어제 뭐 했어요?Past Events and Sequence
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Form the everyday polite past tense -았/었어요 from action verbs, descriptive verbs, and the copula.
- Ask and answer simple questions about what happened, such as 어제 뭐 했어요?
- Use 전에 and 후에 to say what happened before or after something.
- Sequence two or three past events using simple time words and connectors already active from earlier chapters.
- Narrate a short account of yesterday or a recent day using only activated grammar and vocabulary.
- Maintain accurate Hangeul, spacing, particles, and everyday polite speech level while narrating past events.
Communication Scenario
It is Monday morning, and 라일라's Korean class instructor asks the students to share what they did over the weekend. 라일라 remembers her busy Saturday from Chapter 15 — the pharmacy, the walk with 수진, and the email to her instructor — and now needs to describe it as something that already happened, in the past. For the first time, she must talk not about what she is doing or will do, but about what already took place, and in what order it took place.
- This chapter introduces the past tense -았/었어요, along with 전에 and 후에 for sequencing events.
- Every task below continues to draw on identity, routines, food, location, shopping, plans, directions, ability, and health language from Chapters 1–15.
- By the end of this chapter you will be able to describe a recent day, in order, entirely in everyday polite Korean.
Core Vocabulary
The following items are productive vocabulary for this chapter. They support narrating a sequence of past events. Vocabulary from Chapters 1–15 remains active and is recycled throughout this chapter.
시간 표현 — Time expressions for narration
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 어제 | yesterday | most common anchor for this chapter's tasks |
| 그저께 | the day before yesterday | — |
| 지난주 | last week | combines with 에: 지난주에 |
| 지난주말 | last weekend | combines with 에: 지난주말에 |
| 아침 | morning | 아침에 = "in the morning" |
| 오후 | afternoon | 오후에 = "in the afternoon" |
| 저녁 | evening | 저녁에 = "in the evening" |
| 전에 | before | noun/clause + 전에, "before ___" |
| 후에 | after | noun/clause + 후에, "after ___" |
| 먼저 | first | sentence-initial sequencing adverb |
| 그다음에 | after that / next | sentence-initial sequencing expression |
| 마지막으로 | lastly | sentence-initial sequencing expression |
주말에 한 일 — Things people did over the weekend
| Korean | Meaning | Category / Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 일어나다 | to get up, to wake up | action verb; 아침에 일어나요 |
| 청소하다 | to clean | 하다 verb; 집을 청소해요 |
| 빨래하다 | to do laundry | 하다 verb |
| 쉬다 | to rest | action verb; recycled from Ch. 15 |
| 만나다 | to meet | action verb; 친구를 만나요 |
| 전화하다 | to make a phone call | 하다 verb; 친구한테 전화해요 |
| 사다 | to buy | action verb; recycled from Ch. 9 |
| 보내다 | to send; to spend (time) | action verb; 시간을 보내요 |
| 놀다 | to play, to hang out | ㄹ-final stem; irregularity active from Ch. 13–14 review |
| 끝나다 | to end, to finish | action verb, intransitive; 수업이 끝나요 |
이야기와 순서 — Narration and sequence words
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 그리고 | and, and then | recycled from Ch. 11 |
| 그래서 | so, therefore | recycled from Ch. 11 |
| 그런데 | but, by the way | recycled from Ch. 15 dialogue |
| 재미있었어요 | it was fun | formulaic past evaluation; full analysis follows the Grammar section |
| 피곤했어요 | I was tired | formulaic past evaluation; descriptive verb 피곤하다 + past |
Total productive load for this chapter: approximately 27 items, within the Volume I range of 25–40. Chapters 1–15 vocabulary remains active and assessable.
받아들이는 어휘 — Receptive vocabulary
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 그때 | at that time |
| 일기 | diary |
Receptive items support comprehension in this chapter's reading passage. They are not assessed for independent production.
Pronunciation Focus
This chapter's pronunciation focus is the vowel contraction that regularly occurs when the past-tense marker -았/었- attaches to a vowel-final stem, and the resulting connected pronunciation of -았어요/었어요.
