TOPIK I · LEVEL 2
르 불규칙
Most stems ending in 르 lose ㅡ before -아/어 and add an extra ㄹ to the syllable before: 모르다 'not know' → 몰라요.
문장 끝·말투Endings & speech styleHan: 모르다 is 르-irregular: ㅡ drops and an extra ㄹ is added, so 몰라요.
Examples
어제 노래방에서 한국 노래를 불렀어요.Yesterday I sang Korean songs at a karaoke room.
지하철이 버스보다 빨라요.The subway is faster than the bus.
우즈베키스탄 음식과 한국 음식은 많이 달라요.Uzbek food and Korean food are very different.
Don’t mix up
르 불규칙vsㅡ(으) 탈락With a plain ㅡ stem only ㅡ drops (바쁘다 → 바빠요); with a 르 stem an ㄹ is added too (빠르다 → 빨라요).How to build it
stem in 르+-아/어 → ㄹ joins the syllable before+라/러: 모르+아요 → 몰라요
부르+어요 → 불러요
모르다 → 몰라요, 몰랐어요; 빠르다 → 빨라요; 부르다 → 불러요; 다르다 → 달라요
- Choose by the vowel before 르: ㅏ or ㅗ → ㄹ라 (모르다 → 몰라요, 빠르다 → 빨라요, 다르다 → 달라요, 고르다 → 골라요, 자르다 → 잘라요); other vowels → ㄹ러 (부르다 → 불러요, 기르다 → 길러요).
- It happens only before -아/어 endings. Elsewhere the stem is regular: 모르고, 모르면, 모르는, 빠른, 부르세요.
- A few 르 stems only drop ㅡ, with no extra ㄹ: 따르다 → 따라요, 들르다 → 들러요, 치르다 → 치러요.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 죄송해요, 저는 잘 모라요.
Right: 죄송해요, 저는 잘 몰라요.
모르다 is 르-irregular: ㅡ drops and an extra ㄹ is added, so 몰라요.
Practise 르 불규칙 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 것Ends a written instruction or rule with a noun-like command: 'do X; X is to be done'. Impersonal and firm; used in notices, exam instructions, memos and rule lists.
- -(으)ㄴ/는데요A soft sentence ending: it gives background and leaves room for the other person to reply, softens a refusal or disagreement, or shows mild surprise.
- -(으)ㄹ게요-(으)ㄹ게요 is how you tell someone 'I'll do it': a promise or decision you make with the listener in mind.
- -(으)십시오-(으)십시오 is the formal, polite way to tell or ask someone to do something: 'please do …'.
- -(으)ㄹ래요?Use it to ask what the listener wants to do ("Do you want to…?") or to say what you yourself want to do ("I'll… / I want to…") in a friendly, polite way.
- -(으)ㄴ가요?/-나요?-(으)ㄴ가요?/-나요? make a soft, gentle polite question.
- -자-자 is the casual way to say "let's (do something)" to close friends or people younger than you.
- -지Casual (반말) sentence ending that, depending on intonation, seeks agreement ('…, right?'), states something as obvious, asks oneself a question, or makes a soft suggestion ('why don't you…'). Its polite form is -지요/죠.
- -지 말다-지 말다 is the negative used in commands, suggestions and wishes: 'don't', 'let's not', 'not A but B', 'told me not to'. Plain 안/-지 않다 cannot be used there.
