Daily Routines and Time: Talking About Your Day - Everyday Korean Conversation: Practical Phrases for Real Life

Q: How do you say “I study Korean in the evening” using the polite present tense?

저는 저녁에 한국어를 공부해요.. The verb for “to study” is 공부하다 → 공부해요 in the polite present. So “저는 저녁에 한국어를 공부해요.” means “I study Korean in the evening.” The other options use verbs for eat (먹어요), go (가요), and sleep (자요), which do not match the meaning.

New Words and Phrases (Daily Routines and Time)

Learn core verbs and time words to talk about your daily routine and make simple plans.

Word	Pronunciation	Translation	Example
가요	ga-yo	(I) go / (I) am going (polite present)	저는 아침에 회사에 가요.(I go to the office in the morning.)
먹어요	meo-geo-yo (like 'muh-guh-yo')	(I) eat / (I) am eating (polite present)	저는 일곱 시에 아침을 먹어요.(I eat breakfast at seven o’clock.)
일해요	il-hae-yo	(I) work / (I) am working (polite present)	저는 아홉 시부터 여섯 시까지 일해요.(I work from nine o’clock to six o’clock.)
공부해요	gong-bu-hae-yo	(I) study / (I) am studying (polite present)	저는 저녁에 한국어를 공부해요.(I study Korean in the evening.)
자요	ja-yo	(I) sleep / (I) am sleeping (polite present)	저는 열두 시에 자요.(I sleep at twelve o’clock.)
오늘	o-neul	today	오늘 뭐 해요?(What are you doing today?)
내일	nae-il	tomorrow	내일 몇 시에 만나요?(What time shall we meet tomorrow?)
…시에 만나요	... si-e man-na-yo	Let’s meet at … o’clock.	내일 세 시에 만나요.(Let’s meet at three o’clock tomorrow.)

Language Pattern: Talking About Daily Routines and Time

1. Present tense polite endings: -아요 / -어요

We use -아요 / -어요 to talk about regular actions and what you do in your daily life.

Basic pattern:

[verb stem] + -아요 / -어요

Which ending?

If the verb stem has an ㅏ (a) or ㅗ (o) vowel → usually -아요
Other vowels → usually -어요

Examples from this module:

가다 (to go) → 가 + 요 → 가요 (ga-yo) = I go / I am going
저는 회사에 가요. = I go to the office.
먹다 (to eat) → 먹 + 어요 → 먹어요 (meo-geo-yo)
저는 점심을 먹어요. = I eat lunch.
일하다 (to work) → 일하 + 여요 → 일해요 (il-hae-yo)
저는 회사에서 일해요. = I work at a company.
공부하다 (to study) → 공부하 + 여요 → 공부해요 (gong-bu-hae-yo)
저는 한국어를 공부해요. = I study Korean.
자다 (to sleep) → 자 + 요 → 자요 (ja-yo)
저는 열두 시에 자요. = I sleep at twelve.

You can add 저는 (jeo-neun) = I (humble) at the beginning, but in Korean it is often dropped when it is clear from context.

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2. Time expressions

Common time words:

오늘 (o-neul) = today
내일 (nae-il) = tomorrow
아침 (a-chim) = morning
저녁 (jeo-nyeok) = evening
… 시 (… si) = … o’clock

Pattern for saying when you do something:

[time word] + [에] + [place/object] + [verb-아요/어요]

Examples:

오늘 아침에 빵을 먹어요.
Oneul a-chi-me bbang-eul meo-geo-yo.
I eat bread this morning.
저녁에 집에서 공부해요.
Jeo-nyeo-ge jip-e-seo gong-bu-hae-yo.
I study at home in the evening.
일곱 시에 자요.
Il-gop si-e ja-yo.
I sleep at seven o’clock.

Note: 에 (e) marks time: “at / on / in (time)”.

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3. Invitations: “Let’s …” and “When … ?”

A very natural way to say “Let’s …” politely is to use -아요/어요 with a friendly rising tone, or use the pattern … 시에 만나요 (Let’s meet at … o’clock).

내일 같이 밥 먹어요.
Nae-il ga-chi bap meo-geo-yo.
Let’s eat (a meal) together tomorrow.
오늘 영화 봐요.
Oneul yeong-hwa bwa-yo.
Let’s watch a movie today.

To ask “When … ?”:

언제 … 해요? = When do you … ?

Examples:

언제 일해요?
Eon-je il-hae-yo?
When do you work?
내일 몇 시에 만나요?
Nae-il myeot si-e man-na-yo?
What time shall we meet tomorrow?

To accept an invitation:

네, 좋아요. = Ne, jo-a-yo. = Yes, sounds good.

To politely decline:

미안해요, 내일은 좀 어려워요. = Mi-an-hae-yo, nae-i-reun jom eo-ryeo-wo-yo. = Sorry, tomorrow is a bit difficult.

Practice Dialogue: Talking About Your Day and Making Plans

Two friends talk about their daily routine and make a simple plan for tomorrow.

Two friends after work, talking about their day and planning to meet tomorrow.

오늘 뭐 해요?

What are you doing today?

저는 여섯 시까지 일해요.

I work until six o’clock.

일 끝나고 뭐 해요?

What do you do after work?

집에 가요. 그리고 저녁을 먹어요.

I go home. And I eat dinner.

내일은 어때요? 내일 몇 시에 일해요?

How about tomorrow? What time do you work tomorrow?

내일은 아홉 시에 일해요.

Tomorrow, I work at nine o’clock.

그럼 내일 일곱 시에 아침 같이 먹어요.

Then let’s eat breakfast together at seven o’clock tomorrow.

네, 좋아요. 내일 일곱 시에 만나요.

Yes, sounds good. Let’s meet at seven o’clock tomorrow.

Check Your Understanding: Daily Routines and Time

Choose the best answer based on the vocabulary and patterns from this module.

How do you say “I study Korean in the evening” using the polite present tense?

저는 저녁에 한국어를 공부해요.
저는 저녁에 한국어를 먹어요.
저는 저녁에 한국어를 가요.
저는 저녁에 한국어를 자요.

Show Answer

Answer: A) 저는 저녁에 한국어를 공부해요.

The verb for “to study” is 공부하다 → 공부해요 in the polite present. So “저는 저녁에 한국어를 공부해요.” means “I study Korean in the evening.” The other options use verbs for eat (먹어요), go (가요), and sleep (자요), which do not match the meaning.

Key Terms

가요: I go / I am going (polite present form of 가다, to go). Used for routine or current actions.
내일: tomorrow; used for future plans.
아침: morning; time word often used with 에 to describe morning routines.
오늘: today; used to talk about things happening on the same day.
자요: I sleep / I am sleeping (polite present form of 자다, to sleep).
저녁: evening; time word often used with 에 to say when something happens.
먹어요: I eat / I am eating (polite present form of 먹다, to eat). Common for meals.
일해요: I work / I am working (polite present form of 일하다, to work).
공부해요: I study / I am studying (polite present form of 공부하다, to study).
…시에 만나요: let’s meet at … o’clock; polite suggestion for arranging a meeting.