When a stem ending in ㅏ or ㅓ takes -았/었-, the vowel of the stem and the vowel of the ending merge into a single syllable in ordinary speech and writing: 가다 → 가았어요 → 갔어요, and 서다 → 서었어요 → 섰어요. Listen for one smooth syllable rather than two separate vowel sounds.
Read the following aloud, listening for the contracted, connected pronunciation rather than two separated vowels.
갔어요 · 왔어요 · 만났어요 · 청소했어요 · 피곤했어요
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
1. The everyday polite past tense -았/었어요
Purpose: to talk about actions, states, and events that have already happened, at the same everyday polite speech level already used for the present.
The past-tense marker -았/었- attaches to the verb stem, following the same vowel-harmony pattern already familiar from the polite present -아요/어요 introduced in Chapter 6.
| Stem vowel | Ending | Dictionary form | Past form |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ or ㅗ | -았어요 | 가다 | 갔어요 |
| other vowels | -었어요 | 먹다 | 먹었어요 |
| 하다 verbs | 했어요 | 공부하다 | 공부했어요 |
| copula 이다 | 이었어요/였어요 | 학생이다 | 학생이었어요 |
Descriptive verbs follow the same pattern as action verbs:
- 바쁘다 → 바빴어요was busy (ㅡ deletion pattern reviewed from Ch. 13–14)
- 좋다 → 좋았어요was good
- 피곤하다 → 피곤했어요was tired
Existential and negative sentences also take the past marker:
- 시간이 있었어요.There was time. / I had time.
- 수업이 없었어요.There was no class.
- 안 바빴어요.I wasn't busy.
Questions about past events use the same -았어요/었어요 ending with question intonation, exactly as present-tense questions already do: 어제 뭐 했어요? ("What did you do yesterday?"), 주말이 어땠어요? ("How was your weekend?").
2. Sequencing events with 전에 and 후에
Purpose: to say that one event happened before or after another event, connecting two past-time statements into a single, ordered account.
전에 ("before") and 후에 ("after") attach to a noun or to a dictionary-form clause:
- 수업 전에 아침을 먹었어요.I ate breakfast before class.noun + 전에
- 수업이 끝난 후에 친구를 만났어요.I met my friend after class ended.clause + -(으)ㄴ 후에 (receptive pattern; recognize only)
- 청소하기 전에 빨래했어요.I did laundry before cleaning.dictionary form + 기 전에 (receptive pattern; recognize only)
The clause-attaching forms -기 전에 and -(으)ㄴ 후에 are presented here receptively for reading and listening comprehension. This chapter's productive expectation is limited to noun-plus-전에/후에 and to sentence-initial sequencing words such as 먼저 and 그다음에.
Practice — Forming the past tense
- Change each sentence into the past tense: 저는 커피를 마셔요. / 날씨가 좋아요. / 친구를 만나요.
- Write one sentence describing what you did yesterday morning, using 아침에 and a past-tense verb.
- Write one sentence using 전에 and one using 후에 to connect two things you did.
- Use 먼저, 그다음에, and 마지막으로 to write three past-tense sentences describing an ordered sequence of events.
Model Dialogue
Setting: On Monday morning, 라일라's instructor asks the class about the weekend.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What did 라일라 do first on Saturday morning, and why?
- What did she do after going to the pharmacy?
- What did she do in the evening?
- Find one sentence with -았/었어요 attached to a 하다 verb, and one that uses 후에.
Guided Practice
Complete each item using the past tense and, where indicated, a sequence word from this chapter.
- 저는 어제 늦게 일어났어요. 그리고 아침을 ______ (먹다).
- 지난주말에 집을 ______ (청소하다). ______ 빨래도 했어요. (그다음에 / 전에)
- 어제 날씨가 정말 ______ (좋다).
- Combine into one sentence using 전에: 저녁을 먹었어요. + 숙제를 했어요.
