Let's learn how to use the Korean word 어제 (yesterday) in different sentences. It's a really useful word to know, so pay close attention!
§ Basic Placement of 어제
The easiest way to use 어제 is to just put it at the beginning of a sentence, or right after the subject. Like English, it tells you when something happened. You don't need any special particles with it when it's just indicating time.
어제 비가 왔어요.
- Hint
- Yesterday it rained. (비가 왔어요 - it rained)
저는 어제 숙제를 했어요.
- Hint
- I did homework yesterday. (저는 - I, 숙제를 했어요 - did homework)
§ Using 어제 with -에 (When Not to Use It)
Here's a common point of confusion for learners: you generally do not add the time particle -에 (which means 'at' or 'on' for specific times) to 어제. Words like 어제 (yesterday), 오늘 (today), 내일 (tomorrow), 지금 (now), and 언제 (when) already convey a specific time frame, so they don't need -에.
It's like saying "yesterday at" in English – it sounds redundant. Just use 어제 by itself.
저 어제 영화 봤어요.
- Hint
- I watched a movie yesterday. (저 - I, 영화 봤어요 - watched a movie)
§ Using 어제 with -부터 and -까지
You can use 어제 with the particles -부터 (from) and -까지 (until/to) to talk about a duration that started yesterday.
- 어제부터: From yesterday
- 어제까지: Until yesterday
저는 어제부터 아팠어요.
- Hint
- I've been sick since yesterday. (아팠어요 - was sick, a form of 아프다 - to be sick)
그 일은 어제까지 끝내야 했어요.
- Hint
- That work had to be finished by yesterday. (그 일은 - that work, 끝내야 했어요 - had to be finished)
§ Using 어제 to Modify Nouns (어제의)
While 어제 is usually used as an adverb (modifying verbs), you can also make it modify a noun by adding the possessive particle -의. This turns it into "yesterday's [something]". This is less common but good to know.
어제의 날씨는 좋았어요.
- Hint
- Yesterday's weather was good. (날씨 - weather, 좋았어요 - was good)
§ Common Phrases with 어제
Here are a couple of useful phrases using 어제:
- 어제 밤: Last night (literally 'yesterday night')
- 어제 아침: Yesterday morning
- 어제 저녁: Yesterday evening
어제 밤에 잘 잤어요?
- Hint
- Did you sleep well last night? (잘 잤어요? - did you sleep well?)
By now, you should have a solid understanding of how to use 어제 in various situations. Keep practicing with these examples, and you'll be using it like a pro in no time!
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Exemplos por nível
어제 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend yesterday.
어제 숙제를 다 했어요.
I finished all my homework yesterday.
어제 날씨가 정말 좋았어요.
The weather was really good yesterday.
어제 저녁에 뭐 먹었어요?
What did you eat yesterday evening?
어제 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie yesterday.
어제 피곤해서 일찍 잤어요.
I was tired yesterday, so I went to bed early.
어제 산 책을 읽고 있어요.
I'm reading the book I bought yesterday.
어제부터 비가 계속 와요.
It has been raining continuously since yesterday.
어제 그 영화를 보고 나서 밤새도록 생각했어요.
I thought about that movie all night after watching it yesterday.
A C1 level sentence demonstrating a complex thought process and temporal relation.
어제 발표 준비 때문에 잠을 한숨도 못 잤어요.
I couldn't sleep a wink yesterday because of the presentation preparation.
Illustrates cause and effect with a common idiom ('잠을 한숨도 못 잤어요').
어제 논의했던 안건에 대해 다시 한번 생각해봤습니다.
I re-evaluated the agenda item we discussed yesterday.
Shows formal language and reflective thought, typical of C1.
어제 회식 자리에서 김 부장님이 술에 너무 취하셨어요.
Manager Kim got too drunk at the company dinner yesterday.
Includes workplace context and a colloquial expression for getting drunk ('술에 취하다').
어제 발생한 문제의 원인을 아직 파악하지 못했습니다.
We haven't yet identified the cause of the problem that occurred yesterday.
Demonstrates formal problem-solving language and complex sentence structure.
어제 온종일 비가 내려서 외출을 전혀 하지 못했어요.
It rained all day yesterday, so I couldn't go out at all.
Uses '온종일' for 'all day' and a negative construction with '전혀'.
어제 친구와 깊은 대화를 나누면서 많은 것을 깨달았어요.
