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갔어요 (ga-sseo-yo) is the polite past tense form of the verb “가다” (to go). It can translate to “I went,” “you went,” “he/she went,” or “they went” based on the context, since Korean often skips the subject when it’s clear who you’re talking about.
가다 Conjugation in Polite Past Tense
Verb → 가다 (gada)
Verb Stem → 가 (ga)
Last Vowel → ㅏ (a)
Verb Ending Used → 았어요 (a-sseo-yo)
Polite Past Tense → 가 + 았어요 = 가았어요 (ga-a-sseo-yo) which changes to 갔어요 (ga-sseo-yo) for easier pronunciation.
Korean Verb Conjugation Rules for Polite Past Tense
았어요: Used if the last vowel in the verb stem is ㅏ or ㅗ.
었어요: Used if the last vowel in the verb stem is anything other than ㅏ or ㅗ.
였어요: Used only for 하다 verbs.