- Combine into one sentence using 후에: 수업이 끝났어요. + 친구를 만났어요.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
수진의 주말
저는 수진이에요. 지난주말에 저는 좀 바빴어요. 토요일 아침에 늦게 일어났어요. 그다음에 방을 청소했어요. 청소한 후에 라일라 씨를 만났어요. 우리는 같이 시내에 갔어요. 저녁에는 집에서 쉬었어요. 주말이 정말 재미있었어요.
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| What did 수진 do first on Saturday morning? | ______ |
| What did she do after cleaning her room? | ______ |
| What did she do in the evening? | ______ |
받아쓰기 — Dictation: Your partner or instructor reads two sentences from the passage above, once each at natural speed. Write what you hear in Hangeul, then check your spacing and past-tense endings.
- (a sentence with -았어요)
- (a sentence with 후에)
Reading Practice
Below is a short diary entry that 라일라 wrote about her Saturday. Read it and answer the questions below.
라일라의 일기
오늘은 토요일이었어요. 아침에 목이 아팠어요. 그래서 먼저 약국에 갔어요. 약국에 간 후에 수진 씨를 만났어요. 우리는 같이 시내에 갔어요. 그다음에 저녁에 선생님께 이메일을 썼어요. 좀 피곤했지만 좋은 하루였어요.
This diary entry recycles the pharmacy, directions, and email content from Chapter 15 and retells it entirely in the past tense.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What was wrong with 라일라 in the morning?
- Put the events of her day in order, in English.
- How does she describe her day at the end?
- Identify one instance of 이었어요/였어요 (past copula) in the entry.
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task is a short diary-style paragraph, 어제 일기 ("Yesterday's Diary"), narrating a sequence of past events.
- Set the scene. Begin with a sentence stating what day it was, using the past copula: 어제는 ___이었어요/였어요.
- State the first event. Use 먼저 and a past-tense verb.
- State a second event. Use 그다음에 or 후에 and a past-tense verb.
- State a third event. Use 마지막으로 or 전에 and a past-tense verb.
- Close with an evaluation. Use a descriptive verb in the past tense, such as 재미있었어요 or 피곤했어요.
- Revise. Check your draft against the editing checklist below.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- Every sentence uses only Hangeul and only systems activated through Chapter 16.
- All verbs referring to yesterday are in the past tense, with correct ㅏ/ㅗ versus other-vowel forms.
- At least one sentence uses 전에 or 후에 to connect two events.
- Speech level is consistent everyday polite throughout.
- Spacing between nouns, particles, and predicates follows the patterns modeled in Chapters 1–15.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 어제 뭐 했어요?
Working with a partner or alone, take turns asking and answering 어제 뭐 했어요? using at least three different past-tense verbs.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 주말 이야기
Work with a partner. Take turns describing your weekend in order, using 먼저, 그다음에, and 마지막으로, and connecting at least one pair of events with 전에 or 후에. Your partner should ask one follow-up question using the past tense.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself narrating yesterday in four to six connected past-tense sentences, using at least one sequencing word and one instance of 전에 or 후에.
Culture and Communication
Asking 주말 어땠어요? ("How was your weekend?") on a Monday is common small talk in South Korean classrooms and workplaces, similar to its use in many English-speaking contexts. A short, friendly answer describing one or two things is usually enough; a full minute-by-minute account is not expected.
When South Korean speakers describe a busy or tiring day, it is common to pair a mildly negative observation, such as 피곤했어요 ("I was tired"), with a positive closing comment, such as 재미있었어요 ("it was fun"), so the account does not end on a purely negative note.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: 먹다 → 먹았어요
Correction: 먹었어요 — only stems whose last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ take -았어요; all other vowels take -었어요.
Error: 어제는 토요일이에요. (describing a past day with the present copula)
Correction: 어제는 토요일이었어요. — when the sentence describes yesterday, the copula must also appear in the past.
Error: 수업 후에 아침을 먹었어요. (intending to say "before class")
Correction: 수업 전에 아침을 먹었어요. — 전에 means "before," and 후에 means "after"; check which event happened first before choosing.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. List three time expressions and two sequencing words introduced in this chapter.
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Change these sentences to the past tense: 저는 학교에 가요. / 날씨가 나빠요. / 저는 학생이에요.
