-았/었-
past tense
Level 1 · Tense
Explanation
Added to a verb or adjective stem for the past. ㅏ/ㅗ take 았, other vowels 었, 하다 becomes 했. Nouns take 이었어요/였어요.
Examples
어제 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend yesterday.
지난주에 많이 바빴어요.
I was very busy last week.
작년에 저는 학생이었어요.
Last year I was a student.
TOPIK note
All of TOPIK I; detail questions (Reading 43–45) often hinge on tense.