How to use Korean Grammar V/A + 아/어/여야 하다

The Korean text pronunciation feature (🔊) is only available for Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera browsers.

Verb, Adjective + 아야 / 어야 / 여야 하다

The Korean grammar pattern -아 / -어 / -여야 하다 is used to express the need to do something in order to achieve a certain outcome or goal. -아 / -어 / -여야 하다 can be attached directly to a verb or adjective stem as well as the past tense suffixes -았/-었/-였. -아 / -어 / -여야 하다 can be translated as "have to", "must", "need to".

When -아 / -어 / -여야 하다 is attached to the past tense suffixes the entire sentence will have a meaning of regret and can be translated as "should have done".

See Past Tense lesson to learn when you should use -아야, -어야, and -여야.

See examples,
(click on translation and grammar buttons)

저녁을 만들기 전에 식료품을 사야 해요.

Korean

저녁

만들다

식료품

사다

English

dinner

to make

groceries

to buy

I need to buy groceries before I cook dinner.

저녁 만들기 전+ 식료품 사+아야 하+여요.

저녁을 만들기 전에 식료품을 샀어야 했어요.

I should have bought groceries before I cooked dinner.

내 조카는 저녁 4시까지 숙제를 끝내야 합니다.

Korean

조카

저녁

숙제

끝내다

English

I

nephew

evening

hour

homework

to finish

My nephew must finish his homework by 4 p.m.

나+ 조카 저녁 4시까지 숙제 끝내+어야 하+ㅂ니다.

내 조카는 저녁 4시까지 숙제를 끝냈어야 했습니다.

My nephew should have finished his homework by 4 p.m.

우리는 오늘 일찍 떠나야 해요.

Korean

우리

오늘

일찍

떠나다

English

we

today

early

to leave, to depart

We need to leave early today.

우리 오늘 일찍 떠나+아야 하+여요.

우리는 오늘 일찍 떠났어야 했어요.

We should have left early today.

그는 의사의 지시를 따라야 합니다.

Korean

의사

지시

따르다

English

he

a doctor

instruction

to follow

He must follow the doctor's instructions.

의사 지시 따르+아야 하+ㅂ니다.

그는 의사의 지시를 따랐어야 했습니다.

He should have followed the doctor's instructions.

늘 건강하셔야 합니다.

Korean

건강하다

English

always

to be healty

You should always be healty.

늘 건강하++어야 하+ㅂ니다.

Quick reference (click to open)

Vowels: a, e, i, o, u

Consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j

Syllable: Bra-zil (2 syllables), Ar-gen-ti-na (4), In-di-a (3), Viet-nam (2), thin-king (2), beau-ti-ful (3), good (1)

Batchim: is a final consonant in a syllable. → Bra-zil (batchim: 'l'), Ar-gen-ti-na (batchims: 'r' and 'n'), In-di-a ('n'), Viet-nam ('t', 'm')

Romanization: is a conversion of text (not pronunciation ! ) from different writing system (Korean, Arabic, Russian, etc.) to the Roman (Latin) alphabet.

IPA: is an alphabetic system of phonetic (pronunciation) notation.

Noun: road, user, sister, table, sky

Pronoun: I, my, we, you, they, her

Verb: to go, to study, to think, to feel

Adjective: cold, kind, hungry, curious, expensive

Adverb: quickly, nicely, never, exactly, urgently

Preposition: from, to, on, in, with, till

Conjuction: and, because, if, but, while

Declarative sentence: I learn Korean.

Interrogative sentence: Do you learn Korean?

Imperative sentence: You must learn Korean!

Exclamative sentence: Wow, you learn Korean!

Verb / Adj. stem in Korean: part of a verb or adj. which is left after removing the last syllable -다 ( e.g. 가다 → 가, 예쁘다 → 예쁘, 듣다 → 듣 ).