2. Correct the errors:
- 저는 어제 김치를 먹았어요.
- 어제는 일요일이에요.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. According to 라일라's diary entry, what happened first, next, and last on Saturday?
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write a four-to-six sentence "Yesterday's Diary" paragraph following the Writing Workshop steps and checklist.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. With a partner, complete the 주말 이야기 communicative task from the Speaking Practice section without notes.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles identity, family, dates, food, routines, location, shopping, plans, directions, ability/requests, and health language from Chapters 1 through 15, and introduces the past tense and simple sequencing as its only new productive systems. If any earlier item felt uncertain while completing this chapter, return to its source chapter before continuing to Chapter 17.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제
어제 이야기하기 — Telling the Story of Yesterday
You will narrate a recent day in speech and in writing, in order, using the past tense and at least one sequencing expression, combined with vocabulary and structures from Chapters 1–15.
- Written: Write your "Yesterday's Diary" paragraph from the Writing Workshop, including at least three past-tense events and one use of 전에 or 후에.
- Spoken: With a partner or recorded alone, narrate the same day aloud in four to six connected sentences, then answer one follow-up question about it in the past tense.
- Reflection: Write one English sentence identifying which part of the past tense — the ㅏ/ㅗ versus other-vowel choice, the 하다-verb form, or the past copula — still feels least automatic, and one specific thing you will review before Chapter 17.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Past-tense accuracy | Correct -았/었어요 formation across action verbs, descriptive verbs, and the copula |
| Sequencing accuracy | Correct use of 전에, 후에, and sentence-initial sequencing words |
| Vocabulary accuracy | Appropriate use of this chapter's and earlier chapters' vocabulary |
| Cohesion | Events presented in a clear, logical order with consistent speech level |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout |
| Scope discipline | No structures used beyond Chapters 1–16 |
Answer Key
Grammar Review Practice
1. 마셨어요 / 좋았어요 / 만났어요
2. Sample: 저는 아침에 커피를 마셨어요.
3. Sample: 저녁을 먹기 전에 숙제를 했어요. / 숙제를 한 후에 텔레비전을 봤어요.
4. Sample: 먼저 일어났어요. 그다음에 아침을 먹었어요. 마지막으로 학교에 갔어요.
Guided Practice
- 먹었어요
- 청소했어요. 그다음에 (or, reordered: 청소하기 전에 빨래도 했어요.)
- 좋았어요
- 저녁을 먹기 전에 숙제를 했어요.
- 수업이 끝난 후에 친구를 만났어요.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- She went to the pharmacy first, because her throat hurt.
- She met 수진 and they went downtown together.
- She wrote an email.
- 하다-verb past — 청소했어요 (from the reading) or 이메일도 썼어요 is an action-verb example; 후에 — 약국에 간 후에 수진 씨를 만났어요.
Listening comprehension
- 수진 got up late.
- She met 라일라 and they went downtown together.
- She rested at home.
Reading comprehension
- Her throat hurt in the morning.
- First the pharmacy, then meeting 수진 and going downtown, then writing an email in the evening.
- She calls it a good day, though a little tiring.
- 토요일이었어요
Chapter Review — Section B
1. 저는 학교에 갔어요. / 날씨가 나빴어요. / 저는 학생이었어요.
2. (a) → 저는 어제 김치를 먹었어요. (b) → 어제는 일요일이었어요.
Section D — Sample "Yesterday's Diary" paragraph
어제는 일요일이었어요. 먼저 아침에 늦게 일어났어요. 그다음에 방을 청소했어요. 청소한 후에 친구를 만났어요. 우리는 같이 커피를 마셨어요. 마지막으로 저녁에 집에서 쉬었어요. 좀 피곤했지만 정말 재미있었어요.
Check that: the day is named with the past copula; at least three events appear in the past tense; at least one sentence uses 전에 or 후에; sequencing words appear in a logical order; speech level is consistent everyday polite throughout; particles and spacing are accurate.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can describe what already happened, ask others what they did, and put two or more past events in order using 전에, 후에, and simple sequencing words. This opens Unit IV.