
The vowels then stay apart: there is no contraction.
감기가 다 나았어요.My cold has completely gone.
Before an ending with (으), the s drops and the 으 stays.
빨리 나으세요.Get well soon.
Before an ending that starts with a consonant, the s stays.
지금 새 건물을 짓고 있어요.They are putting up a new building right now.
Many stems in 시옷 are regular and keep the s everywhere.
저는 집에 오면 먼저 손을 씻어요.When I get home, the first thing I do is wash my hands.
A closer look
Why 나아요 does not shrink
Korean contracts two vowels when a stem that ends in a vowel meets an ending: 가 and 아요 give 가요, 보 and 아요 give 봐요. A stem in 시옷 ends in a consonant, and when that consonant falls silent the vowels keep their syllables as if it were still there.
So 나아요 is said with two clear syllables, naayo, and it is a different word from 나요, nayo. Listening for the second syllable is the easiest way to recognise this group in speech.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the verb is 웃다, 씻다, 벗다, 빼앗다 or 솟다
it is regular and keeps the s: 웃어요, 씻어요, 벗었어요
신발을 벗고 들어오세요.Please take your shoes off and come in.
The regular verbs in 시옷 outnumber the irregular ones, and nothing in the spelling shows which is which.
How to spot it
- 나아요
- 지어요
- 나으세요
- 지은
Example sentences
약을 먹고 푹 쉬면 금방 나을 거예요.If you take your medicine and rest properly, you will soon get better.
어젯밤에 라면을 먹고 자서 얼굴이 부었어요.I had instant noodles before bed last night, so my face is puffy.
커피에 설탕을 넣고 잘 저어 주세요.Put sugar in the coffee and stir it well.
엄마가 밥을 지었어요.My mother cooked the rice.
컵에 물을 부어 주세요.Please pour some water into the cup.
중요한 부분에 밑줄을 그어 보세요.Underline the important parts.
8 more example sentences
다리가 다 나으면 다시 운동할 거예요.Once my leg has healed, I will start exercising again.
이 시는 제 친구가 지은 거예요.My friend wrote this poem.
두 문장을 하나로 이어 보세요.Join the two sentences into one.
냄비에 물을 붓고 끓이세요.Pour water into the pan and bring it to the boil.
새로 지은 아파트로 이사했어요.We moved into a newly built flat.
아기가 저를 보고 웃었어요.The baby looked at me and smiled.
밖에서 들어오면 손을 먼저 씻으세요.When you come in from outside, wash your hands first.
더우면 재킷을 벗으세요.If you are warm, take your jacket off.
Worth knowing (2)
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낫다: get better, and be better
낫다 is also an adjective, “to be better, preferable”, and it is irregular in the same way: 이게 더 나아요, “this one is better”. It is the usual word when choosing between two options, where 좋다 would sound too absolute.
택시보다 지하철이 더 나아요.The underground is a better option than a taxi.
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Things you can 짓다
짓다 covers making something that is built up from parts: a house (집을 짓다), a name (이름을 짓다), a poem, rice (밥을 짓다, a little old-fashioned beside 밥을 하다), and an expression on the face (미소를 짓다, to smile).
강아지 이름을 뭐라고 지었어요?What did you name your puppy?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
낫다 loses its s before a vowel, and the two 아 sounds stay side by side: 나았어요. 낫았어요 treats it like 웃다, and 났어요 would be the past of a different verb, 나다.
Jitda, jieoyo: the s disappears, but its syllable stays.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.