Korean Past Tense Questions: Asking What Someone Did
Learn to ask and answer simple past tense questions in Korean, such as 'What did you do last weekend?' using the polite -았어요/-었어요 pattern.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn how to ask other people about past experiences in Korean. The focus is on questions, not on telling long stories. Korean past tense questions in polite speech usually end with -았어요? or -었어요?. You will practice asking what someone did, where they went, what they ate, and whether they enjoyed it. You will also learn short natural answers so you can keep the conversation going. All examples use polite informal speech (해요체), which is safe for most everyday situations with strangers, coworkers, and people you have just met.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone what they did in the past using -았어요?/-었어요?
- ask where someone went and what they ate last weekend
- answer simple past tense questions about my own weekend
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
지난 주말에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do last weekend?
ji-nan ju-ma-re mwo hae-sseo-yo?
The most common friendly question about a past weekend. 지난 means 'last' and 주말에 means 'on the weekend'.
어디에 갔어요?
Where did you go?
eo-di-e ga-sseo-yo?
Use this after someone mentions going out. 갔어요 is the past tense of 가요 (go).
뭐 먹었어요?
What did you eat?
mwo meo-geo-sseo-yo?
A natural follow-up when talking about a meal or a trip. 먹었어요 is the past tense of 먹어요 (eat).
재미있었어요?
Was it fun? / Did you have a good time?
jae-mi-i-sseo-sseo-yo?
Use this to ask about an event or activity. The past tense of 재미있어요 (be fun) is 재미있었어요.
주말 잘 보냈어요?
Did you have a good weekend?
ju-mal jal bo-nae-sseo-yo?
A polite, warm question often used on Monday at work or school. 잘 보내다 means 'to spend time well'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To make a polite past tense question, take a verb stem and add -았어요? or -었어요?. If the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use -았어요?: 하다 becomes 했어요? (did?), 가다 becomes 갔어요? (went?). For other vowels, use -었어요?: 먹다 becomes 먹었어요? (ate?), 보다 becomes 봤어요? (watched/saw?). The question mark in Korean writing is the same as in English, and your voice should rise at the end. Example: 지난 주말에 뭐 했어요? (What did you do last weekend?) and 어디에 갔어요? (Where did you go?).
When to use it
Use these past tense questions when you want to learn about someone's experience, not when you are telling your own story. For example, ask 지난 주말에 뭐 했어요? to a friend or coworker on Monday. Ask 어디에 갔어요? after they say they went somewhere. Ask 뭐 먹었어요? when the topic is food. If you want to be more polite to an older person or a stranger, you can use the -셨어요? form: 지난 주말에 뭐 하셨어요? (What did you do last weekend, sir/ma'am?). This lesson focuses on the regular -았어요?/-었어요? pattern, which is safe in most everyday situations.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
지난 주말에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do last weekend?ji-nan ju-ma-re mwo hae-sseo-yo?친구하고 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie with a friend.chin-gu-ha-go yeong-hwa-reul bwa-sseo-yo.재미있었어요?
Was it fun?jae-mi-i-sseo-sseo-yo?네, 아주 재미있었어요. 그리고 맛있는 것도 먹었어요.
Yes, it was really fun. And I also ate something delicious.ne, a-ju jae-mi-i-sseo-sseo-yo. geu-ri-go ma-sin-neun geot-do meo-geo-sseo-yo.A little context goes a long way
Polite informal speech (해요체) is a good default with coworkers, acquaintances, and people you have just met. With close friends of the same age, Koreans often drop to casual speech (반말): 지난 주말에 뭐 했어? If you are unsure which level to use, stay with -았어요?/-었어요? until the other person invites you to speak casually.
One thing to watch for
Using the present tense in a past question, for example 지난 주말에 뭐 해요?
Try this instead: Use the past tense form: 지난 주말에 뭐 했어요? (What did you do last weekend?). 했어요 is the past tense of 해요. The time word 지난 주말에 signals past time, so the verb must also be in the past tense.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'What did you eat?' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
뭐 먹었어요?
먹었어요 is the past tense of 먹어요 (eat). 뭐 means 'what'. The polite question ending -었어요? is correct because the stem vowel ㅓ is not ㅏ or ㅗ.
2Change 가요 (go) into a polite past tense question.
Show a sample answer
갔어요?
The stem vowel ㅏ takes -았어요?, and 가 + 았어요 contracts to 갔어요?. This means 'Did you go?' or 'Did he/she go?' depending on context.
3You want to ask a coworker on Monday if they had a good weekend. What can you say?
Show a sample answer
주말 잘 보냈어요?
This is a natural polite question meaning 'Did you have a good weekend?' You could also ask 지난 주말에 뭐 했어요? if you want to know what they did.
To ask about past experiences in polite Korean, use -았어요?/-었어요? at the end of the verb, and remember that time words like 지난 주말에 usually require a past tense verb.
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