애써
ae-ssuh
aesseo
애쓰다
To say to try hard, to make an effort politely in the present tense, use 애써요 (ae-ssuh-yoh) · aesseoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 애쓰다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (으 irregular): 으-irregular verbs end in ㅡ preceded by a consonant (e.g. 쓰다, 예쁘다). Before a vowel suffix, the ㅡ is dropped entirely. 쓰다 (to write) → 써요, 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예뻐요. Because ㅡ itself has no inherent "brighter" or "darker" quality, the vowel harmony is determined by the preceding syllable. See all 으-irregular verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 애써요 ae-ssuh-yoh aesseoyo | 애씁니다 ae-sseum-nee-dah aesseumnida | |
| Past | 애썼어 ae-ssuh-ssuh aesseosseo | 애썼어요 ae-ssuh-ssuh-yoh aesseosseoyo | 애썼습니다 ae-ssuh-sseum-nee-dah aesseosseumnida |
| Future | 애쓸 거야 ae-sseul guh-yah aesseul geoya | 애쓸 거예요 ae-sseul guh-yae-yoh aesseul geoyeyo | 애쓸 겁니다 ae-sseul guhm-nee-dah aesseul geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
애쓰세요
ae-sseu-sae-yoh
aesseuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
애써요
ae-ssuh-yoh
aesseoyo
Question Polite (요)
애써요?
ae-ssuh-yoh-?
aesseoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
애쓰고
ae-sseu-goh
aesseugo
Conditional "if" — (면)
애쓰면
ae-sseu-myuhn
aesseumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
애쓰고 있어요
ae-sseu-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
aesseugo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
애쓰고 싶어요
ae-sseu-goh shee-puh-yoh
aesseugo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
애쓸 수 있어요
ae-sseul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
aesseul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
애써서
ae-ssuh-suh
aesseoseo
Noun form — (기)
애쓰기
ae-sseu-gee
aesseugi
Noun form — (음)
애씀
ae-sseum
aesseum