없었어
uhp-ssuh-ssuh
eopsseosseo
descriptive
없었다
To say past tense of 없다 (to not be there) politely in the present tense, use 없었어요 (uhp-ssuh-ssuh-yoh) · eopsseosseoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 없었다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (descriptive): Descriptive verbs (형용사) function like adjectives in Korean and conjugate the same way as regular action verbs. They cannot take the progressive -고 있어요 or imperative forms. 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아요; 크다 (to be big) → 커요 (으-irregular).
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 없었어요 uhp-ssuh-ssuh-yoh eopsseosseoyo | 없었습니다 uhp-ssuh-sseum-nee-dah eopsseosseumnida | |
| Past | 없었었어 uhp-ssuh-ssuh-ssuh eopsseosseosseo | 없었었어요 uhp-ssuh-ssuh-ssuh-yoh eopsseosseosseoyo | 없었었습니다 uhp-ssuh-ssuh-sseum-nee-dah eopsseosseosseumnida |
| Future | 없었을 거야 uhp-ssuh-sseul guh-yah eopsseosseul geoya | 없었을 거예요 uhp-ssuh-sseul guh-yae-yoh eopsseosseul geoyeyo | 없었을 겁니다 uhp-ssuh-sseul guhm-nee-dah eopsseosseul geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
없었으세요
uhp-ssuh-sseu-sae-yoh
eopsseosseuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
없었어요
uhp-ssuh-ssuh-yoh
eopsseosseoyo
Question Polite (요)
없었어요?
uhp-ssuh-ssuh-yoh-?
eopsseosseoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
없었고
uhp-ssuht-goh
eopsseotgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
없었으면
uhp-ssuh-sseu-myuhn
eopsseosseumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
없었고 있어요
uhp-ssuht-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
eopsseotgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
없었고 싶어요
uhp-ssuht-goh shee-puh-yoh
eopsseotgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
없었을 수 있어요
uhp-ssuh-sseul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
eopsseosseul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
없었어서
uhp-ssuh-ssuh-suh
eopsseosseoseo
Noun form — (기)
없었기
uhp-ssuht-gee
eopsseotgi
Noun form — (음)
없었음
uhp-ssuh-sseum
eopsseosseum