I realized many things while having a deep conversation with my friend yesterday.
Highlights personal reflection and the use of '나누다' for sharing conversation.
어제 들었던 강연 내용이 아직도 머릿속에 생생하게 남아있습니다.
The content of the lecture I heard yesterday is still vividly clear in my mind.
Employs an idiomatic expression for memory ('머릿속에 생생하게 남아있다') and complex sentence structure.
어제의 실수는 오늘의 교훈이 된다.
Yesterday's mistake becomes today's lesson.
어제는 역사이고, 내일은 미스터리이며, 오늘은 선물이다.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift.
어제는 이미 지나간 일이니, 오늘에 집중하자.
Yesterday is already a past event, so let's focus on today.
어제의 날씨가 오늘보다 훨씬 좋았다.
Yesterday's weather was much better than today's.
어제 그 영화를 봤는데, 정말 감동적이었어요.
I watched that movie yesterday, and it was really moving.
어제 미처 끝내지 못한 숙제가 아직 남아 있어요.
The homework I couldn't finish yesterday is still left.
어제까지만 해도 잘 작동하던 컴퓨터가 오늘은 갑자기 고장났어요.
The computer that was working well until yesterday suddenly broke down today.
어제 밤새도록 잠을 못 자서 피곤해요.
I couldn't sleep all night yesterday, so I'm tired.
Memorize
Mnemônico
Think of 'E-O-J-E' as 'Every Old Joke Ends.' You tell every old joke 'yesterday.'
Associação visual
Imagine a calendar with '어제' written boldly over the previous day's date, highlighted in a bright, memorable color.
Word Web
Desafio
Try to say three things you did '어제' in Korean. For example: '어제 커피 마셨어요.' (I drank coffee yesterday.)
Teste-se 36 perguntas
This sentence asks 'What did you do yesterday?' '어제' means yesterday, '뭐' means what, and '했어요?' is the past tense of '하다' (to do), making it 'did'.
This sentence means 'I was at home yesterday.' '나는' is 'I', '어제' is 'yesterday', '집에' means 'at home', and '있었어요' is the past tense of '있다' (to be, to exist).
This sentence means 'The weather was good yesterday.' '어제' is 'yesterday', '날씨가' is 'weather', and '좋았어요' is the past tense of '좋다' (to be good).
Write a short sentence about something you did yesterday, using '어제'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
어제 한국어를 공부했어요.
Describe what the weather was like yesterday using '어제'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
어제 날씨가 좋았어요.
Write a question asking a friend what they ate yesterday, including '어제'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
어제 뭐 먹었어요?
What did Jihun do yesterday?
Read this passage:
수진: 어제 뭐 했어요? 지훈: 어제 친구하고 영화를 봤어요. 수진: 재미있었어요? 지훈: 네, 아주 재미있었어요.
What did Jihun do yesterday?
Jihoon said '어제 친구하고 영화를 봤어요.' which means 'Yesterday, I watched a movie with a friend.'
Jihoon said '어제 친구하고 영화를 봤어요.' which means 'Yesterday, I watched a movie with a friend.'
Was Yumi busy yesterday?
Read this passage:
민준: 어제 바빴어요? 유미: 네, 어제 할 일이 많았어요. 민준: 무슨 일 했어요? 유미: 숙제를 하고 청소했어요.
Was Yumi busy yesterday?
Yumi said '네, 어제 할 일이 많았어요.' which means 'Yes, I had a lot to do yesterday.'
Yumi said '네, 어제 할 일이 많았어요.' which means 'Yes, I had a lot to do yesterday.'
What did Sara do yesterday?
Read this passage:
앤디: 어제 한국 음식을 먹었어요? 사라: 아니요, 어제는 집에서 쉬었어요. 앤디: 그랬군요. 피곤했어요? 사라: 네, 좀 피곤했어요.
What did Sara do yesterday?
Sara said '아니요, 어제는 집에서 쉬었어요.' which means 'No, yesterday I rested at home.'
Sara said '아니요, 어제는 집에서 쉬었어요.' which means 'No, yesterday I rested at home.'
Choose the most natural sentence using '어제'.
어제 (yesterday) is a past tense adverb. '볼 거예요' (will watch) is future tense, so it doesn't fit. '봤어요' (watched) is past tense, making the sentence grammatically correct and natural.
Which sentence correctly uses '어제' to indicate a past action?
