Explanation
Past tense. -았어요 after ㅏ/ㅗ, -었어요 otherwise. 하다 → 했어요.
Dictionary → present → past for a consonant-stem verb (먹다).
Dictionary
먹다
meokda
to eat (dictionary form)
Examples
갔어요
gat-sseo-yo
went
먹었어요
meo-geo-sseo-yo
ate
했어요
hae-sseo-yo
did
았어요 / 었어요: complete usage guide
Past polite typically inserts 았/었 before 어요: 갔어요, 먹었어요.
Vowel harmony mirrors present: ㅏ/ㅗ stems lean 았, others 었: with many contractions.
Time words pair naturally: 어제, 지난주, 아까.
More examples
어제 영화 봤어요.
I watched a movie yesterday.
아침을 먹었어요.
I ate breakfast.
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