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해요 (hae-yo) is the polite present tense form of the verb “하다” (to do). It can mean “I do,” “you do,” “he/she does,” or “they do,” depending on the context, as Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear.
To form 해요, you use the verb stem 하- from 하다 and add the polite present tense ending -여요 since it’s a 하다 verb, following the verb conjugation rule. 하 + 여요 = 하여요 but for easier pronunciation it changes to 해요.
하다 Conjugation in Polite Present Tense:
Verb → 하다 (ha-da)
Verb Stem → 하 (ha)
Last Vowel → ㅏ (a)
Verb Ending Used → 여요 (yeo-yo) (because 하다 verbs take 여요)
Polite Present Tense → 하 + 여요 = 하여요 changes to 해요 (hae-yo), which means ‘do,’ ‘does,’ or ‘doing.’
Korean Verb Conjugation Rules for Polite Present Tense
아요: Used if the last vowel in the verb stem is ㅏ or ㅗ.
어요: Used if the last vowel in the verb stem is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ.
여요: Used only for 하다 verbs.