'갔어요' (went) is a past tense verb, which correctly pairs with '어제' (yesterday). The other options use future tense verbs ('할 거예요', '먹을 거예요', '갈 거예요'), which are not appropriate for '어제'.
Select the sentence that uses '어제' appropriately.
'공부했어요' (studied) is a past tense verb, correctly used with '어제' (yesterday). The other sentences either use future tense verbs or combine '어제' with '내일' (tomorrow), which is illogical.
The sentence '어제 저는 친구를 만날 거예요.' is grammatically correct.
'어제' means 'yesterday', indicating a past event. '만날 거예요' means 'will meet', indicating a future event. These two do not match.
If you want to say 'I ate breakfast yesterday', you can say '저는 어제 아침을 먹었어요.'.
'어제' (yesterday) correctly combines with '먹었어요' (ate), which is the past tense form of '먹다' (to eat).
'어제' can be used with a future tense verb.
'어제' specifically refers to the past (yesterday). Therefore, it must be used with a past tense verb to be grammatically correct and make sense.
The speaker is talking about yesterday's experience.
The speaker wants to know about events from yesterday.
The speaker met a friend yesterday evening.
Read this aloud:
어제 날씨가 좋았어요.
Focus: 어제 (eo-je)
Você disse:
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Read this aloud:
어제 뭐 했어요?
Focus: 뭐 했어요 (mwo hae-sseo-yo)
Você disse:
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Read this aloud:
어제 영화 봤어요.
Focus: 봤어요 (bwa-sseo-yo)
Você disse:
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Imagine you went to a concert yesterday. Write three sentences about what you did.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
어제 콘서트에 갔어요. 제가 좋아하는 가수가 노래를 불렀어요. 정말 재미있었어요.
Your friend asks what you ate yesterday for lunch. Write two sentences to tell them.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
어제 점심으로 비빔밥을 먹었어요. 아주 맛있었어요.
You are writing in your diary about yesterday's weather. Write two sentences describing it.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
어제는 날씨가 아주 좋았어요. 비가 오지 않아서 산책했어요.
What did the person do yesterday?
Read this passage:
저는 어제 친구와 영화를 봤어요. 영화는 정말 재미있었어요. 그래서 오늘 또 보고 싶어요.
What did the person do yesterday?
The first sentence '저는 어제 친구와 영화를 봤어요' directly states that they watched a movie with a friend yesterday.
The first sentence '저는 어제 친구와 영화를 봤어요' directly states that they watched a movie with a friend yesterday.
Why is the person tired today?
Read this passage:
어제는 숙제가 너무 많아서 밤늦게까지 공부했어요. 잠을 거의 못 자서 오늘 피곤해요.
Why is the person tired today?
The passage says '어제는 숙제가 너무 많아서 밤늦게까지 공부했어요. 잠을 거의 못 자서 오늘 피곤해요.' meaning they studied late and couldn't sleep much, which made them tired today.
The passage says '어제는 숙제가 너무 많아서 밤늦게까지 공부했어요. 잠을 거의 못 자서 오늘 피곤해요.' meaning they studied late and couldn't sleep much, which made them tired today.
How does the person feel about learning Korean after yesterday's lesson?
Read this passage:
저는 어제 한국어를 배웠어요. 선생님이 친절하게 가르쳐주셨어요. 그래서 한국어가 더 재미있어졌어요.
How does the person feel about learning Korean after yesterday's lesson?
The last sentence '그래서 한국어가 더 재미있어졌어요' indicates that learning Korean became more interesting.
The last sentence '그래서 한국어가 더 재미있어졌어요' indicates that learning Korean became more interesting.
The correct order is '어제' (yesterday) followed by the object '영화를' (movie) and then the verb '봤어요' (watched).
Place '어제' (yesterday) at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the object '한국어' (Korean) and the verb '공부했어요' (studied).
Start with '어제' (yesterday), then the place '공원에' (to the park), and finally the verb '갔어요' (went).
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
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사고
A2An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally.
주소
A1Address, the details of where a building is located.
오전
A1Morning, A.M.
약속
A1Appointment; Promise
사월
A1April; the fourth month of the year.
밤에
A2during the night; at night
다니다
A1To attend; to commute to.
팔월
A1August; the eighth month of the year.
나쁘게
A2Badly; in an unsatisfactory or improper way.
가방
A1Bag
