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있었어요 (i-sseo-sseo-yo) is the polite past tense form of the verb 있다 (it-da), which means “to be” or “to exist.” 있었어요 can translate to “I was,” “you were,” “he was,” “she was,” or “they were,” in English, depending on the context. When referring to possession, it can translate to “I had,” “you had,” “he had,” “she had,” “they had,” etc.
있다 Conjugation in Polite Past Tense:
Verb → 있다 (it-da)
Verb Stem → 있 (it)
Last Vowel → 이 (i)
Verb Ending Used → 었어요 (eo-sseo-yo)
Polite Past Tense → 있 + 었어요 = 있었어요 (i-sseo-sseo-yo) which means ‘was’ or ‘had.’
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.
