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왔어요 (wa-sseo-yo) is the polite past tense form of the verb “오다” (to come). It can mean “I came,” “you came,” “he/she came,” or “they came,” depending on the context, since Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear.
오다 Conjugation in Polite Past Tense:
Verb → 오다 (o-da)
Verb Stem → 오 (o)
Last Vowel → 오 (o)
Verb Ending Used → 았어요 (a-sseo-yo)
Polite Past Tense → 오 + 았어요 = 오았어요 (o-a-sseo-yo) which changes to 왔어요 (wa-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.
